THURSDAY 9:15 PM SEPTEMBER 5, 2024 MEATPACKING
Women’s History Museum is bringing the drama back to New York fashion. Last night, the art collective duo and designers Mattie Barringer and Amanda McGowan took over a cavernous west side church, where the line snaked down two blocks, to stage an act of fashion theater. The collection, titled “Indestructible Doll Head,” was all about New Yorkers themselves, envisioning them as a species of latter day warriors grinding away in their own world. Starring in the show were many of the city’s main characters—Fashion, Coco, Meelah—who pumped to classical club beats clad in shards of coins, skunk fur, shards of glass, and palanquin-like platform shoes, in keeping with the label’s recurring obsession with medieval references. But New Yorkers aren’t all grit: the show climaxed with a delicate sheer catsuit whose extra-long train fluttered down from the church’s mezzanine above. When we asked front row friends for a recap, it was clear: Women’s History Museum was this season’s messiah.
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ANGEL MONEY: That was the most exciting fashion show I’ve seen since the last Women’s History Museum show I went to. I have not been so excited about the state of fashion as I am right now. This is such an incredible collection and I’m so blown away. Congratulations to Mattie and Amanda for a beautiful collection. I’m kind of trying to catch my breath from that. That was just mind-blowing.
JULIAN RIBEIRO: Can we say the spectacle is back?
MONEY: Oh, absolutely. I mean, that finale moment, that’s what everyone’s going to talk about. But I was literally gasping audibly the whole show. I was in the mezzanine so I could see it all.
RIBEIRO: I think it’s safe to say that it gave.
LEILAH WEINRAUB: First of all, I love the designers coming out and being, like, super shy. It’s really endearing and it’s the right attitude that we need for fashion people right now. Just be a little bit like, behind the scenes—a little modest and demure.
MEKALA RAJAGOPAL: Who had your favorite walk?
WEINRAUB: Fashion did a really gorgeous walk, and there was this other girl whose walk I loved who was super pretty, I don’t remember her name. It’s gorgeous, and the look was perfect. I want to see girls come outside in this look.
RAJAGOPAL: I would like to see it.
WEINRAUB: I was also taking pictures of the hot video girls. I’m not talking about vixens. I’m talking about girls behind the videos.
RAJAGOPAL: What’s your herstory?
WEINRAUB: What’s my women’s history? Dictators. Dicktater. That’s some cock and a tater tot.
MEKALA RAJAGOPAL: What was your favorite look?
CLIP: My favorite look had to be the one with the long ass trail. The trail ate because it was so cinematic. That one was a showstopper.
RAJAGOPAL: I thought I knew my favorite until we got there.
CLIP: Exactly, same.
RAJAGOPAL: Okay, besides that one?
CLIP: When they had the trio and she had the really high heels, that ate. The body was tea, the clothes were tea.
RAJAGOPAL: Describe the vibe in three words.
CLIP: Can I say cunty? Cunty, showstopping, and inspirational.
TAYLORE SCARABELLI: Hey, Miss Parker. There were a lot of references in the show, you said.
MISS PARKER: There were so many references and motifs across history and time. They were giving like, goth Christian moments, Roman Empire, ‘80s video vixen animal print down. It was just their world, all wrapped in one. I felt like it was super cohesive even though it had such a variety of different vibes and styles.
SCARABELLI: What did you think of the show?
REN G: I thought it was perfect and so sexy and I loved all the pennies and glass. Recession vibes.
SCARABELLI: Is a recession coming?
REN G: I don’t know.
SCARABELLI: Do you have anything else you want to say about the show?
REN G: I loved the soundtrack. I’m not sure who did it, but it was really, really high-energy. And I really loved the purple leather shoulder pad jacket. That was very, very, very good.
SCARABELLI: What did you think about the show?
BEN TAYLOR: I think Maddie and Amanda are the best designers in New York and in the world.
SCARABELLI: What was it about?
TAYLOR: Well, there’s that one dress that says, “I took a picture.” I think that’s the most iconic thing in the show. It says, “New York: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” That kind of sums it up perfectly. You know, the shattered glass.
SCARABELLI: The pennies. Broken dreams.
TAYLOR: Broken dreams, broken glass.
