“I always joke, as the designer of Alix of Bohemia, that we do everything backwards,” Brooklyn-based designer Alix Verley Pietrafesa said backstage of her first runway show for Alix of Bohemia. “I love the idea that I’ve been making clothes for a million years and have such incredible customers and retailers all over the world. It’s now time to do a show and invite everybody to join.”

The October show, held at The Highline Hotel Ballroom, was a playful, artisanal and on-trend display of the work Pietrafesa has been creating into her ready-to-wear brand since its launch in 2018. The designer’s spring collection, like those prior, will be available via the brand’s e-commerce and with select luxury retailers including Bergdorf Goodman and Net-a-porter in the spring.

Titled “Fete Sauvage,” or “wild party,” Pietrafesa said she homed in on movement and shine for spring, as seen through body armor pieces — as in great halter tops and little bras — made from metal sequins. “It feels a little bit like a skeleton, but also a second skin. I love the idea of wearing this body jewelry that felt reminiscent of a performer,” she said post-show. Other armor-like styles included statement jackets, a hallmark of the brand, that were crafted to be heirloom pieces.

Outside of signature bohemian-tinged blouses and dresses, novelty knits and artisanal crochet layers, Pietrafesa mixed in ’70s rock ‘n’ roll prints and vintage-inspired fringes, as well as breezy harem pants — a leading trend of New York’s spring runway collections.

“It is like an impromptu party after hours at the circus, when the performers have shed their roles but not their costumes,” the designer’s shownotes read of the ultra-fun lineup of character-filled garments that still felt covetable for the everyday.