Moon Choi blurs the boundaries of feminine and masculine at NYFW

What does it mean to be masculine or feminine? The lines between both
continue to be blurred at Fashion Week, as evidenced by newcomer Moon Choi.
The recent Parsons graduate debuted her collection this New York Fashion
Week at The Refectory at The Highline Hotel. Titled “Specimen 19”, the
collection is a study of materials by the designer.

Her “findings” were presented as a series of tailored garments, each
constructed with delicate, rarefied fabrications. It was important to Choi
that the collection was neither strictly masculine or feminine. “I believe
that clothing is not defined by gender,” Choi said to FashionUnited. “So
potentially, my customer could be women or men, depending on their taste.
The individual has a strong personality and identity, and is very confident
in expressing his or herself.”

To that end, the collection took special emphasis on things like drape
detailing and delicate silk contrasted against elegant tailoring. Choi is
actually growing out of doing more masculine pieces, as her first
presentation was at New York Fashion Week: Men’s fall/winter 2018. Specimen
19 marked her debut on the women’s schedule. “It was a bit challenging to
expand into more options for women to wear for other occasions,” Choi said
to FashionUnited. “I still try to blur the boundary between femininity and
masculinity.”

This season the designer introduced a new feminine silhouette, the long
silk dress. “This new, flowing and delicate shape represents how I tried to
explore the diversity in gender identity,” Choi said to FashionUnited. “I
wasn’t afraid to bring in more feminine styles to counter the masculine for
this season and this exploration represents the expanded my design
vocabulary.”

Choi described her brand DNA to FashionUnited as, ” A fine balance between
weighted masculine cuts and feminine subtleties. Our unusual silhouettes
are designed to be layered, or worn alone. The singular pieces are the
expressive result of how I believe clothing can influence one’s identity
and behavior.”

The designer has managed to find the balance between the masculine and
feminine without pushing the envelope too much. She might be early on in
her career, but she’s proving she has the skills to have universal appeal
in this competitive industry.

photos: Joss McKinley