For the latest Opening Ceremony collection designed by actress and NYC style icon Chloe Sevigny, a run of the mill runway just simply would not do. Instead, Sevigny and the OC crew staged a 1960s feminist protest, mini-music festival and fashion show all rolled into one. Held at the St. Marks Church in Sevigny's beloved East Village, the protest-slash-presentation featured pissed off looking models sporting full CS for OC looks and brandishing protest signs, and keeping with the Woodstock generation spirit of mixing music, clothes and cultural politics, soundtracking the movement were five female-lead bands. Situated on separate stages were Lizzi Bougatsos and IUD, Kim Gordon and Ikue Mori, Shannon Funchess of Light Asylum and Rafael Radna, Lissy Trullie and Thinner, and Jennifer and Jessica Clavin of Bleached, and they all rocked out in rapid succession. After an hour and a half set of rotating performances, we pulled aside some of the ladies to get their take on performing at this landmark NYFW moment and, of course, get in a little girl talk about the clothes.
With Chloe, it's always a story, and she wanted to focus on youth and restlessness. It kind of started when she went to visit Occupy [Wall Street] and she got really inspired. You know, the '60s were obviously a big time when protests were happening and she really wanted to tap into that energy. So you'll see in all the collection where its a different mixture of the symbols that really influenced her. She hand-picked the cherry, the Eye of Horus and different motifs really part inspired her. It's a really amazing collection—shoes, bags, everything. And the best thing about it is that she personally will wear everything and that's always been the point of the collection.
It was really awesome and fun. I didn't know what to expect. My dream was to play a fashion show and in a church and I got to do it in one day. It was so cool to play with the other bands here. Everyone is just so awesome. Everyone just seemed really confident at performing.
I think [the collection] is so cute. It's super '60s-inspired and psychedelic. Like cute striped thigh highs, turtleneck dresses and the berets. The girls in the middle were wearing these crazy platforms—I want those so bad. That's my goal.
I was kind of scared at first but I thought it was really fun. It sounded good. Its amazing to play one after the other with these amazing bands. It's pretty awesome. I love the clothes this season, I always love her clothes. I love all the berets that are going on and there was a model on my stage that had pink gingham shirt and red sailor pants with all the buttons—that was my favorite look.
It was kind of last minute, we hustled to get like 4 covers ready, each song had to be like 5 minutes long. It was, Wow, OK. It was a challenge and I appreciate and enjoy a challenge. It was really awesome to not have to play straight Light Asylum songs and do something different and fun and for Chloe, cause I love her and I love her stuff. I was wearing this Egyptian printed hooded satiny jacket. I really liked the line, I thought all of the girls were gorgeous, all of the stripes and ankhs and Eye of Horus. To be on the stage across from Kim Gordon was incredible. To have Lissy Trullie next to you and IUD to your right, Amazing. So Cool!
It was really humbling. I felt really celebrated. My best friend made the collection so I'm a little bit spoiled.
It was a beautiful seeing Kim and the drummer [Ikue Mori]. I thought that the youngest band should be on the main stage, cause I don't believe in hierarchy and separating people, I think the issue was with the drum kit. We thought we'd need more space but the truth is we could've actually fit on the smaller stage. It's just been a truly humbling experience all around.
I pretty much didn't know what to wear, I wanted to wear everything. I'm really into Egyptian vibe, it's totally my steelo. I been rocking this scarf. Some people say that [the collection] is a combo of the two of us, but I'm just totally humbled. My best friend just happens to be the most stylish trendseting woman in NY and art creator—that's truly something else. Like, I don't know how I got so blessed.