February 8th saw the return of Korean designer Son Jung Wan to New York Fashion Week. The runway showcasing her Fall 2025 collection, “Go With the Flow,” at Chelsea’s modern industrial IAC Building.
Surrounded by office buildings and art galleries, the location was fitting for a collection that combined workwear with glamor. Inspired by 1980s power dressing, “Go With The Flow” explores past identities through exaggerated ‘80s silhouettes and contemporary flowing silks.
Shape and Cut
Power dressing is a style that grew alongside women’s presence in the male-dominated corporate workplace. Shoulder pads, bold colors, and tailored suits gave women the aura of authority.
Drawing inspiration from power dressing, the collection features structured shapes and dramatic body forms. Oversized turtlenecks, large coats and lapels, and exaggerated shoulders are king, marrying padded ‘80s silhouettes with a contemporary boxy figure.
Many of the garments obscure and exaggerate the female form by creating a distinctly feminine silhouette with no indication of the natural body shape beneath. It makes sense for a collection inspired by power dressing, a movement born out of a need for women in the workforce to visually assert status. However, the collection dives deeper by reflecting a modern political climate that heavily scrutinizes women physically and metaphorically. (The shapes are larger than life, but don’t give much away about the wearer, allowing them to exist away from probing or ogling eyes.)
In complement, “Go With The Flow” features also draping silks and long, flowing pants. The organic fabrics soften the sharper edges of collars and coats. Where power dressing originally intended to de-sexualize the female wearer, Son Jung Wan reintroduces a softer femininity to the style as well.
Color Story
“Go With the Flow” features a rainbow of colors, flowing from bright luminous yellow and bold kelly green to sleek maroon + navy combos and inky blacks.
Using vibrant yellows, pinks, greens, and blues is another modern twist, as this color scheme is not generally seen in workwear. It lends some femininity back to suiting by allowing women to define their power without the conformity to male standards.
The colors also bring a touch of nature to the collection’s very modern inspiration. Celestial yellow recalls the warmth of sunlight, where the deep blues and blacks reflect the depth of a night sky.
The color palette is a fun addition to the collection, especially in garments that might traditionally come across serious and masculine. Paired with the exaggerated silhouettes, it creates a lighter, more playful runway.
What It’s Made Of
It’s a tactile collection, featuring a wide array of textures. Structured wool and angora are paired with fluid silks. Soft velvets and furs complement the edge of satins and patent leather. The fabric choices echo the idea of the masculine versus the feminine; nature versus man-made, explored in shape and color, where natural fibers like wool and silk are paired with synthetics like metallic satin, but also softer fabrics like cashmere and velvet meet starker ones like leather.
Beauty 411
While the collection was inspired by ‘80s power suits, the beauty took a more modern approach with soft, glowy skin and powder pinks The makeup team, led by Marc Regan for Bobbi Brown, interpreted ‘80s applications of heavy blush and bold lips through a rose-tinted lens, trading bold colors for more natural, pinker hues. Models sported rosy eyeshadow and blush combos, and medium toned pink lip colors.
The hair styling team took equally modern approaches, treating each model to a slicked back bun wrapped neatly in a bow shape. Similar to the runway looks, the hair added a feminine touch to a traditionally masculine look.
Son Jung Wan’s latest collection strikes a strong balance between feminine and masculine, using bright colors and bold shapes to create a runway that is larger than life yet approachable.
Embodying Son Jung Wan’s brand identity, “Go With the Flow” is an experimental and innovative collection that has earned its place in the brand’s legacy.
For more fashion exclusives, check out our coverage of DAWANG’s immersive Fall/Winter 2024 presentation here.
