A sigh of relief for another SS25 show focused on fun and fantasy — rather than the rigidity that is all too common in fashion presentations.
At Collina Strada SS25, creative director Hillary Taymour not only encourages her audience to touch grass, but to roll in it. Held in an East Village private park, Taymour’s collection titled “Touch Grass” is a reminder that the sustainable brand isn’t promoting environmental pessimism but instead giving a healthy dose of fashionable realism. The audience sat among a whimsical grassy runway surrounded by towering concrete buildings, a reminder that nature can coexist with excessive urbanity. The soundtrack to the show was a soup of classics like “Pieces of Me” by Ashley Simpson mixed with Collina Strada’s own mantras — chants of “I care a lotta, Collina Strada… please stop cutting down trees and kiss the grass.” A punch of humor and a reminder of the dire state of our environment, but not without a hint of romance. This is Collina Strada.
The show opened with a pastel watercolor and white lace slip dress paired with frilly mesh booties that will surely be adopted by everyone fashionable south of 14th Street. The hottest accessory was grass-stained hair that dragged on the ground behind the model, matching the grass that clung to her knees. The earth truly became part of the garments, adding an endearingly juvenile touch to high fashion. The looks that followed were classic Collina: long watercolor gowns with billowing fluid sleeves, cascading layers of ruffles in ambiguous animal prints, and a key lime blouse that flowed like a babbling brook, all paired with ruffled booties and phenomenal floral and plaid patterned sneakers equipped with quirky Miu Miu-esque bubble soles and an oversized flower patch hiding shoelaces. I urgently need a pair of each.
Returning muses on the runway included Aaron Rose Philip, Indira Scott, Sara Hiromi, Jazzelle (@uglyworldwide), and Rusty, Taymour’s self-described model, muse, and mother. Model Veronika Vilim toted a small white Pomeranian pigmented with a leaf-like hue. Did the precious pooch get painted or did it simply take a tussle on the grassy runway? Another model wore thick pink sunglasses, a ruched black sheer top, and black mini shorts while slicing through the grass with an old-fashioned push lawn mower, kicking the bright green clippings onto his shins, achieving an illusion of grassy knee-high socks. So silly, so chic.
One model in particular prompted an excited reaction from the audience, New York’s own micro-celebrity, 83-year-old Elizabeth Sweetheart, also known as @greenladyofbrooklyn, who wears solely monochromatic outfits in, you guessed it, green. In a perfectly predictable fashion, stylist Jorden Bickham chose a vibrant green ensemble from the top of her green apple space buns to the tip of her grassy sneakers. Along with a matcha tinted button-up, oversized cargos, a bedazzled avocado-colored sweatshirt tied around her waist, and a blinged-out emerald wallet chain hooked onto her belt loops, the charming model also cradled an iguana-shaped handbag in her lime green-painted fingertips. I see a new Collina muse in the making.
At times, Bickham repeatedly combined garments that seemingly didn’t work together, which was the case for a few looks — like a delicate, puffy micro mini skirt reminiscent of a billowing jellyfish layered beneath a heavy-textured plaid chore jacket. However, this just aligns with the charming eclecticism of Collina Strada that intrigues customers who want something weird, maybe even unnerving. A few looks repeated this jellyfish silhouette that could have bordered on childish but resulted in playfully mature. A massive periwinkle crossbody bag whose frilly straps wrapped around a stunning, billowing black blouse. A dark ruched and ruffled asymmetrical gown fit for an anemone blooming at the bottom of the sea floor. Even a striped hat folded to almost resemble a pirate’s, paired with micro tweed shorts. Not to be missed were classic undulating, diaphanous skirts and gowns, manifestations of the brand’s whimsy. Mixed into these statement looks were also digestible neutrals and tastefully patterned mini dresses layered over white frilly skirts for the more conservative Collina consumer. Every part of Mother Nature was represented, from the ground we stand on to the ocean we swim in.
Taymour’s choice of a park as the runway was aligned with her brand ethos — while highlighting New York’s complicated history with its green spaces, even in historic Central Park. Even more urgently, Nolita’s Elizabeth Street Garden, a beloved public park, sculpture garden, and community event space, faces a devastating demolition. Taymour not only achieved getting high-powered fashion industry attendees outside and into nature, but also encouraged them to laugh, applaud, and dance along, a much-needed grounding moment at the beginning of Fashion Month, whose industry produces the second-most carbon emissions in the world. But this is what is at the core of Collina Strada: a commitment to producing garments sustainably, with recycled and deadstock fabrics made from endearing materials like rose bushes.
The show culminated with one model who lept, cartwheeled, and collapsed artfully into the grass, rolling and writhing in the fresh cuttings. The audience cheered for the performance, breathing a sigh of relief for another Collina Strada show focused on fun and fantasy rather than the rigidity that is all too common in fashion presentations. Perhaps spring’s hottest trends won’t be banal fads and microtrends, but something timeless instead: a return to the earth and rolling around in the grass that inevitably stains our jeans. 🌀 7.8
Jane Lewis is a writer, editor, and fashion journalism student at The New School in New York City. She spent her adolescence playing and working on farms in California, but now wears her Marc Jacobs FW 2005 plaid trench coat every day and always matches her shoes to her bag. Find her on Instagram (@janethefarmer) and Twitter (@janelikethesong).