I first and foremost must say: I hadn't planned on attending NYFW! This was a serendipitous trip, that in many ways I was under-prepared for. But I am so very glad that I went.
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White attending New York Fashion Week for the Spring/Summer 2018 season, I had the pleasure and opportunity to attend the Francesca Liberatore show. As some of you may remember, my first show of hers had been back in February 2015, during the AW15 season. This season, the models stepped in time to Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill with perfectly coifed eighties inspired hair, glowing skin, and major Little House on the Prairie vibes.
What struck me was the song choice: Running Up That Hill was the first single released by Kate Bush on her 1985 album, Hounds of Love. It's a quintessential 1980's anthem, with its synthetic instruments and heavy drumming beat. "It doesn't hurt me" Bush sings.
I have been in enough relationships to know that if one feels the need to start a conversation out that way, the truth is often the opposite; "You don't wanna hurt me" meaning she has in fact been hurt, but wants to overlook it. Kate Bush's song is one about desiring to find common ground with a lover, while wrestling with the insecurity that a strong attraction to another often brings: because being in love often means leaving oneself vulnerable."Tell me we both matter, don't we?"
What unfurls, in both the song and in the SS18 collection is a woman who has been, and indeed, does not wish to be hurt again. I see it in the high necklines, the sheer fabrics with delicate embroidery; the simultaneous vulnerability and desire to cover up past pain - whatever the reason. And so it is with the Modern Woman - a career woman, who must leave the personal turmoils of her life at the office door, and march to the beat of daily demands. She isn't a slave to the office; she's carved out a life that she is proud of, one that brings her joy and fulfillment. But life isn't always perfect.
I see warriors in Francesca Liberatore's women. Strong, confident, chin parallel to the ground and sky, they know their path. It's not to say that La donna Liberatore doesn't wrestle with insecurity or self-doubt - she does. It's what keeps her up at night. It is an inner dialog that if not addressed can lead to a source of torment. It is also the fuel that fires creativity and success, and unveils fresh perspectives.
It is also what makes her a force to be acknowledged; the wisdom to know her uncertainties are temporary, and to strike a path all her own.
