A Woman Under Construction

Fashion Design by CHLOE ALLEN

Shot by KYLE BENJAMIN MILLER

“I wanted to share my collection video I used

in my application for the CFDA Fashion

Scholarship for my collection titled

‘A Woman Under Construction.’

It encapsulates how surgery and the recovery

process made me feel like a statue under

construction. When I was 7, I was

diagnosed with Chiari Malformation and

severe scoliosis. After the surgery to correct

the Chiari Malformation, my scoliosis

improved. At 13, my scoliosis worsened, forcing

me to wear a back brace throughout middle

school and parts of high school.

Each dress represents different stages in my

recovery. The maroon sweater knit dress with

slits on either side represents the

initial surgery. The shimmery pink dress with a

brown floral lace overlay and the draped

brown dress with a brown floral

overlay represent my time in my back brace

. They elude to the beauty I wanted to feel at

the time. They are designed so that if

I wore the brace with them, it would go almost

undetected underneath. Lastly, the dresses

with the lightweight translucent

Organza represent my freedom when I

decided I no longer wanted to wear my

brace. When I was 16, I took the risk of going

into remission because I couldn’t deal with the

pain and discomfort of the back brace any

longer. The freedom I felt when I

made that choice is reflected in the drape

and clarity of the two teal dresses.”

- Chloe Allen