+29 Diotima Spring 2026 Ready-to-Wear
Rachel Scott’s ascent has been nothing short of meteoric. In just four years since founding Diotima, she’s collected a CFDA Emerging Designer Award, the 2024 CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year title, and — just weeks ago — stepped into the role of creative director at Proenza Schouler, where she delivered a strong debut. Yesterday, she brought Diotima to the runway for the first time, with a collection that underscored both her confidence and her momentum.
Staged in a cavernous Greenpoint space, the show channeled the spirit of Caribbean Carnival — not as costume, but as resistance through joy, sensuality, and spectacle. Crochet separates, shredded rayon that fluttered like feathers, macramé trims, and melted paillettes evoked tradition without literalism. Colour clashes — lime with guava, neon pink with grey — gave vibrancy to wearable silhouettes: square sailor collars on fluid tops, featherlike skirts, and jackets cut from the architecture of cage bras, brimming with sex appeal. Swimwear sparkled in Scott’s micro-sequins, while strappy heels previewed her forthcoming shoe line.
If Proenza marks Scott’s authority, Diotima remains her laboratory of exuberance and defiance. This collection proved she can distill Carnival’s erotic charge and theatricality into clothes women will actually wear — and have fun in.