‘Weird’ animalistic Collina Strada fashion show ripped
Talk about a catwalk.
New York Fashion Week kicked off Friday with a bang — or rather, a bark.
Audiences are howling over the Collina Strada Fall 2023 show, which amused and startled viewers as the designer fashioned models in animal prosthetics to match the ethereal ensembles.
The collection, entitled “Please Don’t Eat My Friends,” represents the latest designs from the eco-friendly fashion house. It’s also dividing the internet, with some keyboard critics calling it “weird” and a “nightmare.”
Instead of strutting down the runway, animorphic models crawled, pranced and skipped past rows of baffled onlookers. From reptilian to downright fowl, the models flaunted elongated ear pieces, teal beaks, reptilian masks and pig snouts, some purring or barking as they moved.
![Model with pink mousey snout and pink hair walks down runway in green and pink ensemble](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/NYPICHPDPICT000006471390.jpg?w=683)
The wild looks transformed Soho’s THC NYC, an immersive cannabis experience, into a curated Animal Kingdom. Some models even carried props that corresponded to their couture — with one lugging a barrel of hay and another cradling creative director Hillary Taymour’s pet pomeranian, Powwie.
One model appeared to don a full-head prosthetic that looked reptilian, along with white sneakers with webbed feet painted on them. A plaid green trench coat and layered, moss-colored pieces completed the outfit.
Another flashed a pink, mouse-like snout and clutched a pink-and-green tote, which matched the color scheme of their mesh frock and rosy hair.
![Model in reptile mask at runway fashion show](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/NYPICHPDPICT000006471339.jpg?w=683)
The show also featured transgender model Aaron Rose Philip, who has cerebral palsy. She became the first black, trans model with a disability to be signed by a major modeling agency — Elite Model Management, at the start of her career.
In a 2021 interview with Vogue, the 21-year-old model, who used a wheelchair on the catwalk at the Collina Strada show, said her runway debut with Moschino for the Spring 2022 collection was her greatest career achievement at the time.
![Hailey Taymour, the designer, strutted down the runway with pointed ears](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/NYPICHPDPICT000006471633.jpg?w=683)
At Collina Strada, Taymour closed the show by slipping on a pair of her own pointed ear prosthetics and a graphic tee printed with the image of an animal.
When asked about the divisive looks, brand representatives referred The Post to a press release for the collection. Collina Strada says it seeks to celebrate “primal truths,” striving “to honor both our inner show pony, who is playful and likes to ruffle feathers, and our inner workhorse, who is reliable, durable and strangely practical.”
In an Instagram post, Taymour called the presentation her “dream day,” while sharing some up-close-and-personal shots of the models in their prosthetics.
Commenting on the post, people agreed the looks “slay” and championed the edgy designer for her unique vision.
“Obsessed,” wrote one user.
“Wild!” exclaimed another.
“Amazing thoughts for a fashion show,” declared a third. “Just loved it.”
The Collina Strada designs also had tongues wagging on TikTok, with some at-home viewers expressing dismay and disbelief.
“Is this real,” one user wondered after screening a clip of the show.
“These shows are getting weird,” another chided.
“A hard no for me,” proclaimed one user.
“U could not pay me enough to ever want to be the model that has to do this,” slammed a disgruntled viewer.
Meanwhile, on Twitter, one user mused, “What the hell is going on at collina strada?”
“I oddly like this,” one fan responded in the thread.
![Aaron Rose Phillip in a wheelchair going down the runway](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/NYPICHPDPICT000006494115.jpg?w=683)
“This is camp,” one user announced.
“Remake the lord of the rings but dress the elves like this,” added another, along with the heart eyes emoji.
“Furries but make it fashion,” chimed in someone else.
“This is my biggest nightmare,” one appalled user barked.
“Cats 2,” sneered another.