Sandy Liang Spring Summer 2025: A Spy's Failed Mission
Fashion socialites, buyers, and industry titans bustle through a baby pink room, complemented by a soft pink carpet and bubbly music that enhances the lively atmosphere. A vibrant sea of reds and blues among guests created colorful harmony. Anticipation fills the air as the audience finds their seats, while those not in attendance tune in via Instagram Live, eager to see what comes next.ย
โBring out the girls already!โ a netizen exclaimed. โLetโs start the slayage!โ another chimed in. The anticipation oozed from the runway and onto the live chat room with viewers buzzing with excitement.
The lights dimmed, revealing a star illuminating the runway. Onlookers hold their breath, anticipating the first look. The first model emerged, strutting in a gray collared midi dress that looked like it came off the rack at Chicoโs. Something felt off. This wasnโt the Sandy Liang fans had come to expect.
Liang is a designer known for her nostalgic references within her collections and for being able to translate that to the tumultuous life that ready-to-wear collections suit. The difference with this collection is that these looks felt random and out of place according to the theme she had created for herself.
What was the Collection About?
Sandy Liangโs vision for her Spring Summer 2025 collection, shown at New York Fashion Week, was centered around a characterโa practical, multitasking New Yorker. "I feel like I'm always designing for a very practical person,โ Liang tells Fashionista. โShe's a New York girl. We're doing things all day long." Ideally, this means that what she's wearing can comfortably suit her busy New York life. In this collection, thereโs something for work, something to party in, something to run errands inโฆsomething for every occasion that this girl would eventually have to face.
The inspiration behind this collection is the 2001 animated series, Totally Spies. The show focused on three teenage girlsโAlex, Sam, and Cloverโjuggling school, extracurriculars, and their budding love lives all while being international super spies. Itโs a lot of multitasking and compartmentalizing, but when the state of the world is at risk, theyโll stop at nothing to do what it takes to keep everyone safe. According to Liang, the ability to seamlessly switch between roles, both literally and figuratively, mirrors the everyday multitasking that New York women must master to thrive.
Who, What, Wear, and Most Importantly, Why?
Itโs important to note that the storyline is cohesive. Thereโs a clear connection between Totally Spies and New York women and this narrative had a lot of potential to breathe life into a beautiful collection. However, Liang doesnโt remain true to the plot and runs rampant. While this collection is meant to be both fashion-forward and functional, Liang falls short in achieving the latter.
This, of course, isn't the case for the entirety of the collection. Some pieces fit the practical, on-the-go lifestyle that Liang envisioned.
Looks 8 through 10 are on-the-job looks (although the skirts might get you flagged by HR).ย
Looks 21 and 24, can be worn in more casual settings.ย
But for more abstract designs, like Looks 23 and 29, you begin to wonder, โWhoโs going to wear this and why?โย
Understandably, fashion is about creating something new and out of the box. It can be especially difficult for ready-to-wear (RTW) designers to flex their creativity. After all, you do have to account for a larger audience than you would for haute couture. At the same time, there are some limitations that designers must navigateโlimitations that Liang seemed to struggle with in parts of this collection.
Letโs start with Look 23. The design retains the girly features that Liang enthusiasts love, such as the puffiness of the skirt. Thereโs an odd reflective quality to the dress that suggests the use of a synthetic materialโlikely polyester, which Liang often favors. If thatโs the case, it may not be the most functional choice, given polyesterโs lack of breathability. In a city like New York, where the weather changes quickly, or in warm spaces like the subway, it could become uncomfortable. Polyester can also feel scratchy or cheap, and combined with the dress's construction, it somewhat resembles the slip-on Velcro dresses made for princess dolls.
Look 29 is constructed with interesting floral chainmail from top to bottom with a nude lining underneath. In the words of the famous Miranda Priestly, โFlorals in the spring? Groundbreaking.โ To be frank, itโs not terrible. It's quite ingenuitive. Sandy Liang has once again invited that girly girl feel into the mix. That said, thereโs still room for improvement.
The design isnโt particularly aesthetically appealingโthe way the chainmail flares at the bottom feels awkward, and the sharp edges of the flower pieces seem like they could quickly become irritating. While it can be great as an art form, one thing many tend to forget is that chainmail can be quite heavy. On a modern chainmail short-sleeved shirt, it can weigh up to 18 pounds. Although this is a tank top, it doesnโt relinquish the ability to weigh down the model.ย
Look 30 draws inspiration from the Totally Spies episode โQueen for a Dayโ, in which Clover goes undercover as a queen to thwart a kidnapping attempt. With that in mind, we can see the clear references and how they translate on the runway. On the other hand, how does that translate on the streets? Understandably, Liangโs inspirations draw from her childhood experiences, however, certain things are meant to be left in the past. To be seen walking around with a pink sash can come off as childish as opposed to a contemporary take on style. This look along with others missed the mark by differentiating itself from paying ode to girly cartoons to pretending to be the girl watching them.
But Was It All Bad?
Certainly not. There were some aspects of the collection that I genuinely enjoyed, especially as someone who was and still is a huge fan of Totally Spies. For instance, the pink lipstick used for several looks is a reference to Clover, who was most known for her pink lipstick and use of laser lipstick on missions.ย
The ruffle bags used in Looks 14 through 16 and 20 are an interesting and fun choice as it is a known fact that bag wearers carry their whole life with them (youโll never know what youโll need on a day out). By using a pattern not as heavily enjoyed by the masses and then combining it with the gingham ornamentation, you can see the fun that Liang wants to invoke.
In looks 24 and 25, you can see the Liang signature of the bow stitched into the sides, one that she took inspiration from the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away. Another small detail you might have missed is that silver clips on some of her looks. Sandy Liang is currently in collaboration with Android and she handcrafted hair clips into 3 shapes: a heart, a star similar to the one used at her runway show, and finally one with the Android logo. To use them during her show is genius because it reminds viewers of how Totally Spies was meant to be a series that incorporated advanced technology, which is part of Androidโs brand.
There were so many small yet clever aspects of the show but it all seems underwhelming when the bigger canvas has so many unfinished spaces.
In conclusion, this collection didnโt quite live up to my expectations, though I can appreciate some choices that stayed true to the storyline. Itโs not immediately obvious what an average New Yorker and an international spy have in common, yet Liang cleverly read between the lines and encouraged us to do the same.
It would be unfair to say there was no substance hereโthere were certainly creative sparks. However, many elements fell short, and the collection, while intended to be a sustainable concept, ended up feeling somewhat diluted.
A spy isnโt meant to stand out, but in the streets of New York, itโs unusual if she doesnโt. Like Alex, Sam, and Clover, they always managed to do so with style, fitting their missions. Unfortunately, this is where Sandy Liangโs collection missed the mark.
Amarissaโs Editorโs Note: Divina is a participant in Fashion Talk's Summer 2024 Student Writing Program. Aligned with our mission to uplift young voices in the fashion industry, Iโm excited to share her fresh and insightful perspective with our community.
Contributing edits by our summer โ24 program volunteer Lauren Corcoran, with final oversight & edits by
, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Fashion Talk.FASHION WEEK
 | A guest post by
|