Calvin Luo tells the story of strong women at NYFW

Everything from art to film inspires designers for their runway
collections. For his spring/summer 2019 collection, designer Calvin Luo was
inspired by the 2008 French movie “Les Femmes de l’ombre” based on the
story of Lise de Baissac. Baissac was an espionage operative in the special
operations executive in the end years of the Second World War who went by
the codename Adele.

Women like Adele taught an important lesson about concealing strength
behind a glamorous demeanor. Femininity can be a stealth woman, because too
often there is the habit of underestimating an impeccably well dressed
woman.

Power dressing was prevalent here with tailored pieces making up a good
portion of the collection. This was for the woman who was unquestionably a
true boss, but still wanted her fashion and feminine flare. Pencil skirts
had cutouts to reveal dresses underneath, dresses had clean lines making
them office suitable, and at the same time there were also ultra feminine
items like dresses with lace.

Calvin Luo has found the balance between the boss lady and the fashion
lady. There’s no reason that a woman can’t have both, as he evidenced with
this collection. Strong women don’t have to sacrifice a good fashion
ensemble.

photos: courtesy of REP Agency