Private Policy Fall 2023 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Animal themes have been one of the biggest trends on the runways since Schiaparelli’s spring 2023 couture show, but for Siying Qu and Haoran Li, they’re a continuation of the chapter they began last season. “We thought about how we could explore the idea of the animal again and the correlation of nature and the urban lifestyle. We realized that we could be inspired by animals and learn from them. The collection came together with the idea of pursuing freedom by people releasing their animalistic selves,” said Qu.

The show started with an interpretation of a Japanese folk tale, “The Fox’s Wedding,” which symbolizes human beings’ desire to be like animals. Soon after, Rickey Thompson opened the show in a Canadian Tuxedo that was Private Policy-fied with their signature checkered style patchworked onto the shirt. Unlike previous Private Policy collections, which played with bold colors and risqué club wear, here the designers took a step back in an effort to slow down this season. “This is a very different Private Policy show; we wanted to take time. Since we’re talking about nature, we needed to consider how to bring that into the city lifestyle,” said Qu. More wearable pieces like workwear jackets in pastel purples (a Private Policy signature color) and knits in neutrals entered the mix. The designers didn’t forego all of their old ideas, though, as signature touches like harness overlaying on button-ups and figure-hugging dresses remained, but in a more understated way. The most experimental part of the collection was the closing fur looks, while the men’s built-in skirt trousers were the most functional.

If last season the Private Policy designers touched on thoughts of growing up, this season, they proved there is a lot more to come from the brand than clubwear. Genderless dressing was a theme they began exploring more heavily last season and continued to build on this time around. Some of their best looks were the most simple, such as looks 6 and 24. As for their thoughts on the animal-tastic ideas on the runways this season? “Nature calms people down. Maybe we all just need that freedom,” said Qu.