Collina Strada Hosts Their SS27 Runway Show Upstate at Storm King Art Center

It’s an exceedingly pleasant 70-something degrees and sunny. After schlepping a load of lights and sandbags out of the previous night’s venue and back to the rental company, my assistant and I hustle to Grand Central to catch the earlier of two trains. The production has offered several buses to lug fashion-goers up north, but we opt for the roomier journey on rails. After a quick train ride and some brief confusion with a shuttle, we arrive at Storm King Art Center, a sprawling sculpture park upstate. The rolling hills and vibrant greenery matched with the ethereal structures and warm weather create a mood of natural enchantment. Think Greta Gerwig’s Narnia but with more Calder. Meryl Streep is God here, as well.

As guests arrive, any pains from the trials and tribulations of getting to the park are clearly assuaged. The warm sun, bumbling bees, and calming art make it challenging to feel anything but relaxed and difficult to remain aloof. We all snap our proof-of-attendance iPhone photos and make fashion week talk. Good vibes all around.

Eventually we trek down the field and to the main grass thoroughfare stretching from one focal-point sculpture to a small house up the hill. The production team has lined the expanse of grass with benches and speakers, evidently the runway. We take our seats and gab until the show begins. The speakers whisper “Collina Strada, I care, a lotta” as a beat enters the track. Before long the first model struts down the hill, wearing a baby-pink ruffled cape with sleeves, a brief-style short of the same color, and a chunky silver chain belt with metal flowers adorned. Her statement necklace bounces as she stomps her ruffled tulle-covered sneakers.

Immediately following her is a diva out of the ‘80s romance-goth corner of the cafeteria. She wears all black, a long billowing skirt, and black streamers floating off her top underneath a large silver necklace. On her head sits a crown of black feathers, marking her as a member of the court.

One striking look, Look 24, features a Shakespearean-styled ruffled necklace and a lavender gown sporting a surprisingly simple top half, modest neckline, and subtle seams tracing from the shoulders down the chest, but the playfulness returns as the long sleeves and skirt drip into billowing sails that dance around the model as she walks.

Look 9, a favorite of mine for urban living, features oversized army-green pants with pockets big enough to fit your MacBook Pro plus a bottle of wine. The top is another take on the collared button-down, a deep purple, with oversized sleeves and waist, each pinched in with ruching. The team completes the moment with a purple neck ruff, adding to the look’s sense of power. Overall the look balances a unique sense of nature-oriented fantasy and a feeling of urban streetwear.

We see a little brown party dress, ruched all the way around making it form-fitting with simple spaghetti straps. Following is another member of the court, donning a thin-strapped gown with a fitted bust and massive, excess fabric of orange plaid tumbling down to the ground, ruched at the sternum to pull it in and splattered with pins and tucks creating complex moments of draping and dimension. The gown feels dramatic but still wearable. The collection also includes a few business-casual moments, which are glittering and bedazzled nonetheless. A shining sleeveless top and plaid trousers carry an office siren to her corporate job.

The remaining looks continue the journey through these fantasies. Earth-toned greens, yellows, purples, and browns bring a warm friendliness on the light side, while the all-black options develop an edgier but still regal mood on the dark side. Our lovers of ruffles, ruching, and layers are not left unfed. The collection plays repeatedly with loose-hanging shapes, bringing the looks back to an urban space while playing with layered fabric techniques that build a sense of fantasy and royalty to the point of whimsy.

Lastly, over the speakers comes the familiar voice of one Carly Rae Jepsen. Sure enough! She’s performing live, dancing around the field with long flowing hair. Then down the hill comes a chorus of models, running and dancing their way toward CRJ. Any toils from the fashion week grind are washed away; there is only sunshine and celebration of the Collina Strada fantasy. This finale showcases the collection as a set greater than the sum of its parts in a remarkable way. The looks take on a new life, a group of friends who are different but harmonious in style. They are in charge and they want to dance, all united in a joyful celebration of art, nature, and community.