The fall season marked a step forward for Michelle Duncan’s namesake ready-to-wear-label. The designer credited her creative collective for helping her second New York Fashion Week show come together — the Fleur du Mal lingerie layers and West 25th Street show venue (the space of General Idea advertising agency), both loaned from friends. Duncan also worked with Chris Peters (of CDLM and Creatures of the Wind) to co-create the collection. Together, they conjured a slightly more sensual and grownup extension of the label’s signature subversive styles.
The look: A “subtle dose of after-dark glamour, for the goth-girl gone corporate,” version 2.0.
Quote of note: “Experiencing what it means to push her forward; tailored silhouettes and constructions are quite form-fitting now in a different way, but still within the Duncan ethos,” the designer shared post show. “The Duncan woman was always really subversive, from the day into the night. Now It’s almost as if she grew up — she’s owning this moment of femininity, a literal ‘Killer Queen.’”
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Key pieces: Daphne Groeneveld’s show-closing LBD with oversize shoulder bow; a punky studded tartan pleated skirt with cape-attached top or reworked, cropped button down; a clean white frock with subtle balloon sleeves that had unexpected buttons running down its backside; a sheer embellished blouse; tailored topcoats (styled over vampy lingerie in red or with a paillette adorned collar in black); fitted dresses with billowing capes and sleeves.
The takeaway: Duncan smartly kept brand color codes (black, white, red), signature Scottish tartans and exploding embellishments and moody, dark sensibility, pushing them further with sultry yet clean feminine silhouettes for her multihyphenated woman.