Addy Kaster reaches “Past the Looking Glass”
A Q&A with The Fashion Circuit’s SS26 Design Fellow Addy Kaster
Images by Trinity LaKose
Addy Kaster is not definable. Sure, her designs have her hallmarks: lacy bloomers and unique corsets, asymmetry, mismatched patterns and textures, and an unmistakable grungy edge — but by nature, she cannot be pinned down, not even by the pointy tips of the scissors dangling precariously from her ears. Perhaps that’s why the name of her brand isn’t a statement, or an exclamation — but a question, one that strikes you where you stand and demands that you determine her identity for yourself.
Who TF is Addy? — stylized as Whotfisaddy — also serves as a playful bit for the designer, who showed her first miniature collection for The Fashion Circuit, “Past the Looking Glass,” at TFC’s SS26 show, Groove Theory. When you ask, “Who TF is Addy?” she’ll smirk, toss her short, shaggy hair (in whatever color it happens to be that week — today, it’s lavender) and look you up and down as she responds, “Y’all are about to find out.”
“Past the Looking Glass” is based clearly and boldly on Alice in Wonderland, a timeless tale that perfectly captures Addy’s balance of whimsy and chaos. Each look explores one of Lewis Carroll’s iconic characters — the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Red and White queens, and of course, Alice herself — through Addy’s lens. Her designs are delightfully odd, with layer upon layer of intrigue woven into the details of her garments.
Q&A with TFC Marketing & Communications Director Josie Fischels
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
Josie: Can you explain what inspired Past the Looking Glass?
Addy: I’ve always loved Alice in Wonderland, and I think there are a lot of connections between the movie, the book, and what is going on right now. I think one of the messages that’s really important is that you have to come together to defeat evil.
Josie: There are a lot of iterations of this story because it’s so beloved. I was wondering if there was a specific version of this story, or a specific medium, that really inspired you?
Addy: Tim Burton, girl. It’s Tim Burton. Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, all of them.
Josie: When I think about Alice in Wonderland, especially the version that you're speaking of, I feel like there is this balancing act. It is a children's story — or it can be framed as one — but of course, there are all these darker tones in it, almost hallucinogenic, in that way. How did you work with those themes, that are kind of combative, in your collection?
Addy: I describe [this collection] as a post-modern Wonderland. Post-modern is like mixing historical time periods, mixing fabrics, styles, feminine and masculine — it's basically just blurring the line on everything — and I think that's what Alice in Wonderland does.
Josie: Did you find yourself gravitating toward a specific character?
I think the best part about Alice in Wonderland is there are parts of us in every one of the characters. I resonate with every single character in a different way, and in a way they're all me, I guess, and all all of us. I love the Mad Hatter. He's weird. He's mad. I love it — me too, a girl. But also, like, the White Rabbit is very anxious. He's very, like, “Girl, we're late. We're late. We're late.” Alice, she's kind of stubborn a little bit — me too. I get it. White Queen and Red Queen — we all have a little good and evil in us. I think there are parts of all of them that we can all relate to.
Josie: I just got to see the collection for the first time all together, and on people — it really is gorgeous. And even though it includes a lot of mismatched elements and textures, it all looks so cohesive. And I was wondering when you were laying everything out or drawing and designing, how did you work everything together and piece together these fabrics that can seem so different?
Addy: I went to the fabric store — and I spent a lot of money — and I had basically three colors. I had red, white, and blue, which… this is not red, white, and blue “America!”-themed at all. But that's okay. Being able to just see all the fabrics together, even though they're not made into something, you can really visualize how they're gonna look together.
Josie: What are three words that you would use to describe this collection?
Addy: Whimsical. Layered. Resistance.
Josie: There are a lot of people involved in this photo shoot today. Yes, you are designing the garments on the models, but there are also some really beautiful cakes and really beautiful jewelry pieces. Can you talk to me about those influences from outside small businesses and why you were so adamant about working with small businesses?
Addy: I think that to get all these people together and plan all of this just for me doesn't really make sense. We're already doing it. Let's give everyone else a shot, too. Let's incorporate as many people as we can, since we're putting all this time and effort into it. Let's get the most out of it that we possibly can. And then also, I mean, the fashion industry is not just clothing. It's jewelry. It's set design. It's shoes. It's everything.
