Collina Strada is more than a brand; it’s a movement. Founder Hillary Taymour prides herself on ensuring the brand stays true to its core values of raising awareness of social issues through clothing. Fashion enthusiasts and activists eagerly anticipate Collina Strada’s unique, playful, ethically sourced collections every season. The Fall 2025 collection, themed Fempire, is right on par with the culture the brand continues to promote.
The 36-piece collection featured bold statement pieces. However, the looks were less colorful than usual, with mainly shades of green, brown, pink, and black. What remained the same was Taymour’s gift for layering fabrics to create beautiful ensembles. Standout pieces included a short brown, green, and pink floral dress cinched at the top and layered with tiered ruffles below the waist. There was also a mini gray dress with pink accents featuring waterfall ruffles.
The collection also used lots of tulle for fun bottoms. Bubble skirts are out—mini tutu skirts are in. One mini-skirt with pinched white tulle stood out, along with a black mini-skirt that swooped the tulle for a cool, layered design.
Bubble designs aren’t entirely out, however, as this collection features bubble dresses. Taymour included two baggy, long-sleeved, hooded shirtwaist dresses that will surely make a statement wherever you go.
The Collina Strada show had superstars such as King Princess and Dove Cameron. One of everyone’s favorite sets of twins from Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Cole Sprouse, also made a special appearance. Stars witnessed empowerment through clothing and craft. Along with the bold looks, Collina Strada employed a diverse array of models and workers. Diversity and inclusion were at the forefront, as they included models who were elderly, disabled, and of all shades and sizes. Collina Strada’s mission to bring social change is evident in every aspect of their work—front-facing and behind the scenes.
The outfits were the obvious stars of the show, but the beauty looks also grabbed attention. Head makeup artist Dick Page described it as “play” and “decoration.” He clarified that he didn’t believe in trends but just wanted to have fun. In doing so, he might’ve started one. Makeup looks included cheetah print designs on the face and bold highlights at the corners of the eyes, accentuated with lines and shapes. The hairstyles included throwback looks such as braided bangs and crimped hair, thanks to lead hair stylist Mustafa Yanaz.
Contrary to popular belief, anyone can recreate New York Fashion Week hair and makeup at home. The professionals used Ilia’s Eye Stylus Shadow Sticks to create the face designs and Bumble and Bumble’s Brilliantine Shine Styling Cream and Spray de Mode Hairspray to keep those fabulous styles intact.