Cute monsters, Tim Gunn and China; what do these at-first-sight utterly unrelated three have in common? New York, Parsons School of Design and one graduate in particular: Qinghe “Queenie” Cao. This little girl according to Vogue.com, much like her voluminous designs, is bound to get BIG. From China’s Central Academy of Fina Arts to Parsons, we ask… Eclectic and electric, what sparks this little one’s big ideas?
The fashionable, fantastical and flirtatious have walked hand-in-hand like the Holy Trinity they are since, well, Adam and Eve put on their loincloths.
Before we set off on this fantasmo trippy journey in terms of clothing , I hereby state that in no way do I use the words “little” or “big” in reference to body size – just covering my not-that-big behind for those body-shaming-accusers out there. Marching on, then! Whether we’re talking Princess Leia’s bikini and buns or or Prince’s purple and ruches, the fashionable, fantastical and flirtatious have walked hand-in-hand like the Holy Trinity they are since, well, Adam and Eve put on their loincloths.
Born in 1990 Beijing, Queenie (to my literary critics: I’m temporarily leaving AP style and veering towards the EVP one) on September 7 showed her graduation collection at New York’s Milk Studios in the city’s Chelsea district. With thick fuzzy black lines forming grid-like patterns across the heavily textured fabric, the designer shared with Vogue-adoring audiences a thin glimpse of her surreal, dark sense of humor wrapped in relatively girly silhouettes. A preference for skirts, Queenie’s graduation collection gave off a big voluminous feel, all the while playing with shiny and oddly interesting fabrics.
Her 2016 fashion concept witnesses a splash of happy colorings thickly lined with the occasional dark undertone.
Her first collection “Misplaced” in 2012 was a strong indicator of the designer’s vivid and imaginative style, finding itself perpetually floating between reality and fantasy. It should come as no surprise, then, that over the past years, both Tim Burton films as well as Japanese anime have proven to maintain a strong grasp on both her garment and accessory creations alike. Her 2016 fashion concept that witnesses a splash of happy colorings thickly lined with the occasional dark undertone translates into “Cute Monsters&Little Girls”, also known as…
Queenie’s Spring 2017 runway presentation was very visual-based, sending strong graphic structures down the catwalk in a mixture of tried ‘n truly twisted inspirations.
Queenie’s Spring 2017 ready-to-wear graduation collection, indeed. As can be seen from her previous collections – for example, the 2015 A/W as spotted below – her runway presentation was once again very visual-based, sending strong graphic structures down the catwalk in a mixture of, and I quote the Mademoiselle personally here, “dark romantic, bloody and beautiful kind of twisted inspirations”. I couldn’t have phrased it better myself. Queenie’s self-confessed penchant for hallucinatory imagery, color blasts and lucid dreams, takes the onlooker not only on a visual journey, but an “emotional” one as well. Despite my own flair for drama, I would like to add that by “emotional”, I simply imply “evoking immediate thoughts”, whether they be happy, dark, drastic, euphoric or fantasizing ones.
Turns out Vogue.com too was quite moved by the trip through this designer’s thoughtful fashion land as they promptly featured Queenie as a “Designer To Watch”, sending her trending from the East Coast to the Far East. Here, here! On a personal graduation note, that bloody red striped windbreaker-meets-blazer invoked some vibrant big girl femininity with a shiny twist for yours truly. Take a look:
What shall the future that is fantastical fashion hold for Queenie in reality? She will firstly run her accessory line as “Queenie Cao” and then move onto a full collection, on a small scale, entitled “Queen Qinghe Cao”. From little to big dreams and from Queenie to Queen… They do grow up so fast.
Photos: Qinghe “Queenie” Cao for Parsons New School Of Design.
Check out Queenie on Instagram right here!
Syndicated from Temper Magazine
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