Snow Xue Gao defies gender norms for New York Fashion Week

Snow Xue Gao presented her collection at New York Fashion Week for the first time, and the designer did not disappoint. This season, the designer presented tradition through a modern lens. She showed us how to draw inspiration from the Beijing Opera and create pieces that were fashion, not costume.

Printed silks blended with tailored blazers created an interesting contrast, and brought together the feminine and masculine. In the spirit of fashion going genderless, Gao had male models dressed in her womenswear for the sake of fun and experimentation, and it worked. Her decision to use male models was based on using street casing to find her models for this season.

The pieces easily read as high fashion street wear pieces, and while a bit avant garde, they were very wearable. Exaggerated proportions, asymmetrical and bias-cut details were all signature elements of the collection that provided the right amount of dramatic effect.

Gao proved herself as a first-timer with promising design talent. This is sure to be just the beginning for her.

photos: courtesy of Purple PR