But even as the electric strums of “Llama Por Favor” came to a crescendo, this was no pastiche, as Lopez poured himself into the clothing. The power shoulders, he explained, were an embodiment of the emotional freight he carried as a timid child reckoning with his sexuality – a point that became legible in hulking shirts that stretched well over the neck. Thinking back to the kinds of well-worn windbreakers once beloved of his neighbours, the designer refashioned black nylon into geometric menswear and blouson gowns. Some distended into sequined skirts, some balloon sleeves, while others were cinched to extreme proportions with diamante-studded belts – like that of Drag Race winner Symone.
Photography Hatnim Lee
