With the AW19 shows of Gauntlett Cheng, Telfar, and (totally viral newcomer) Tomo Koizumi under our belts, we’re almost ready to draw a line under NYFW for another season. There are still a few more exciting things to see, though, with the likes of Luar and Marc Jacobs still to come. Also on the agenda last night was Vaquera, whose conceptual presentation was as much of a highlight as ever. This time around, we skipped detention and were taken through the keyhole and given a glimpse of how the other half live: as seen through the lens of the avant-garde anti-fashion label’s three designers. Here’s everything you need to know. 

VAQUERA ARE ALL ABOUT ASPIRATIONAL LIVING FOR AW19

A few days before the show, the NYC-based label posted an image of a series of beds to Instagram, which offered up a clue as to what was to come. Having invited people to tag themselves (we’d be somewhere between chaotic and neutral good, if you’re wondering), by the time the show started it was clear the collection would have dropped its pin somewhere in the region of ‘Lawful Good’, with the show notes explaining a sophisticated Central Park apartment owner was at the core of the AW19 inspiration.

THE COLLECTION WAS INSPIRED BY FANCIFUL REGENCY STYLE

As styled by Dazed’s Emma Wyman, a troupe of furious-looking models stormed (like, really stormed) out onto the runway swathed in gowns made of Regency-style fabric: think the decorative silk brocades, rich velvets, and luxurious satins that you'd usually associate with upholstery and home furnishings and you've pretty much got the picture. Key looks include long, ruched bedspread and pillowcase-esque gowns in dusky rose, cream, and chintzy floral prints, striped cotton tunics overlaid with 19th century sailor bibs, loose cropped trousers paired with slim boleros, and the label’s signature oversized tailoring, some of which was finished with heavy silk fringing.

...BUT THERE WERE PLENTY OF VAQUERA TWISTS

Including a top made from cotton towelling embroidered with ‘WHY’ (FYI: want). There was also an enormous, scene-stealing ruffled dress so wide it nearly knocked the phones from the hands of those trying to capture its magnificence from their seats, topped off with a big white rosette. This is Vaquera, after all: they know how to do things off with a bang.