FROM shiny sheer blouses to peek-a-boo bottoms and delicate textiles, odes to women's agency filled Kim Shui's fall 2023 runway through flashy female decadence.

I went backstage for the debut of the brand's ready-to-wear collection at New York Fashion Week, and models stunted in see-through tops and open-back micro skirts honoring their femininity.


Subtlety was abandoned as women descended the Capitale's staircase in lower Manhattan on a Sunday night with their nipples out and their derrieres exposed.

But that was purposeful in Kim Shui's attempt to celebrate the female form through a 42-piece collection.

The designer played on the popular half-dressed fashion fad associated with revealing fabrics such as sheer and lace.

She strayed from simple style threads and added stitched "K" crests on the front of every micro-mini tube top and skirt, symbolizing a woman's power in controlling "what passes and what doesn't."

Every hyper-detailed design of the season undoubtedly established the clothing as trendy rather than timeless — a habit of the brand.

Kim Shui founded her company in 2011 and presented her first collection at New York Fashion Week in 2016.

Since then, Shui's exclusive patchwork has been seen on celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Lizzo, and Bella Hadid.

The Duke graduate is a Chinese woman, born in America and raised in Rome.

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Her multicultural background is apparent in her master textile mixing to create one-of-a-kind moto jackets, corsets, and halter dresses.

Shui will sew soft silk on top of animal print material and pair traditional Chinese fabric with contrasting style choices.

Following her spring 2023 show which celebrated the brand's rise in popularity on the internet, this season focused on blurring the expectations of a woman's look in public.

"I was thinking about women's agency, women's freedom to express themselves, and women's safety," Shui noted in her post-show interview with The U.S. Sun.

"It was really about public versus private. What's a woman expected to be wearing inside versus public-facing? How does she move between the two spheres?"

Mesh catsuits put each woman's breasts on full display in a way that only felt empowering to those wearing them.

Model Nakai told me: "Beauty and modernism. I mean my boobs were out so a 10 out of 10 for me. That's all I require."

And radiance truly reflected off of Nakai as she wore a silver maxi skirt with matching "Ks" tied over her nipples.


It's safe to say long-time brand emblems — sheer and lace —were not lost this season.

Dainty lingerie was paired with furry platform boots while matching print mini sets spoke for themselves — from the back.

The skirts were short, and they were open.

These tiny kilts were secured with laced ties that didn't do much to cover the models' bums as Shui's original intended placement for them was much higher on the body.

But in keeping with the promiscuity and sexy nature of the show, why not give guests a little peak from behind?

Famed stylists, actresses, and influencers filled the front row and watched as each model confidently strolled through scattered sheets of paper intentionally placed on the runway.



Actress Zión Moreno from the HBO Max Gossip Girl Reboot bore the brand's $295 Mesh Wrap Gown in Orange.

"I've always been a fan of Kim Shui. I think she's an incredible designer and I had the best time tonight," she said.

The 27-year-old model's favorite piece from the fall collection was a blue silk corset top with navy blue lace sneaking out of the cups.

Cutouts and corsetry nodded to trending styles, yet the artful "Ks" placed under coat collars or sprayed onto a model's hair extensions were Shui's claims to keeping these crazes alive.

Occasionally, one model would sign their name on a tall stack of paper placed just before they were meant to step off the runway — a signature left for each impressionable look.

My heart stopped a little when the pen came tumbling down mid-show, resting on the path where a heel could easily catch it. Luckily, none did.


Though the show's promising view of the female figure was most apparent, there were some full-coverage moments.

Long-sleeve snake-print jackets and chiffon gowns paired with fiery red faux-fur wraps added modesty between the loud presentation of body confidence.

Shui expressed: "I was really honoring women. Our brand has always been. The brand's DNA has always celebrated femininity.

"So this season was really about who is she as a witness to the world? She's witnessing the world, and what is her response?"

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For Shui, she would respond by curating an expose on how beautiful the female figure can be dressed in both gentle and roaring fabrics.

And the designer's true embodiment of her fall 2023 collection was conspicuous when she took her place on the runway — a sweet and shy woman dressed in a hot pink lace-up set with the outer edges of her bottom uncovered.

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