Shan Huq Fall/Winter 2017

Huq showed garments that he said were inspired by athletic and school uniforms (at only 21 years old, it’s a safe bet to say he’s familiar with them). The clothes were clean and sharply tailored, and you could easily imagine them on patrician Upper East Side teenagers. And while they’re of course American sportswear, a few pieces felt like something out of Madeline.

“It was about honesty and growing up,” Huq said about his collection. “It was about maturing.”

While the designer has always trafficked in elegant, simple separates, he always tends to include pieces that are pointedly hilarious—a coat bearing the visage of Tila Tequila, sweatshirts with the Planet Hollywood logo reading “Planet Shan Huq.” But this time, he was more restrained. “I wanted something less clickbait-y, less in your face,” he said. “I use a lot of elements of American culture. I love to riff on that.”

But Huq did include one item with a wink: a t-shirt advertising a bar mitzvah, similar to several bar mitzvah souvenir t-shirts I received in seventh grade. It was literally about growing up. L’chaim.