Theunissen AW23

I had never imagined that I would have to walk through a crowd of hundreds on strike and witness the SWAT team suddenly mobilize on my way to see a fashion show. Nevertheless, by the time I showed up to Mellerio's, the oldest high-end jewelry house in the world for the Theunissen show I had to mentally shift gears quickly and situate myself to enjoy a label that is new to me.

The Franco-Belgian brand established in 2019 and created by Ariane Theunissen stays faithful to the creator's love of the '70s and its icons. This season, the collection is inspired by the empowerment of women with silhouettes that emphasize the structure of the shoulders tapering into a small waist to create strong and dramatic looks, encouraging the idea of the powerful woman.

A fuchsia floor length powder coat with exaggerated shoulder pads kicked off the show. Followed by a sleek black trouser with a wrap cropped jacket. Ultra skimpy dresses were designed to cover just enough and looked as if the wearer sat incorrectly, they would be showing parts of their body that they did not intend to. A mix of structured jackets, cutaway dresses, mesh mock neck dresses and velvet hot pants with a matching wrap jacket swirled around the venue. Models of all ages donned big hair and even bigger handbags. Large, circular structures made to draw attention to the wearer like a big "point blank period". This collection is made for photo ops and glitteratti nights. It is unapologetically chic and a celebration of women in every form. There are no limits to femininity and confidence. Just wear the clothes. Yes, you can.