It’s no secret that the fashion event of the year is always full of surprises—from Kanye’s controversial last-minute show to Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson (a.k.a Zoolander and Hansel) walking the runway at Valentino last season, fashion month is never short on the unexpected. So far, this season has been no exception. Our favorite surprise so far? One Project Runway designer’s plus size collection.
Yeah, you read that right! One of the six finalist collections shown at Project Runway’s NYFW show was designed exclusively for plus size women and modeled by plus size models on the catwalk. The catch? The Project Runway finalist responsible for the applause-inducing collection is actually still unknown. Because some of the show’s episodes haven’t aired yet, the collections at the runway show are shown anonymously to prevent spoilers about which contestants made it to the final round—and we, along with the rest of the fashion industry, are kind of dying to know which designer pulled off the killer collection.
The line featured gorgeous feminine frocks in look-at-me candy hues—think bright pink, deep turquoise, and even a look that featured a blue bandeau layered under a sheer pink lace dress. Pieces like a crop top and high-waisted skirt set and a romper with a cutout midriff were totally va-va-voom on the models’ curves. Oh, and can we talk about those Lana Del Rey-esque flower crowns? The entire collection not only added some body diversity to the runway, but it totally slayed while doing so.
In an industry that is making a slow move towards becoming more accepting of all body types, we’re super excited to see this step in the right direction—and we’re hoping that this is the push other NYFW designers need to start showing more diverse and inclusive collections next season!