"These are women who know what they want — and what they want is Sandy Liang."
The Sandy Liang It-Girls have been princesses, mermaids, and then mermaids turned into princesses. For SS25, the Sandy girl transforms into a secret agent whose lasers and gadgets are disguised as lipstick and iridescent accessories. “Fantasy can be practical,” read the show notes, and this presentation surely cemented the Liang brand as a staple in the bicoastal cool girl wardrobe with looks that are charmingly corporate yet vibrantly nostalgic.
Liang’s collection drew heavily on the vivid 2001 TV show Totally Spies where three animated Beverly Hills teenage girls fight international espionage in bright candy-colored jumpsuits. My first instinct upon seeing the collection was that it felt closer to D.E.B.S crossed with 13 Going on 30 and then a bit of The Devil Wears Prada and Austin Powers sprinkled in. Safe to say I’m enamored with this new Sandy girl. Aside from just the garments, the models’ blown out bobs, lighter-than-skin pink lipstick, and Polly Pocket-type handbags contribute to this dollhouse-like fantasy world that Liang continues to build as seasons progress.
The first four models wore collared short sleeve mini dresses in gray, lacey cream, black, and pastel blue that feel like chic lab coats cut short. Underneath are layered collared shirts adding a dimension to the simple garments, and on each girl’s feet are a pair of thonged metallic pink o-ring kitten heels. These are the girls who grew up trying on their mother’s shiny high heels, except now they actually fit and can afford their own. Tiny star-shaped bag charms dangle from each handbag. Then we see two-piece gingham sets with ruffle hems and a Peter Pan collar. The handbags are the same metallic pink as the shoes (because every girl knows to match their shoes and their bag). A few models look like they dressed themselves in a way that a young girl does, with little sense but a large imagination. Bandanas are tied into their hair, paired with a baggy yet girly beige jacket and tiny lime colored mini shorts. White heels and a matching bag finish the look. And then the girl grows up again.
Skirt suits in white lace and khaki satin retain their playfulness when paired with colorful accessories and footwear. One brown satin set borders on frumpy, and a sheeny seafoam puff-shoulder drop-waist mini dress looks like a too-big princess dress for a preteen. However, the styling by Dean DiCriscio just builds on itself to craft the super-spy-girl-world that every member of the audience suddenly becomes a part of. Sisters Sydney and Devon Lee Carlson wore matching outfits in the front row, poet Orion Carloto swooned over the bandanas tied atop trusses, and political/knitter/fashion girl Ella Emhoff was also in attendance along with writer Nicolaia Rips who cutely crafted the show notes.
Perhaps the romanticization of girlhood feels so three months ago, overdone, even exploited. Women and girls are too often the butt of a joke, talked down to, or expected to tailor their femininity for the pleasure of others. Sandy Liang encourages her fantasy world of mermaids, princesses, and now secret agents, to enter our real world. There is truly no harm in pink kitten heels, ruffley gingham cabbage bags, or bedazzled jeans.
The most-eye catching looks of the show were a green apple cardigan, mini short set, and a layered ruffle shoulder bag and a royal blue ensemble of a matching coat, pleated skirt, and banana. The colors were breathtaking, rich, and consuming. Girly but sophisticated. These are women who know what they want — and what they want is Sandy Liang. The garments are “something to create your own world in,” the show notes read. There were plenty of black and gray blazers with mother of pearl buttons for those who aren’t drawn to flamboyance, along with more masculine black and gray sets: jackets with bow details on the décolletage and baggy shorts that don’t bare all. However, a rhinestone mini dress with a slit and satin bow detail is for the ultra flashy Sandy girl. And a sequin and lace mini dress with a pink sash across the bust was made for the girl who knows she’s already won the pageant. To close the show, a delicate barely-there high neck sleeveless mini dress with flouncy transparent florals and tiny sparkling rhinestones sprinkled in the center of each appliqué.
This Sandy Liang world is not for everyone. The show notes teased that “each piece is password protected: only you can unlock it.” These pieces are for the girls who want to define their own lives, whether it’s rooted in girlishness or not. You and I and the audience have the freedom to build our own worlds, whether factual or fantastical, corporate or creative. There is a tinge of delusion that is welcomed in these Sandy fantasies, and everyone is happy to buy into it when metallic pink kitten heels are involved. 🌀 8.3
Jane Lewis is HALOSCOPE's Runway Editor based in New York City. She grew up on farms in Southern California but now she always matches her shoes to her bag.