Christopher John Rogers Does Old-School Glamour, the Modern Way, for Fall 2020

He makes the case for clothes that take up space and colors that make you stand out.

In a few short years, Christopher John Rogers has been able to outline a clear vision for his namesake fashion brand. His clothes are bold. They're colorful. They're joyous. When you wear them, you want to show them off — and strike a pose.

This approach to fashion has earned him industry accolades (most recently, a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award), red carpet credits (ranging from Tracee Ellis Ross to Lil Nas X) and a lot of hype around his New York Fashion Week events. At his Fall 2020 show — only his second catwalk presentation, ever! — Rogers built on that momentum in front of a packed house, making a case for clothes that take up space, colors that are unseasonal and rich fabrics that demand your attention.

Beyond his use of color, Rogers has become known for his inventive, shapely silhouettes: big ballon sleeves, cinched waists that open up into voluminous skirts, draped shirtdresses over trousers. He's doubling down on that for Fall 2020, presenting a series of gowns that literally took over the runway, which gave the models their moment in the spotlight. (They seized it, dutifully, with some excellent posing.)

When the dresses were fitted more closely to the body, Rogers added intrigue through his choice of fabric, picking textured, embellished or iridescent materials that made you want to take a second, closer look. (It's a shame the Oscars are tomorrow night, because these looks would feel right at home on the red carpet on, say, Billy Porter or Florence Pugh.)

It's hard to make any definitive judgements on New York Fashion Week just yet — it's only day two, after all — but most showgoers would probably agree that the vibe at the Fall 2020 runways and presentations so far has felt... off. There's a lot of uncertainty in the air, and it can distract from the beauty of seeing a designer chart out a future right in front of your eyes. That wasn't the case at Christopher John Rogers, though. The energy of his clothes — and creativity — was palpable. One can only hope for more of that in 2020.

See every single look from Christopher John Rogers's Fall 2020 collection below:

View the 40 images of this gallery on the original article

Want more Fashionista? Sign up for our daily newsletter and get us directly in your inbox.