“I decided to make this collection as a vitamin,” said Anna October, speaking via Zoom and seated in front of racks of candy colored dresses. “I think in our times, in the whole climate that we are in, it’s these mood boosters we really need.” This collection is sure to lift dopamine levels and also quicken the pace; sensuality is at the core of this designer’s aesthetic. 

More novel than the body reveals here—October knows how to bare a back like no other—were the number of skin concealing, if not modest, designs. The designer said she “found beauty in capes” (these were transparent) as well as in the “totally covered body.” When in Japan for the World Expo, October wore look three, a powder blue jersey dress with shirred batwing sleeves. The designer also translated elements of shibari (a form of erotic bondage) into her collection (essentially reframing the hand-knotted glass-hung mesh pieces from fall) in a playful way—“let’s say it’s shibari for princesses,” she said.