Cover Michelle Dee walks the runway at Chris Nick's New York Fashion Week debut runway show (Photo: Mannyl Lanura)
Michelle Dee walks the runway at Chris Nick's New York Fashion Week debut runway show (Photo: Mannyl Lanura)
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Designer and Gen.T 2024 honouree Chris Nick takes us behind the scenes of his New York Fashion Week debut
Chris Nick Delos Reyes likes to keep things simple. He sticks to the classics. He enjoys the finer things—martinis, art galleries, and old films, among others. He’s known for black. Black suits, black labels, and black mini dresses cut no less than five inches above the knee. The label’s name reflects just that, subtracting his surname, resulting in something disyllabic, staccato and no-fuss. He likes to get things straight to the point without much reservation. It’s the typical attitude of a self-identified minimalist, constantly begging the question: Why fix something that isn’t broken?
September marked a pivotal moment in his career—his debut at New York Fashion Week. Just a few weeks before the show, he received an unexpected call from F/Row, the same organizers who had managed his Los Angeles Fashion Week show in 2022. A full range of emotions ensued—excitement, gratitude, and humility, the overall giddiness of a young designer’s dream coming to fruition. “I was actually just talking to my friends about this while in New York last year, saying how it’s a dream of mine and how amazing it would be to present at Fashion Week,” he shares.
More from Tatler: Meet Chris Nick, the designer putting Filipino fashion on the global map
Above Chris Nick poses backstage at his New York Fashion Week show (Photo: Kaustav Sarkar)
Above Michelle Dee gets ready for the runway (Photo: Kaustav Sarkar)
Chris Nick poses backstage at his New York Fashion Week show (Photo: Kaustav Sarkar)
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The days leading up to the presentation were filled with sampling, experimentation and trial-and-error. Designs were going through finalisation, belts were being made, bows attached, and garments steamed and ironed. At the same time, he frequented his regular New York haunts—brunch at Sant Ambroeus, Warhol at the MoMa, and window shopping in SoHo.
The collection reflects a love affair between artist and inspiration: Chris Nick and the Big Apple. In any conversation with the designer, the city is bound to come up. “It’s classic, it’s elegant, it’s sex. It’s absolutely Chris Nick.” Influences come from all corners of the city, from the grit to the glamour; the edgy and the refined. Underground nightlife plays a defining role, and so does the work of Tom of Finland, a rather obscure 20th century Finnish artist known for his homoerotic illustrations.
“It’s insane, his work [...] Not a lot of people know about Tom of Finland. His work has just become a huge part of me in the way I dress and the life I live. I just wanted to share my love for his work.”
Popular culture often remarks on the hedonistic underbelly hiding behind New York’s glossy sophistication. The collection is a peek at the juxtaposition of the city’s refinement and hedonism. The tuxedo, a classic wardrobe staple defined by wealth, pristiness, and exclusivity, shares the stage with leather, belts and objects associated with bondage and seedy subculture. “It’s attitude and angst. I’ve learned to see that it takes attitude to wear Chris Nick,” he describes.
Above Belts are a recurring motif in this collection, seen wrapped around a model's bust (Photo: Mark Gunter)
Above A look featuring a cropped tuxedo jacket styled with a belt (Photo: Mannyl Lanura)
Belts are a recurring motif in this collection, seen wrapped around a model's bust (Photo: Mark Gunter)
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Elements of the tuxedo remain a consistent theme—deconstructing and reimagining it “in ways you won’t normally wear.” It has become a staple of his brand. A new iteration this season involves a boxy cut instead of his usual form-sitting silhouette. Meanwhile, a cummerbund is transformed into a skirt, and a blazer is cropped or transformed into a fully bedazzled, floor-length piece.
Models walked the runway in the designer’s exclusively black palette, clean-faced save for smudged, soot-like eye makeup for a rebellious touch. The show’s standout piece was a belted silk dress that sums up the essence of the entire collection, donned by muse and personal friend Michelle Dee. “It’s classic with an edge. It’s contemporary. It’s everything a look of mine should be.” Cashmere wools, Korean silks and crepes were also used throughout the collection “for structure and movement.”
Above Models backstage at Chris Nick's New York Fashion Week show (Photo: Kaustav Sarkar)
Above Polaroid photos taken backstage (Photo: Chris Nick)
Models backstage at Chris Nick's New York Fashion Week show (Photo: Kaustav Sarkar)
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He shows no signs of slowing down in this exploration of the risqué, which seems to be the impulse that steers this enterprise forward. After all, it’s an integral part of the Chris Nick experience. Looking ahead, he hints at upcoming projects, aptly featuring leather and latex as main motifs. “The look is all about attitude,” he says. “[It’s about] being put together while knowing how to have a great time.”
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About
Julianna has been interested in leading a literary life since she first read Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess at eight. Before working with Tatler, she was an archive intern at The Center for Fiction in Brooklyn, New York. She is a textbook Pisces who devotes most of her spare time to her crochet projects, watching classic films, and going through her never-ending pile of unread books. She studied creative writing, global literature and art history at Sarah Lawrence College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2022. Toni Morrison, Nora Ephron, Clarice Lispector and Jia Tolentino are among her all-time favourite writers.
Work
Julianna writes about fashion, beauty, sustainability, and the arts. She is always keen on conducting interviews with talented women who are changing the game in their respective fields.
For event invites and story leads, hit her up at julianna.cabili@tatlerasia.com
