As finals seasons settled upon campus, Chancellor Green Library — a space normally reserved for academic study, speaker events, and receptions — transformed into a couture runway show run by Jeanie Chang ’25, a Korean-American fashion designer and founder of the clothing brand Genie Couture. The show “Metanoilepsis,” merged the words “metalepsis” and “metanoia,” defined by Chang as “moving through different worlds” and “a profound shift in perception.” Like the hybrid nature of its name, there was nothing ordinary about Chang’s first fashion show.
Stepping into the dim rotunda, I was greeted by the blasting of electronic beats. Amidst the upbeat sounds, a voice whispered, “I have yet to touch an angel. Therefore, I am / A man, pure.” Chang told The Daily Princetonian that the excerpts were from her original poems.
The show opened with a tan-colored and ruched sleeveless mini dress, adorned with white tulle in the front and a longer tail of tan lace in the back. The bodice of the dress embodied the heart of the piece: thick, dark-brown leather shaped in the form of an “X.” The model, one of 15 students selected by Chang, had strawberry blonde hair and gold shoes that complemented the garment. She posed at the end of the runway with her hands on her hips and head leaning towards her shoulder, accentuating the fluidity of the drapery.
The rough texture of the leather on the bodice of the dress, a material Chang described as “very thick leather that almost looks like bark and skin,” was captivating. Inspired by Ovid’s narrative poem “Metamorphoses,” she added that “there’s crackled, flesh-toned fabrics all throughout to symbolize the transition and movement” of the female character Daphne, who transforms from a woman into a tree after being pursued by the god Apollo. The contrast between the firmness of the bodice and the unconfined drape of the tulle and lace was an effective primer to the rest of the collection, which continued to synthesize distinct ideas in fashion, literature, and Korean-American identity.
While some of the pieces in “Metanoilepsis” were inspired by classics, others were inspired by Chang’s own writing. Three looks especially stood out because of their entirely white compositions. The ninth look, a button-down collared shirt with rows of diagonal pleats creating an inverted “V” in the chest and boning channels drawing a V-line towards the bottom, was especially striking. The stand-out element of the shirt was an iridescent tulle collar, tying in the front and erecting upward, resembling the shape of an angel’s wings. The same material fanned out around the model’s wrists, which, as the model walked across the rotunda, swayed against slacks embossed with flower designs and a bubbly texture.
These all-white pieces, which played with texture and shape, defined Chang’s work. While these pieces stood out for their angelic essence amidst the dim ambiance of the rotunda, the subtlety of the textures and patterns revealed Chang’s impressive attention to detail. Every look, especially when studied closely, was a testament to Chang’s understanding of the fabrics and the unique ways in which they can be manipulated. While creating a look with only one color might seem confining, Chang quipped that “limitations are more like possibilities.”
Chang’s Korean-American identity and interest in literature served as the foundations for many of her pieces. The fourteenth look, for example, embodied qualities of traditional Korean clothing, such as the cross collar and overall flowy design. This outfit was a spin on the Hanbok, featuring knee-length shorts with color-blocked blue hues and a gold waistband, a white flowy short-sleeve robe, and a cross collar.
The vibrant blue and gold color of this piece did not appear in any other look in “Metanoilepsis,” a distinctiveness that characterized many of the pieces in the collection. While at points during the show I found myself in search of uniformity, I realized that the very purpose of “Metanoilepsis” is to challenge, invent, and ultimately complicate fashion, showing how pieces of seemingly different natures can still come together as a cohesive whole. The show had explored distinct worlds to shift fashion paradigms.
“Metanoilepsis” as Chang’s second collection and first ever fashion show, was deeply intimate, a clear creation of Chang as an artist, scholar, and Korean-American. Other participants had similar thoughts.
Marie Sirenko ’25 noted that “all the pieces look amazing together, as a collection. It’s just stunning.”
Jenna Kim ’27 left the show feeling honored that “someone’s one year worth of work was right in front of [her].”
Anastasia Achiaa ’25, who assisted Chang with the logistical elements of the show, was quick to call “Metanoilepsis” a “one woman show,” adding that “it was absolutely awesome.”
Although the show was brief, I felt by the end that I had taken a tour of Chang’s mind, tracing remarkable conversations between her academic interests, identity, and passion for fashion design and art.
Irene Kim is a contributing writer for The Prospect and a member of the Class of 2028. She can be reached at ik7641@princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections@dailyprincetonian.com.
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