After celebrating their tenth anniversary last season, Vaquera found themselves facing a moment of uncertainty. With their studio and personal lives now based in Paris, Patric DiCaprio and Bryn Taubensee spent a lot of time reflecting on what comes next for the brand. The answer, however, wasn’t to look forward, it was to look back. This season, they revisited the early days of Vaquera in New York, exploring their roots to see if the past could offer insight into the future.

As the show notes suggested, the silhouettes for this collection were taken from both the 1920s and the 1980s, two decades in fashion that have a surprising amount of crossover. Both decades had a thing for strong-shouldered suits, be they worn by members of the post-war Lost Generation or Heaven 17, as well as huge fur coats and decadent pearls. In fact, the pearls in this collection were supersized to be as big as Christmas tree baubles and would have dragged along the floor if the models hadn’t held them. Leather belts were also comically large with their buckles as big as horseshoes. These massive accessories felt like a distinct reference to Martin Margiela’s FW94 collection, a.k.a. A Doll’s Wardrobe, when he blew up dolls’ clothing to life-size, keeping everything in proportion so the buttons and other accessories were ginormous.

Margiela felt like a distinct influence on this collection, as he has often been for Vaquera. The trousers of Look 21 and the coat of Look 22 were obvious references to his trompe l’oeil prints where he would print a pattern directly onto a garment, tricking the eye into making it look like the piece is textured or creased. The huge brassieres too, an icon of Vaquera, were blown-up to such a degree that they were worn as sash tops and crinoline-style skirts.

Furthering their collaborations this season, a new style of Converse appeared on foot, modelled as a knee-high boot with a wedge on the inside. The Vaquera cowboy shoe, which was first introduced last season, found itself remodelled as a pump and a boot. And, in a continuation of their partnership with D’Heygere Jewellery, oversized heart-shaped pendants and rings completed the looks.