RUNWAY: Willy Chavarria FW18

Willy Chavarria took us from a seedy gay bar last season to the streets of American metropolises this season. The designer's focus on realism continues to pay dividends with collections that meld a societal narrative with wonderful clothes that juxtapose the theme. This season, there were plenty of hard-edged clothes from slouchy bombers to oversized plaids and chunky jewelry, all on tattooed and pierced models, the types of people some Americans may see as dangerous or would rather not be in this country. However, the clothes themselves (and likely the wearers) are soft and delicate once you get past the veneer. Chavarria used super soft cottons from Peru to create many of the knits while baby alpaca added a soft and luxurious element to the collection.