One can only imagine the pressures of being Peter Do. After launching his namesake label three years ago, Do has been hailed as an heir apparent to Céline’s Phoebe Philo (for whom he once worked), thanks to his meticulous cuts and gimlet vision. His NYFW debut was one of the hottest tickets in town—especially significant as it’s the first in-person Fashion Week in what feels like forever.
Though this was his first runway show, it was Do’s 7th collection. Titled “Home,” the show was an homage to Do’s Vietnamese and immigrant roots as well as his and his team’s claiming New York as their new home.
For once, expectations were met and maybe even exceeded, which almost never happens in love or fashion. Against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline, Do sent out freshly-edited iterations of his widely-coveted pieces. His suiting, including his signature 4-piece suit, was at once deconstructed yet impeccably tailored—power dressing for a post-pandemic aesthetic. (Can we retire our athleisure, already?)
Trenches softened into fluid lines in soothing shades while his long coats got even more streamlined. His double, or even triple, duty pieces like the pleated shirt-jacket-dresses provide as much value as they do versatility. Wear it how you like, but keep it breezy.
Do didn’t refrain from embellishment this time around, despite his Asian- and European-inflected minimalism. Swarovski crystals and shimmery paillettes dangled from a coat worn by the New York artist-icon, Anh Duong. Colorful floral embroidery enhanced a smattering of coats, jackets and dresses.
In refashioning the Vietnamese áo dài, a tunic over pants worn by both women and men, Do infused the traditional garment with his brand of easy luxury. His version was beautifully rendered in ultra-fine knits over sheer, flowing trousers. It’s easy to picture the model-influencer set skip the pants altogether and wear the slit-to-the-hip tunic on its own.
That interplay of serious tailoring and subversive sexiness is what Do does best. This is a collection for many women, the ones in the C-suite as well as the IG jet-set. And this is why Do’s first runway outing definitely won’t be his last—because Do knows what women want. Just ask early Do adopters like Beyoncé and Zendaya or Chloe x Halle who wore his favored slip dresses to Bulgari’s B.zero1 party the very same night.
