THE MATRIARCH: ALEXANDER WANG CELEBRATES 20 YEARS WITH FAMILY, CHAOS & PONCHOS
- Camz
- Sep 16
- 3 min read
A chaotic welcome in chinatown
Friday night in Chinatown, and the scene outside 58 Bowery looked more like a festival than a fashion show. The San Gennaro carnival raged nearby, but the real draw was Alexander Wang, who chose this still-under-renovation building, recently purchased by his family for philanthropic projects, to celebrate his twentieth anniversary and debut “The Matriarch.”
Inside, the space resembled a smoky gaming den, complete with mahjong tables. And yes, Martha Stewart was there, playing with an expression that suggested her luck hadn’t improved.
Later, she was joined by Cardi B and her daughter Kulture, both swaddled in faux-fur Wang of the new season, proving that matching your seven-year-old is officially a power move.
A sharp yet nuanced palette
When it came to colors, Wang leaned into sophisticated restraint. Black, grey, white, and off-white dominated, building an almost monastic base.
Subtle notes of chocolate brown and blue punctuated the collection, adding depth and a touch of modernity. The deliberately narrow palette acted as a clear visual language, reinforcing the concision and unity of the show.
Alpha females in shirtdresses and chainmail
Channeling Martha, Wang sent out stiff ultrashort shirtdresses layered beneath laser-cut argyle vests.
Tailoring in gray bonded fabric was equally sharp and equally short, with slashed hips creating shape by subtraction.
With a steel briefcase in hand, the new Wang Girl might clock in on time but almost certainly forgot her pants on the way out of the house.
There was “convertibility” too, a Wang keyword. Cardi’s chocolate faux fur appeared first as a hulking coat, only to be stripped away to reveal a black body-con dress with the fur repurposed as a hem.
Sweetness, meanwhile, came with an edge: cardigan twinsets reworked in melted lace and crocheted metal yarn, reading like chainmail. “Our femininity is defined by sharp edges,” Wang said. Watteau backs billowed, and ponchos his mother’s favorite garment made a star turn in unexpected materials. “Chinese women are really into sun protection and rainwear, so why not explore that in organza or latex?”
The matriarch revealed
Beyond the novelty, the collection carried real intimacy. Ponchos, reimagined from Ying Wang’s home alterations: “It’s Alex Wang by Ying Wang!” she had joked became the emotional core of the show. The garments walked a fine line between armor and comfort, celebrating maternal influence while retaining Wang’s signature swagger.
A finale with family
The finale was pure theater: confetti rained from above as Wang took his bow with his mother. The gesture felt natural, the perfect punctuation mark for a show dedicated to matriarchs. Guests rose from the bleachers and the floor alike to applaud, their legs stiff but their phones alight.
Conclusion: wang, always personal, never predictable
Alexander Wang’s twentieth anniversary wasn’t about nostalgic cameos or glossy retrospectives. Instead, it was an ode to chaos, family, and the unstoppable archetype of the Wang Girl. With “The Matriarch,” he turned ponchos into power, redefined femininity with chainmail twinsets, and reminded us that in New York, style is always a little messy. If you left with numb legs, at least you witnessed a designer bow not just to his audience, but to his mother. And in fashion, that might be the rarest gesture of all.
ALL THE LOOKS FROM THE COLLECTION:
Pictures from Tagwalk
VIDEO OF THE SHOW:
