LRS Fall/Winter 2017

Solis wrote “Fuck your wall” and “No ban, No wall” on two pairs of white briefs, left exposed on the models. They were greeted with cheers (and a healthy amount of Instagramming). “I come from immigrant parents, so it’s hard not to speak about something that’s so personal,” he said after the show. “It’s something that all of us feel really strongly about—well, maybe not all of us, but most of us—and I definitely want to be able to use this platform to speak to it. It’s so personal to me, so why not?”

Beyond the underwear, which pretty much everyone in the crowd was thrilled to see, Solis presented a collection that stayed true to much of what LRS has presented in the past (leather, an S&M influence, offbeat construction), while taking the brand in a new direction. “The collection was about deconstructing event dressing and what that means now for a younger girl,” said the designer. “I think that category in the market is a little outdated.”

“I really wanted to stay away from streetwear,” he continued. “I think the market is a little oversaturated. So this was interesting for me to try and see what came out of it.”

Solis said that he wanted to think about all kinds of events, whether they were sex parties or Tupperware parties. Wearing his collection to a Tupperware party would definitely make it the most exciting Tupperware party in the history of time. It was blatantly S&M—there were hoods that zipped over faces and bondage ties and latex mittens and chains. And that, in its own way, was political. As Solis told W, “It’s important to have that message of sexual empowerment, especially now—to say, ‘Hey, actually, you can do whatever you want.”

But the LRS collection showed happy S&M, if it can be described that way. There was a lot of gorgeous, sparkly lurex, and shiny 1960s Space Age-style garments. It felt like the gimps would be smiling underneath their zippers. At least we were.