Sandy Liang Draws the Best-Dressed Crowd at New York Fashion Week
They understood the assignment.
Sandy Liang makes you feel like you’re in a secret fashion club.
Her world is small in a good way. Trademarks like hidden bows, girlish ruffles, and gingham brand her designs better than any logo. Key references (Sailor Moon, school uniforms) create a shared sartorial vocabulary among the super fan customers that she nicknames “princesses.” She knows and loves these girls and delivers the clothes they’ve always wanted season after season, never straying from the girlhood-inspired universe she’s built for them.
Liang's vision for spring 2024—which debuted under soft pink lighting on a lushly carpeted runway straight out of a Y2K dream childhood bedroom—casts her muses as double agents against a silver star backdrop. “Things aren’t as they seem,” read the collection notes written by downtown It Girl Nicolaia Rips. “Accessories are gadgets—both beautiful and utilitarian. Twin star chains clink as she moves.”
Liang’s knack for pulling the perfect niche reference for her Gen Z Millennial cusp fans—in this case, the beloved cartoon Totally Spies!—shows just how well she knows her customers. Of course, they'd go nuts for the nostalgic Sandy Liang Android collaboration, which debuted alongside her latest collection. What Sandy Liang collector wouldn't embrace the secret agent fantasy of a demure gray puffed-sleeve button-up and matching capris? Disguises, like a new pageant queen sash dress and some sexy metallic sandals, fit right into the espionage theme, tagging alongside the requisite ribbon and ruffle details like they've been here all along. And most importantly, what Lower East Side fashion darling wouldn't feel cute in a matching skirt suit and sparkly choker?
Off the runway, Sandy Liang princesses love to spot each other, too. Wear one of the designer's star necklaces or bow-adorned boots during NYFW, and you’ll elicit “Is that Sandy Liang?” questions and adoring coos. These brand acolytes love not just her clothes, but being part of her universe. Wearing one of Liang's sailor collars or heart chokers makes you a kindred spirit to Sailor Moon-obsessed, satin ballet flat-wearing, baby pink-loving fashion girls everywhere.
This shared fashion language makes the street style outside the designer's NYFW shows just as visually stimulating as the new collections themselves. Attendees arrive in their best Sandy Liang cosplay, sporting head-to-toe looks and embracing brand favorites like coy matching sets and pearl embellishments. There's a satisfying uniformity to these looks and their unwavering sartorial commitment to looking Sandy Liang-coded. And it's even more satisfying to catch them all together in person.
Read on to see for yourself and admire the best street style spotted outside Sandy Liang's spring 2025 runway show.
Jenny Zheng
Amanda Le
Victoria Kofoed
Ashley Alexander
Linda Cui Zhang
Harmony Tividad
Michelle Salem
Anajah
Vivian Li
Erika Titus
Angelica Song
Isa Sung
Lucy Rae McFadin
Casimer Jollette
Turandot
Julia Kim
Neko
Michelle Li
Camri Hewie
Maria Alia Al-sadek
Daniela Garza
Ruby Lyn
Maya Cruz
Delilah Summer Parillo
Dev Apollon
Nicolaia Rips
Alina
Brendon Holder
Ashley
For more InStyle news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on InStyle.