Jane Wade has always been clocked in to futuristic officewear. The designer's New York A/W 25 show was no exception. Titled The Merger, the collection wove a rich story of office intrigue and scandal, every bit as good as the ones we see on-screen — or in our Slack messages.
Each model assumed a distinct workplace persona: from the briefcase-carrying attorney, wearing a tailored cotton poplin maxi dress, to the power-shoulder-wearing CEO, played by none other than Real Housewife Lisa Rinna, of course. The would-be worker bees strutted down the catwalk whilst filming the audience, tapping into a current trend we're seeing emerge for surveillance-style content - see Jacquemus' recent campaign - while looped videos of models using Docusign’s biometric ID verification played in the background.
Palettes took cues from professional drudgery and sexed them up with the brand’s sensual take on utilitarianism. Cubical grey was reworked as a Joan of Arc-ish dress, mohair yarn weaving together silver chainmail in look 27. Camel, the most corporate colour on the spectrum, came in cropped jackets, low-rise pants, and roomy, broad-shouldered coats overflowing with pockets. Banker boyfriend blue zipped across dark gray dresses and skirts, and shone as deconstructed shirting.
In Jane Wade’s world, there’s no such thing as work-life balance: desirable weekend garms merged with an office siren's attire. It seems art mimics life: when we’re not at our 9 to 5, we decompress by watching work-related media (Severance, Baby Girl, Industry, The Substance) and reading about how recession-core is making a comeback. As corporations engorge on our lives, clipboard and ID badges are the ultimate accessory, as Jane Wade attests to.