A nod to youth is ever-present in Sandy Liang’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection at New York Fashion Week. Her playful and eccentric colour palette is an ode to the beauty of youth, and tells the story of the nostalgia of a coming of age. With this collection, Liang, known for her charming and feminine collections, maintained her position as a leading designer in this style. The collection brought together the feeling of youth and the fundamentals of ‘girlhood,’ as they collide with the maturity that comes with age.

The incorporation of bright pinks and greens along with an assortment of denims tied this collection together. The quintessential elements of a woman in her youth were aptly displayed in the details of this collection, from the pretty pearls to the unique prints that built the world and placed the viewer in Liang’s childhood filled with scans of her planner and the reimagining of her youth.

Liang perfectly captures a little girl’s dreams of one day becoming a woman and the fantasy world she builds as she tries to envision the woman she hopes to become. Her perfectly mismatched pieces adorn the models, a highlight of the beauty of childlike innocence, and the carefree attitude of youth. The combination of patterned long johns and short skirts with big handbags place the looks in the space of a growing girl in a busy world, trying to find her footing in a changing society.

Despite this clear focus on youth, the collection clearly displays a connection between the past and present in an interesting collision of youthful colours and mature silhouettes, and sometimes in the opposite, with mature colours and lively profiles.

A look that stands out is the fur-lined denim skirt and denim jacket worn over the signature pattered long johns that are a staple of this collection. This look perfectly encapsulates the theme of the collection and ties together Liang’s message. The blue is a welcome change from the greens, pinks, and browns that dominate the collection at large. This is a perfect example of the beauty of the two styles coming together, with the more mature subtle tones of the denim and the playful silhouette of the set.

Overall, the collection is an interesting mix between the new and the old, bringing together the best of both worlds to create excitement and to bring you on a journey of growth and maturing. The world is Liang’s oyster, and this collection serves as its gleaming pearl.