“Bigger is better” is a longtime New York ethos that is being challenged by independent designers like Ashlynn Park who measure success by different metrics. For Park, a working mother and an ace pattern maker, those include prioritizing work/life balance, and rising to the technical challenges of her craft. “Rather than chasing noise, I’ve prioritized the well-being and stability of my studio practice and team,” she wrote in a pre-show exchange. That care and a measured pace are now paying off. It’s not just that Park can report having 65-90% percent sell-through rates with her retailers, she is also coming into her own as a designer.

The stellar collection she presented today at Cristina Grajales Gallery, where models serpentined around dramatic candelabras by Michele Oka Doner set on the floor, was a distillation and refinement of all the work Park has done to date. Cropped jackets and draped jersey referenced spring ’22 and ’23 respectively. Back were the sporty inflections introduced for resort ’25, and the puzzle construction of spring ’24. The latter involved intricate pattern making using rectangular pieces of cloth and it is this technique that Park now feels she “can own.”

While Park’s work is in line with the prevailing minimalist aesthetic, it actually supersedes it. Minimal garments tend to be flat; one of the qualities that distinguishes an Ashlyn garment is its sculptural shape and sensual dimensionality. The closing look, featuring a puzzle top with an airy buoyancy and an organic shape that floated over gathered jersey pants that had their own liquid flow, was a good example of this. The show opened with a wool merino peplum blouse that hugged the waist before belling out over the hips, and was shown with calf leather pants. These soft/hard, pliable/structured dichotomies appeared throughout the collection. Park chose a crisp technical khaki for a trench, vest, and pants—a variant on the three-piece suit—that had a masculine edge. Double-face cashmere was used for a sophisticated cape blouse as well as for a coat with melon shaped sleeves in a delicious red/orange shade. Look 13 layered a jacket over a vest, both featuring curved lapels, creating a petal like effect.

Though there were evening options here, there were no show-stopping gowns. This season, Park, like many others, was focused on bringing extraordinary touches to clothes that work in real-life scenarios. In place of the Instagram moment, the designer bundled comfort in chic. One of Park’s references was the Korean bottari, a symbolic wrapping cloth, and the collection was rich in pieces, often of jersey, that caress the body while dressing it up. Tied, a bottari often takes on a round shape. Not only is the circle a female symbol, it is roughly the shape of the vivid persimmon, which was Park’s primary inspiration. “The image of persimmons, quietly hanging on barren branches, enduring snow and wind only to grow sweeter over time, resonated deeply with us,” Park wrote. “It mirrors our own journey—stedfast and sure, quietly growing stronger.” As Shakespeare said, “Ripeness is all.”