With society paused for over two years, Christopher John Rogers has had to be content with presentations and lookbooks to showcase his exuberant collections. As a designer rising in prestige, it probably was the best time to be conservatively frugal as he built his productions to a level of buzz not seen in New York for years. Last night at Brooklyn Navy Yard, the culmination of all that patience finally burst forth with a collection that was as joyful to witness as it probably was to create. Aptly named PlayDough, the 010 collection was a colorful undertaking exploring the exaggerated style codes that Rogers takes from his Southern upbringing. Debutante meets pierrot with expansive, structured ball gowns, striped in rainbow, saturated, monochromatic looks in taffeta and silk, and a green stitched, glen check look worn by Varsha Thapa that brought an tailored, elevated direction to his powersuits. Beauty was key led by Naeemah Lafond and Michaela Bosch who both created punchy looks with hot pink lips, spiky top knots, and jet black bobs. Cast by Ricky Michiels, opener Karlie Kloss led a strong casting, closed by top walker Mayowa Nicholas and featuring Ansley Gulielmi, Jordan Daniels, Precious Kevin, Anyelina Rosa and returning muses, Pam Nasr and Coco Mitchell. The collection will be available for pre-order exclusively on www.christopherjohnrogers.com from June 17th, 2022.
