BL8K Spotlight: Julie Kegels Shows Us How To Get Dressed AW25
Witty and keenly attuned to the exploration of female archetypes, 26-year-old Belgian designer Julie Kegels is redefining modern womenswear. A graduate of Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts, she presented her eponymous label at Paris Fashion Week FW24-25, where her brand’s core leitmotif—challenging conventional expectations—was on full display. A brand-new space where every woman is invited into a timeless yet forward-thinking universe, one that embraces authenticity and self-expression.
Drawing inspiration for her third collection from Executive Style, a 1980 book on corporate aesthetics and modern design, Julie Kegels crafted inventive pieces that played with late-20th-century design classics, deconstructed silhouettes, and accessories like leather seat cushion clutches and everyone's favorite high-top sneaker turned heel. Under the roof of a theater stage in Paris, she presented 33 contemporary takes on modern, functional yet stylish dressing, prioritizing deconstructed pieces, draped fabrics, and a play with athleisure wear. A preppy spin on collegiate attire merged seamlessly with a dose of female-gaze sensuality, redefining the balance between masc and femme. Structured shoulders, checkered thoughts, and a bed comforter as the chicest shawl? Yes, please.
As for the shoes, the Antwerp native didn’t shy away from this season’s most sought-after design: Cinderella’s modern crystal slipper. A hint of nostalgia also emerged in the form of high-heeled Victorian booties in a variety of shades. And, of course, who could forget the ultimate modern-day Cinderella kicks—Converse!
But before anyone could see the collection, first things first—the models had to get dressed. A seemingly obvious yet fundamental act, getting dressed is, quite literally, the most important part of any runway show. Typically, a backstage ritual of two assistants, a hanger, and a ticking clock—the most fashionable chaos of all—this time, the process unfolded in plain sight. In true theater fashion, a model stepped onto center stage and got ready before our eyes, turning the backstage frenzy into a performance of its own.
What followed was a lineup of pieces destined for every wishlist and shopping cart. From drop-waist straight leather skirts to layered belts, high-neck monosuits, silk blouses, denim-on-denim looks, cropped hybrid blazers and cardigans, stockings as pants, and even a wood-floor dress, Julie Kegels delivered a collection that made transitional dressing feel effortless. With her designs, the shift from sunny mornings to freezing afternoons suddenly seems bearable—so long as they find their way into our closets.
