“Get out of the way!” a model shrieked before tackling the narrow runway at Weinsanto in her giant black velvet puffer jacket, the shoulders wider than four linebackers and the train almost long enough for first down.
If this was a subliminal audition for Moncler Genius, it was genius. If not, no biggie: It further cemented Victor Weinsanto as a talent to watch, and one with a range that for fall extended all the way from relatively quiet camel coats to a zany corset that jutted up so far, it brought to mind a frill-necked lizard.
Jean Paul Gaultier was in the front row grinning and applauding one of his youngest protégés. Weinsanto had worked with Gaultier on the designer’s 2018 “Fashion Freak Show” revue — hence his cabaret proclivities and his flair for showmanship.
With their bouncing “Barbarella” hairstyles and extra-long fingernails to flick, models vamped it up, though a little less than during past Weinsanto outings, perhaps to let the audience focus more on the clothes.
Indeed, this was a variety show and there was lots to take in.
Jeans in moss-colored denim had a high-waist mom fit on top, and then widened out to a second, low-slung waistband, putting them somewhere in the middle of the masculine-feminine and streetwear-casualwear divides.
The collection was strong on statement outerwear, with peeling-off pockets adding a frisson of edginess to handsome camel or denim coats; metallic piping adding to the drama of a big velvet opera number, and glossy satin a dressy edge to bombers or a roomy bed jacket.
The collection was sometimes boyish, but mostly “Sex and the City meets Rihanna,” Weinsanto said backstage, explaining that he shunned any specific theme in favor of a variety of characters and attitudes.
There was plenty for sexpots — and Super Bowl halftime performers — but also something for secretaries, although Weinsanto’s pencil skirts are tighter than the ones Carol Burnett wore as Mrs. Wiggins.