No Sesso pushes the envelope on what Black grandeur looks like and what bodies can be fashionable while drastically reimagining some of our favorite closet staples. Standing among this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Finalists and coming off an acclaimed collaboration with Levi’s, the LA-based design duo Pia Davis and Autumn Randolph are riding high. They summed up their SS 2023 RTW collection as “sexy summer,” an accurate and succinct description.
In slight contrast to No Sesso’s fall 2022 RTW show, Pia and Autumn kept this collection dark, only featuring a few distinct pops of dark gold and soft grey.
I particularly like how easy it is to pull style inspiration from this runway. The design duo elevated some of the most basic closet staples – boyshorts, cropped zip-ups, triangular bikini tops, biker shorts, bralettes, and blazers – for New York Fashion Week. No Sesso has a history of upcycling to create impactful pieces, and this runway certainly continues the tradition. Featuring cutout ruched dresses in metallic and basic colorways, turning a motorcycle jacket into a shawl, and working in collaboration with body accessory crafter Jeniece Blanchet to create a silver bead bralette with bewitching draping. No Sesso never ceases to intrigue!
The winning combination of dark lip and eye makeup, hair masterfully braided or gelled to literally stick out, and the long curved acrylics paying homage to Black auntie aesthetics make No Sesso’s models highly recognizable. Pia Davis, No Sesso’s lead designer and the first trans woman to present a collection at New York Fashion Week, makes it a point to exclusively cast models of color, of varying ages, shapes, and gender identities.
No Sesso is a brand that disputes the perceived boundaries of fashion, and this runway was an excellent display of just that.
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