Colin LoCascio RTW Spring 2022

Courtesy of Colin Locascio

Back in May, Lady Gaga appeared in the “Friends” television special sporting an orange crochet cardigan with fluffy, pink fringed trim. The look was from emerging Queens-born designer Colin LoCascio’s spring 2021 collection.

“It really kind of changed everything for me,” he said over the phone. “It opened a lot of doors, as well as boosted my confidence in knitwear.” 

For his spring 2022 collection, which the designer was proud to call his best to date, LoCascio pushed into knitwear and expanded the assortment, alongside nostalgic printed, sweet styles in a short film that paid homage to his home borough while giving his looks an even more realistic feel in locations they’ll likely be sported in next.

The look: A play on nostalgic sweetness.

Quote of note: “The line, in general, is very nostalgic of longing for simpler times, longing for childhood nostalgia, a little bit of camp counselor. I definitely was watching ‘Princess Diaries,’ ‘Uptown Girls’…that kind of inspo. I wanted it to be fun.”

Key pieces: “Dear diary” doodled printed youthful daywear: a scribbled floral tiered dress, logoed little tops, new printed denim. Children’s refrigerator art-inspired styles: knit bow-tie pasta shells fastened to crochet cardigans, skirts, and vests; printed “finger painting” mesh tops. A cute, outdoors-influenced strawberry “picnic” jacquard vest and crochet styles with dragonfly-shaped cutouts and knit 3D florals.

The takeaway: LoCascio’s spring collection offered sweet nostalgia with modernity and handcraft.