Parsons' Street Runway Was a Real Life 'ANTM' Challenge
Fashion

Parsons' Street Runway Was a Real Life 'ANTM' Challenge

Student fashion shows are the best. There are no rules, no money to be made, no A-list front row snobbery — just an explosion of wild, unaffected ideas and a clear vision of where fashion's headed next. This year, Parsons School of Design hosted its BFA grad show outside on the streets of New York (the entire stretch of 13th, between 5th and 6th Avenue), and unleashed more than 250 student designer work onto the city.

If you've been to any number of runway shows, you'll know that the average catwalk is long, but never the entire length of a NYC avenue. So in the springtime heat, blazing Saturday sun, and clamor of midday Manhattan drama, the BFA show rolled out like an America's Next Top Model challenge. Models ambitiously walked in monstrous Party Monster platforms, balanced tower-like, embellished hats, or moved along with their vision completely restricted.

Among the hundreds of looks were a few standout pieces: Megan O'Cain envisioned a childlike fantasy, attaching an oversized hot pink stuffed bunny to the front of her gingham dress; Joyce Ko trimmed the bottom of her sheer nude gown with wheels like the base of an office chair; Jose Luis Cabrera showed three looks, two for actual children with technicolor painted details; Daorui Story Si revived bonnetcore, with a queer interpretation of granny glamour; and Beate Karlsson designed a full bodysuit in the shape of boxy denim jeans.

Below, the 15 best looks from Parsons' 2019 BFA grad show, which collectively signal an unruly future for fashion.

Hanxi Ma

Photography: Craig Barrett

Photography: Craig Barrett