In B.C. (before COVID) times, Maryam Nassir Zadeh’s shows were some of the buzziest events at New York Fashion Week. Set in abandoned banks or crumbling Lower East Side parks, the designer typically cast her own stylish, self-assured friends as models, including Hailey Benton Gates, Susan Cianciolo, and Ana Kras. Her shows had a palpable energy, and the clothes had something, too; they were arty, thought-provoking, and occasionally pretty weird, but within a few months, you’d see copies everywhere. Zadeh helped define the colorful, mismatched Lower East Side look in the 2010s, which she’s described as “odd elegance.” It continues to influence the market.
Still, Zadeh says she’s done her best work in quarantine, and has more or less been off fashion’s radar. She hasn’t created a “runway collection” since spring 2020, and the extended pause gave her the space to reset, refocus, and design closer to her own tastes, without the distractions and noise of a show. Like her recent collections, fall 2021 felt simpler and stripped-back, but also sexier. The heat mostly came from a handful of miniskirts (like one in metallic orchid leather, shown with a matching blazer) and backless, thigh-grazing party dresses. A little pleated skirt looked slightly more demure, then Zadeh revealed deep slits cut into each side, which would flare open as you walk.
As she often does, Zadeh predicted the miniskirt comeback early on; her spring 2020 show had several of them, including a few so tiny you’d have trouble sitting down. If we weren’t ready then, we’re racing toward a summer of sexy, skimpy fashion and unbridled exuberance. As New York heats up and we “re-emerge,” it’s difficult to imagine girls reaching for prim prairie dresses or anything subdued. Surely they’ll want clothes that feel bolder, happier, lighter—literally and figuratively—and totally unlike the stuff they wore last year.
Zadeh is an instinctual and intuitive designer, but she did make one surprise reference: Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City—the early seasons, filmed at the turn of the 2000s. You can glimpse SATC’s protagonist in the asymmetrical party dresses, vibrant accessories, and the plucky flower pin adorning a slip. Zadeh’s interest was less in the character or TV show and more in the balance of no-frills minimalism and “spice ups,” as she put it. In our loungewear moment, it was easy to picture Carrie (and many of Zadeh’s customers) in the opening look: a cobalt knit set paired not with sneakers, but block-heeled mules.
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