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NEW YORK, United States — Trends like gender neutrality have never quite crept into Prabal Gurung's ultra-feminine oeuvre, yet however sultry his creations are, the man is not afraid of politics. It's why his Autumn/Winter 2017 show featured two distinct chapters — both an ode to women, both charged with positive energy — but poles apart.
The first was the fashion; boxy blanket coats and capes trimmed with fur and plaited felt, drop-shouldered sweaters over chiffon slip dresses, and a gamut of the kind of embellished skirt suits and cocktail dresses Gurung festoons with beading, fluted cuffs and peekaboo lines of fabric-covered buttons.
After a heavy finale of floor-sweeping crystal-mesh gowns, the second chapter felt somewhat light, as Gurung’s models (pleasingly, some plus-sized) joined the #TiedTogether white bandana movement and returned to the catwalk in a series of printed t-shirts reprising powerful political slogans from recent history.
Bella Hadid's read 'The Future Is Female'; another remixed Maria Grazia Chiuri's heavy-hitting Dior statement 'We Should All Be Feminists', (a line originally penned by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie). Though their effect was far from aesthetic, their message was clear, and a positive step towards channeling fashion's viral effect for the greater good.
