“The penis is a powerful thing,” says designer Ashley Williams. It’s also, apparently, a part of an outerwear option, as Adwoa Aboah proved when she opened Williams’ show in a sperm-print fleece jacket and giant nun skirt.
The pattern came again in pants, in a strapless silk evening dress, in a fuzzy scarf, and a hot pink tie-dye tee. By the time teen rocker Sabrina Fuentes (a.k.a Pretty Sick) stomped the catwalk in a headband knit with dicks, the motif stopped being a gag and started being a viable option for street style strategy and gender flip-offs.
Williams’ counter to the peens was a pussy—as in, a cat—stamped on sweaters and dresses, some worn by male models. The cat theme continued with leopard and tiger prints, some in hot pink. In a time where “boys” and “girls” are a choice and not a mandate, and where “toxic masculinity” has the same danger level as asbestos, the symbolism was smart. The fact that it happened on clothes made for flaunting, posing, and hyping? That’s actual genius.
As for Williams’ obsession-level barrettes, there were some new words (BOOKS seemed to be the Instagram favorite, but JESUS, OCEAN and EMO are up there, too) but only one model wore them… all of them… like a very verbose, very dazzling hat.
Of course, there were earrings blaring FUCK in shiny crystals, too, because Williams knows above all, you’ve got to stay on-brand.
