Fashion News: Opening Ceremony takes over Disneyland's Toon Town

On March 7, Opening Ceremony presented its Spring 2018 runway show at a most unexpected locale. For this special event, designers Humberto Leon and Carol Lim decided to forgo the streets of Milan and Manhattan for someplace closer to Main Street, U.S.A. That’s right. For one magical evening, The Happiest Place on Earth, aka Disneyland, hosted the “The Happiest Show on Earth.”

Then again, nothing is surprising when it comes to this innovative and edgy design duo. Lim and Leon founded Opening Ceremony as a quirky New York boutique in September 2002. While they made their mark on the east coast, these California kids grew up loving ’90s culture and, as teenagers spent countless hours meandering around the mall.

Opening Ceremony was conceived as a crazy, cool idea: Leon and Lim would bring their love of travel and fashion to a brick-and-mortar boutique. It would be the place they wish existed back when they were wandering mall rats. It was an instant success. Now these cool kids grew their brand into a global company that encompasses retail outlets in New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo; with ready-to-wear collections for men and women.

Opening Ceremony is also known for its myriad of innovative collaborations. A couple of recent head-turners include a 2005 capsule collection developed with style icon/actress Chloë Sevigny and a pre-spring 2018 show called “Changers: A Dance Story” written and directed by filmmaker Spike Jonze, which featured Opening Ceremony clothing. So, a collaboration with Disney is not far-fetched.

Lim and Leon drew inspiration for this collaboration collection from their southern Californian roots. They also found inspiration in Disney’s lineage of fantasy and imagination. The Opening Ceremony pieces put a luxe spin on classic Disney duds. For womenswear, the brand reinterprets vintage Mickey Mouse art. Think: Unconventional, colorful prints that are synonymous with the edgy Opening Ceremony look, emblazoned on silk dresses, taffeta pants and flirty poplin gowns.

The Mouse’s iconic silhouette inspired other outfits such as a jacquard skirt with Mickey-inspired black-and-white-sequins. Denim pants and jackets are decorated with vintage Disneyland souvenirs and embroidered city names are elegantly scribed alongside OC logos. Coast Magazine’s fashion team swooned over a wool varsity jacket with Disney and OC patches.

This limited release with Opening Ceremony coincides with a monumental Disney birthday. This year, Mickey Mouse celebrates his ninetieth anniversary. So this high-end fashion foray is simply a kick-off for the soon-to-be-announced partnerships for Disney’s “Mickey the True Original” campaign.

In the past, Disney has worked with other iconic American brands such as Dooney & Burke and Coach to elevate its signature attire. Loyal fans and fashion collectors responded in droves when Coach x Disney first launched. In 2016, crowds of people waited overnight in the parking lots at the South Coast Plaza store just for a chance to snag one of the limited-edition signature purses. The store sold out within minutes of opening its doors. If this Opening Ceremony runway show marks the beginning of this “Mickey the True Original” campaign, we are eager to see what else is in store. For the first time in forever, we can’t wait for what’s next.

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