Runway Realway

BY DORI GRAY PHOTOS BY PROVIDED

Hailing from London, U.K., Bianca Saunders is a young Black designer who has already made a name for herself in the fashion industry. She graduated with a M.A. from the Royal College of Art in 2017, specializing in menswear.

“I was able to find my own aesthetic in menswear, as there was less to see and more space to change at the time,” Saunders said in an interview with British GQ.

Though her debut at London Fashion Week Men’s was in 2018, she has since amassed impressive accolades, including being on Dazed’s 2019 “Dazed100” list, Forbes’ 2020 “30 Under 30” list, winning the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN Prize, and winning the ANDAM Fashion Award Grand Prize this year.

Saunders’ eponymous menswear brand has been simultaneously adventuresome and relaxed. She challenged what it means to exclusively be a menswear designer, utilizing elements like ruching and ruffles to create a brand signature that anyone can appreciate. According to the Bianca Saunders website, she “[draws] from touchstones on either side of her British and West Indian background.”

The Bianca Saunders Spring/ Summer 2022 Menswear Collection, “Henchman”, was actually inspired by photos of Saunders’ family in Jamaica, which were taken by her mother at 18 years old, as noted in a post on the brand’s official Instagram page. “I was looking at … the colors in the photos and how the style was in-between casual and tailored,” the post quoted Saunders. She even had her brother, uncle, and cousin model for the collection, further enforcing the importance of family and heritage as her inspiration.

The Henchman collection featured a collaboration with menswear brand Farah, and utilized sustainable denim from ISKO. Co-ords with intricate, under-the-radar luxe detailing were the collection’s main event, and all 28 looks followed a serene primary color scheme of white, green, yellow, blue, and tan. One double denim ‘fit had a jean inseam that wrapped around to the model’s shin, splitting at the ankle and elevating the look. A simple and seasonable way to get the Saunders look is to tuck a solid-colored turtleneck into identically colored loose straightleg pants. Contrast the outfit with shoes of a different hue and prepare to walk a runway — or the grocery store aisles.

BIANCA SAUNDERS

BRANDON MAXWELL

BY CARLIE REESE PHOTOS BY PROVIDED

Luxury womenswear designer Brandon Maxwell has always been inspired by the strong women within his life. Maxwell has dressed many significant women throughout his career, including former first lady Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and first lady Jill Biden, just to name a few.

Maxwell’s signature is a tailored look, as well as incorporating sculptural techniques into his designs. He has usually stuck to more neutral tones, with pops of colors here and there. He has also been said to be “print-averse” in many of his collections, according to Vogue. But Maxwell’s newest Spring 2022 Ready-To-Wear Collection runway seemed to be a brand-new Brandon.

The collection included a very notable colorway, with blues, greens, pinks, reds, and oranges, with many interesting prints incorporated as well. Maxwell’s use of gingham, pleats, stripes, and even a trippy mushroom print really shows Maxwell branching out, while still keeping to his tailored signature. This collection takes a young and fresh look with different psychedelic influences. There are many wavy, striped prints throughout the collection, as well as gingham with swirls throughout the fabric. The collection includes dresses, jackets, sweaters, and skirts.

Look four in the collection is a baby blue hooded jacket with a wavy, striped sweater on top and what looks like a feathered skirt just barely peeking out on the bottom. The best part is the mushroom sweater hanging on the back of the model, with the sleeves draping down the front. The mushroom graphics come from the artist Mishka Westell.

In an interview with Vogue, he explained “The sporty, sexy shapes were informed by the way the young women he works with are dressing now, i.e. with skin-baring body positivity.”

This new collection is a stunning ready-to-wear collection for all different types of women, which is exactly how Maxwell wants it. This newest collection showcases Maxwell’s brilliant ability to design for women and make them feel beautiful. This collection also shines a light on how versatile Maxwell can be. He can dress first ladies in beautiful, tailored looks, but also design for younger women while being on-trend.

CELEB STYLE RICKEY THOMPSON

BY SARAH TODACK PHOTOS BY GRACE BRASLAWSCE

Rickey Thompson is a comedian, model, and dancer known for his hilarious, relatable rants and passionate lip-synching. Thompson, a North Carolina native, originally moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. However, his popularity began on Vine, a short-form video platform that has since shut down, where he earned 2.5 million followers. Thompson’s success moved to platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, where he continued to rake in followers with his personality and fashion taste.

“I have been obsessed with fashion ever since I was little,” Thompson said to Who What Wear. “My God mom got me into fashion when I was around, I would say, 7 years old. She would put me in velour tracksuits and stuff.”

The velour tracksuit era of fashion that Thompson grew up with has now inspired his wardrobe full of ’90s and early-2000s pieces. Common staples for the social media star include cropped shirts, wide-legged or baggy pants, and button-downs, which he rarely has buttoned. Lots of leather jackets and heeled boots make up his wardrobe as well.

Thompson typically shops in the women’s section of stores, opening a world of options for his fashion expression. He told Who What Wear, “. . . with the guys’ stuff, it’s just the same all the time, and I really hate that.” Thompson recently caught the eye of Vogue with his 2021 Paris Fashion Week post, the magazine naming him as one of the best Instagram looks of this year’s fashion week.

The outfit featured a barelythere Ludovic de Saint Sernin plaid, studded top. He paired the statement piece with black slacks, platform leather shoes, and a clutch to match. Thompson has also been seen wearing stunning looks from Mugler and Noid, his close friend Denzel Dion’s new brand, at major events such as the MTV Video Music Awards.

From starting as a Vine comedian to modeling and attending fashion shows, Thompson has remained popular with the public. He still posts amusing and relatable videos that followers love, while at the same time leading a successful career through fashion.

BY SAMANTHA KRUSE PHOTOS BY EMMA FRIEND

As one of the youngest singersongwriters and most versatile artists through her years of music, Taylor Swift has ventured through different genres, while they also influenced her fashion along the way. At 31 years old, she has already created nine studio albums and has won countless awards for her work.

The early days of Swift featured her country debut album. While she would perform her top songs, “Tim McGraw” and “Our Song”, she wore her tight curls, cowgirl boots, and sundresses, accompanied by her guitar. This style carried over to Fearless, an album filled with the magic of being young. This country-pop music inspired the sequined dresses she wore on stage and the bedazzled guitar she would play.

The Speak Now era defined itself with beautiful, sparkly dresses, along with the whole “fairy tale” theme Swift was aiming for. This selfwritten album was more theatrical and she did not hold back. She wore flowy, long dresses on stage while dancing around litup trees; she even sang off of decorative balconies. With Red, Swift brought a more mature sound and look for this era. With straight hair and bangs, she wore highwaisted shorts and striped shirts, vintage dresses, and from this era emerged her signature red lipstick. This album was a shift from adolescence into a more mature style of music. 1989 switched her from country to a pop sensation. She cut her hair into a bob, wore cropped shirts, skater skirts, and sparkly sets.

The edgiest of her albums, Reputation, included darker lyrics and darker clothing. Bedazzled black bodysuits, thigh-high boots, and crimson red lipstick were features in her wardrobe. She embraced the bad press that was after her at this time, took this “negative” reputation, and created an entire album and show that went along with it.

Lover was a complete shift from the darkness into light. Fringe jackets, pastel shorts, and colorful, sparkly dresses replaced the darker hues of her previous era. She even dyed the ends of her hair pink to go along with the theme.

Swift’s latest works are Folklore, and its sister album, Evermore. She transitioned from pop into a more indie-folk style of music. She embraced a cozier style of plaid jackets, oversized sweaters, long skirts and dresses, and, of course, her cardigan.

Swift’s ever-changing style is inspiring as she transitioned through the genres and simultaneously allowed change within herself. Wherever her next era goes, it is sure to have new fashion and themes.