Brandon Maxwell blossoms in lilac for NY Fashion Week
A Brandon Maxwell collection is modeled during Fashion Week, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
NEW YORK (AP) — Home is where the heart is for Brandon Maxwell and it showed in his use of purple, his mother’s favorite color, throughout his New York Fashion Week spring/summer collection.
Tuesday’s show at Christie’s New York in Rockefeller Plaza opened with moody blue lighting and the sound of chirping birds as if it was just before daybreak. The atmospheric lighting gradually shifted to an airy lilac, evoking sunrise in the countryside.
Opting for pastels, layering and relaxed symmetrical silhouettes, Maxwell focused on a theme of soft feminine beauty. He mixed neutrals with pastels like baby blue, sage green and blush pink in everyday staple closet pieces for women. The show opened with a blush pink layered look: silver sequined mini skirt layered with a classic white graphic T-shirt, glittery cardigan and a pink blazer with structured shoulders.
Maxwell, a Texas native, said his inspiration for the collection came when he moved out of New York City.
“So (the collection) is still inspired by the people that raised me because a lot of I think what went into this collection were like involuntary memories that have been triggered in my time, in the silence outside of the city that took me back to my youth and the things that I loved,” Maxwell said.
He said that’s reflected in the clothes and their late 90s, early 2000 vibe. “I think that that’s when I really came to love fashion and and so yeah, my family’s always in there,” he said.
Maxwell’s nostalgia was reflected in looks like denim overalls with a matching black sequined top embroidered with yellow sunflowers and a plunging v-neckline. Other looks included wide tan cargo pants with a matching strapless halter top layered under a white cotton tank top. The most notable 90s-inspired look was a sheer full-length tulle dress layered on top of a white graphic tank.
The show closed with another slouchy layered look, featuring a floor-length silvery skirt resembling a Monet painting paired with a white T-shirt, rose pink blazer and chunky platform heel.
Sitting in the front row were Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, TV personality La La Anthony, supermodel Karlie Kloss and singer Kelsea Ballerini.
“(Maxwell) just gets it. He’s versatile, fits all body types (like) curvy like mine, which I love. He just gets it,” Anthony said.
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