Lingua Franca Gathered a Very New York Crowd for Its First Runway Fashion Show
The unofficial dress code for Lingua Franca’s first runway show on Tuesday? Statement sweaters.
“We’ve been doing ready-to-wear for years and nobody really knew, so I needed to tell the world,” said designer Rachelle Hruska MacPherson, who first made a name for Lingua Franca after the Trump administration’s travel ban in 2017, when she made hand-embroidered sweaters emblazoned with “I Miss Barack.”
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And VIP guests obliged. Jessel Taank arrived in a navy sweater embroidered with “Jenna F–king Lyons,” a show of support for her fellow “Real Housewives” costar, who later walked in the show. Carla Gugino’s showed her support for PEN America with her “I read banned books” sweater, created to benefit the nonprofit. Other embroidered sentiments included Don Lemon with “Lemon Nation” and Jennifer Fisher with “Trust Your Gut.”
They were all there to show their support for MacPherson.
Her business exploded with that concept of slogan sweaters, many of which have carried political and social justice messages and raised money for Vice President Kamala Harris and other female candidates, and more recently for the Los Angeles Fire Department in the wake of the disastrous wildfires.
Susan Sarandon, an early arrival, donned a navy “Love More” sweater.” “I’ve always thought that this was a fun thing, so I was kind of curious,” said Sarandon, who connected with the brand through a close friend.
The actress recently finished filming for a project directed by Zach Woods, which costars Aubrey Plaza. “It doesn’t have a title yet,” Sarandon said. “It was a really, really, really fun experience. When you do something that doesn’t have a lot of money, everyone that shows up is there because they really want to be there, and it makes it very special.”
The upbeat thrum of Vengaboys continued to welcome guests to The Bowery Hotel’s terrace, where Katie Couric, Fisher Stevens, “SNL” cast member Devon Walker, Mickey Sumner, Cass Bird and more took their seats alongside designers including Todd Snyder, Rebecca Minkoff, Peter Som, Susan Alexandra, Rebecca Hessel Cohen, Batsheva Hay and Nanette Lepore.
“I knew I always wanted to do something on the Bowery. I lived on the Bowery for three years when I first moved to New York and then my husband [Sean MacPherson] designed the hotel, so it was a collaboration,” she said of the sweaters, slippers, teddy bears and totes emblazoned with “Bowery Hotel” in script lettering, as an homage to the hotelier’s iconic property opened in 2007.
Hotel fashion collaborations are a trend, with Frame teaming up with Ritz Paris, Sporty & Rich partnering with The Carlyle and others in recent months. And some of The Bowery Hotel pieces will be available for preorder next week. The rest of the fall ready-to-wear tapped into the gritty, bohemian vibe of the storied downtown New York neighborhood, with friends of the designer, including Lyons, Molly Ringwald, Nanette Lepore, Waris Ahluwalia, Jill Kargman, Jordan Roth and Pat Cleveland, walking the runway in scarfy silk dresses, fringed skirts, feathery silk PJs, lounge-y velvet tailoring and robe coats.
“It’s also an old world feel from ‘Gangs of New York,’ which was an inspiration for my husband when he designed the hotel. So, we created a lot of prints from the movie and made them into dresses and knits,” she said of the 2002 Martin Scorsese film.
“It was the most fun I ever had in my life,” added the designer, who took her bow with a gaggle of cute kids skipping down the runway in her knitwear. “I’m definitely doing more shows.”
Lingua Franca Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear
Afterward, the models joined the crowd as the room shifted into a cocktail party DJ’d by Samantha Ronson, who set the vibe with upbeat throwback hits. As show guests departed, others — like Tanner Fletcher designers Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell — were just arriving.
“I knew I wanted some friends, like Anne Dexter-Jones, people that felt downtown cool,” MacPherson said of her casting process, as she fielded congratulatory embraces from guests. “But then when I started doing fittings, they’d be like, ‘Oh, you should get my friend so-and-so,’ and we’d have mutual friends. Like — Gina Gershon’s my husband’s ex-girlfriend, and we’re best friends,” she added. “It’s been super fun to do my first show with them, because it’s put me at ease.”
The show location holds personal significance for the designer: MacPherson’s husband designed the hotel, and she lived a few blocks south of the hotel when she first moved to New York.
Known for its embroidered cashmere sweaters, Lingua Franca took off in 2017 amid a surge of political and social activism in response to President Donald Trump’s first term in office. It’s fitting that in 2025, amid an influx of political upheaval with a new Trump term, MacPherson turned to her brand for respite.
“It’s been a really good distraction, I have to be honest,” she added. “And you know what? We need distractions, because it’s a long road ahead, so now is a really great time to dig into creativity. ‘Art is the Triumph Over Chaos’ is what my shirt says. It’s definitely given me a lot of joy to work with creative people.”
Launch Gallery: Celebrities Front Row at Lingua Franca Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear Show and After-Party Photos
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