Zhong Zixin Spring 2022

It’s been a while since I’ve spent any amount of time following the major fashion weeks (the shuttering of Style.com seemed to parallel with the dimming of my Fashion-with-a-capital-F obsession)—and though there were a few shows that re-sparked that love (Loewe, namely), my interest wasn’t peaked until snapshots of Shanghai Fashion Week started to circulate my feed. Two designers, in particular, caught my eye. DONSEE10 was the first; Zhong Zixin is the second.

If DONSEE10‘s spring collection represented edgy sensuality, Zhong Zixin embodied the softness of femininity. There are traditional elements that pay homage to womanity, of course (think: décollétage on display, an emphasis on the bust and hips, details that gently exude glamour), yet it’s the unexpected details that urge a second look. Engineered into classic silhouettes and a muted color palette are subversive touches—like the 1950s bullet bra made perverse, and garter belts that were designed to be seen. The hair and makeup, too, were fresh (albeit editorial) take on the beauty standards of decades past. The 20s brow, here, is a suggestion—not a replacement—for natural arches; liner is casual, all about the negative space (it’s fresh! Clean! Modern!); lips smudged around the edges; hair piled into a less menacing beehive that allowed for movement.

Think ladylike, sans restraint. Old Hollywood, through the unsaturated soft-focus lens we’re nostalgic for—only this time, the female leads are heard, not just seen.

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xx

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