The Women of Waldorf Astoria – A love letter to the Waldorf Astoria, the collection draws from the hotel’s century-long allure – a stage where legends of style, scandal, and grace have played their parts beneath its gilded ceilings. Each piece is a whisper of history, retold through the craft and imagination of Nicholas Oakwell’s atelier.
Presented as a cinematic narrative, The Women of Waldorf Astoria bridges past and present, breathing life into the ghosts of high society who once filled the hotel’s grand halls. Oakwell reimagines icons such as Alva Vanderbilt, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Josephine Baker – women whose poise and rebellion defined eras. From Slim Keith’s sculptural sequins to the fluid opulence of Marella Agnelli’s satin gown, each look is steeped in story.
Textures shimmer with memory: black lace corsets echo Brooke Astor’s elegance; ostrich degrade recalls Ann Woodward’s controversy; metallic sequins glint like the Spirit of Achievement that crowns the hotel’s façade. Even modern muses, like Alicia Keys, stand alongside the greats – proof that the Waldorf’s magic endures.
In The Women of Waldorf Astoria, Oakwell captures more than couture; he distills the essence of an institution. The collection is both tribute and transformation – an ode to power, beauty, and the eternal theatre of New York sophistication.
