I can’t sleep – again. This time I’m too pre-occupied planning a runway show in my head: a subversive, controversial runway show depicting women’s bodies in a way not everyone would appreciate.

I’ve been inspired by Lynn.

“Women are disappearing,” she commented earlier tonight on her patio where we were talking – that’s supposing we were ever prominent to begin with.

Lynn is me when I’m grown up: she is a style guru, magazine publisher with big ideas and the guts to go through with them. She’s just written a book that shows her on the front cover in a long, skin tight, silver and pink sequin dress. The book is called How to be a Flamingo in a Brown Duck Pond. She’s my role model.

We were looking through fashion blogs at the women – and probably children – posing as hangers and I had an idea. For the last week, I’ve had too much excess energy and anxiety to sleep – now I’ve found a place for it: channeling it into something creative and artistic, and in pure Lynn-fashion, bold.

For a long time, I have wanted to do this particular photo shoot where I have models pose, not in model poses, but in standing normally poses, wearing long, beautiful and exquisite ball gowns, like Lynn’s sequin piece of art, in full make-up and wet hair.

I like the idea of dressing up and missing a step, in this case, the hair: everything about the model looks flawless except her hair that looks like she’s just stepped out of the shower. Or maybe it could be the make up – everything about her is exquisitely done up, except she’s not wearing any make-up: she’s just standing happily with a clean, fresh face.

Lynn has often talked about clothes as armour. And I like that idea a lot. But I think I like it because I live in a world where it’s necessary to wear armour. What if we lived in a world where we didn’t need swords and shields? What if instead of using clothes as props and costumes to define us, we defined our clothes?

So, my runway show is vulnerable because I’m putting down the armour and anyone who wants to can fire at a defenceless target.

The show begins with a collection that is a cross between young professional and evening wear.

 

This blazer zips up the arms and the sleeves re-attach at the front.

 

Then two barefoot male models in lace jumpsuits come out pulling a bathtub full of water.

Three models show three variations of the same loose-fitting lace dress. They take their turns entering and exiting the tub – once drenched, the dresses become skin tight and transparent: the body defines the dress.

I threw around the ideas about dying the water or putting sparkles in it: I like the parallelism between emerging from a bathtub, transformed like a baptism. I love how powerful fashion can be.