To put words or feelings to the experience of being a woman today is a near impossible feat. Living in a body commandeered by external, control-hungry sources comes along with expectations. And being placed beneath the weight of an unattainable expectation can be harrowing. This is why designer Olivia Cheng of Dauphinette took three seasons off of New York Fashion Week — to find those words, while simultaneously looking inward to find herself, and to translate and present those findings through a series of ensembles, which she proudly stated in her show notes felt like the truest representation of Dauphinette yet.
Cheng doesn’t prescribe to the tortured artist mindset, but she can’t help the turbulence that comes along with being a creative pressured by the confines of the industry — let alone the turbulence that comes along with just existing as a woman. Although her early collections may have felt more flouncy and lighthearted, topped off with hyper-feminine motifs like oversized bows, the designer’s Spring 2026 collection revealed the dark underbelly of womanhood. Sometimes it comes along with mixed emotions. Sometimes you just have to try to put mismatched pieces together and see what bigger picture they create. Out of Cheng’s pursuit of understanding that bigger picture, "Human Behavior: Animal Instincts & A Decaying Sense of Girlish Wit," was born.
For Dauphinette, the devil is always in the details. Cheng often incorporates found items from her personal collections — buttons, keys, seashells, 24-karat gold flower petals — into her designs. But this collection took that attention to detail to new heights — a hand-sewn button-encrusted mini dress, a striped seashell polo top, a mock-neck top, stilettos covered in watches and a seashell frock (a continuation of her previously lauded matchbook frock) were standouts.
Eerily alluring, yet inevitably charming Dauphinette design elements continued to emerge as models sashayed across the runway — real green beetles preserved in resin, uncanny silhouettes and macabre references. But the array felt like a more mature expression of Cheng’s artistic perspective. It paraded mostly couture-inspired looks, but more wearable options were also sprinkled in, displaying an intentional sense of refinement. These more ready-to-wear ensembles took the form of mermaid-inspired denim pieces and lacy tops, and they proved Cheng’s range.
Before the show’s final two looks closed out the runway — a bulbous bridal look and a set fit for a sea-queen — a resounding scream broke through the silence of the audience, and Vivian Jenna Wilson burst through green velvet curtains. The battle cry of a girl at war with herself, perhaps. (I’ve stifled screams just as shrill in my own moments of self-doubt and frustration.) This scream was supplemented by an ethereal soundtrack produced and composed by Jake LeCarner, AKA The Analysts, which blended shrill cries with the ambient sounds of sirens and nature. Wilson commanded the runway in a bra top and asymmetrical bubble skirt covered in Cheng’s beetles. As she navigates her own tumultuous journey of self-discovery and boldly advocates for transgender rights, she was the perfect girl for the job.
Like all of Cheng’s collections, this one was painstakingly beautiful. It was emotionally raw, but wielded strength — a delicate balance that the designer toes the line in both her internal workings and her tangible work. "Human Behavior: Animal Instincts & A Decaying Sense of Girlish Wit" stands in as the reflection of a creative who has found her voice. Even if she still questions it at times herself, we hear her loud and clear.
Photography: Matt Weinberger
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