Lust Travels from Paris to New York

June 29, 2023

Love. Desire. Sensuality. Sex. “Lust,” as a concept, is a Dionysian display of queer power. Ludovic de Saint Sernin’s Spring/Summer 24 collection celebrates the joy and individuality inherent to the queer experience. In the face of societal attempts to push a censored, purist, and palatable vision of queerness, LdSS responds with “a wardrobe imbued with a libidinal elegance,” that celebrates sexuality instead of suppressing it.

The looks play on duality, reflecting Saint Sernin’s history in androgynous design. Gender lines are blurred and traditional fashion standards are uprooted. The mini skirt is no longer exclusively feminine, becoming the universal garment of hotness it was always meant to be. Shirts open, a sense of summery ease fills the runway, and collarbones become the erogenous zone of the season.

Text Izzy Capulong
Runway photos courtesy of Ludovic de Saint Sernin, Party photos by Christos Katsiaouni

After the show in Paris, Nick Vogelson, Ana Kirova, and Ludovic de Saint Sernin, who lead Document Journal, Feeld, and LdSS respectively, came together to commemorate Pride and celebrate LdSS Spring/Summer 2024 presentation. They, along with co-host Mia Khalifa, gathered at the Times Square EDITION, where they warmly welcomed a mix of familiar faces and new acquaintances.

Leather meets airy fabrics, with flowing see-through mermaid skirts paired with BDSM-reminiscent leather bodices. The Lust looks are meant to entice, transforming models into sirens emerging from the ocean, but remind viewers that softness does not always mean safety. “Look, but touch at your own risk.” The most striking look was the fully sheer gown, expertly bunched and perfectly mimicking a wet look; LdSS has this siren thing down.

Lust’s jewelry comes out of a collaboration with the brand Vagujhelyi, New York-based artist Diego Villarreal Vagujhelyi. Made of white brass, the pieces once again pull inspiration from BDSM, an often-shunned component of queer history and community. Discipline chokers, courtship cuffs, and knuckle rings remind us of the eroticism inherent in the trusting act of surrender, and the declaration of autonomy that comes with willingly submitting control. At its heart, Lust is an ode to those who refuse to abstain from pleasure, for those who refuse to censor themselves, for sirens, and for those who love to be wet.

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Escaping the Glass Cage

November 19, 2024

For years, she stood still, watching life rush past her, a quiet observer behind the glass. Now, the glass is broken, and she steps out into the unknown. She walks through the city, caught between two worlds—part of it, yet apart from it.

Her journey is quiet but bold, searching for something she’s never understood, something just out of reach. On church steps and under glowing city lights, she questions everything: the rules, the past, and where she truly belongs. Each step feels both freeing and uncertain.

A curious soul in a borrowed life, she keeps moving forward, leaving behind only whispers of her escape, like a fleeting shadow in the night.