Acclaimed jewelry and accessories designer Alexis Bittar unveiled his Spring/Summer 2026 collection with a theatrical presentation titled “Miss USA 1991” at the Abrons Theater, 466 Grand Street.
Photo by Chia-Ta Tsai – @ct_tsai
Staged from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM as part of New York Fashion Week, the event blurred the lines between fashion showcase and performance art.
Photo by Chia-Ta Tsai – @ct_tsai
Bittar framed the SS26 collection through a surreal reimagining of the Miss USA pageant, interrogating nostalgia and national identity while exposing the darker undercurrents of American culture. The narrative drew inspiration from cinema’s great provocateurs-David Lynch’s ‘Blue Velvet’, Brian De Palma’s ‘Carrie’, Sofia Coppola’s ‘The Virgin Suicides’, and Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Eyes Wide Shut‘-melding glamour with menace in a hypnotic mise-en-scène.
Photo by Chia-Ta Tsai – @ct_tsai
I have never been shy about merging social commentary with fashion. For this short theatrical presentation, I found myself returning to my long-standing love of old cinema and surrealism.
— Alexis Bittar
The performance unfolded in three symbolic roles:
The Host, played by Nik Pjeternikaj, an exaggerated embodiment of unchecked patriarchy.
Photo by Chia-Ta Tsai – @ct_tsai
Photo by Chia-Ta Tsai – @ct_tsai
The Contestants, representing U.S. states currently at the forefront of legislative challenges to trans rights:
- Miss Florida – Amara Gisele @amara.xtravaganza
- Miss Alabama – Dylan Miller @missdylann
- Miss Tennessee – Efron Danzig @3fron
- Miss Louisiana – Gia Love @therealgialove
- Miss Utah – Niko Haagenson @nikohaagenson
- Miss West Virginia – Tommy Dorfman @tommy.dorfman
- Miss South Carolina – Vivian Jenna Wilson @vivllainous
The Audience, masked figures whose anonymity reflected passive judgment and complicity.
Photo by Chia-Ta Tsai – @ct_tsai
The accessories themselves became the unspoken dialogue of the piece. Bittar fused early ’90s minimalism with late ’80s maximalist bravado, presenting sculptural Lucite designs in sherbet hues of mauve and teal, contrasted against fractured gold surfaces. The result was a collection that shimmered between playfulness and unease-accessories as artifacts of both beauty and critique.
“Miss USA 1991” reaffirmed Alexis Bittar’s reputation for theatrical storytelling in accessories design, using spectacle not only to adorn but also to provoke reflection on gender, power, and cultural memory.
CREDITS
Styling by Bernat Buscato @bernatbuscato
Makeup Artist Thibaut Marieke @marieke_thibaut with @maccosmetics
Hair by Aveda @aveda
Photography by Chia-Ta Tsai – @ct_tsai
Alexis Bittar
www.alexisbittar.com | @alexisbittar
All imagery by Chia-Ta Tsai – @ct_tsai. Used by permission.
Tags: 2026, Abrons Theater, Accessories, accessories designer, Alexis Bittar, Amara Gisele, Chia-Ta Tsai, cinema, design, designer spotlight, Dylan Miller, Efron Danzig, entertainment, events, fashion, fashion events, fashion showcase, Gia Love, jewellery, jewelry, jewelry design, minimalism, Miss USA 1991, New York City, New York Fashion Week, New York., Nik Pjeternikaj, Niko Haagenson, performance art, presentation, Spring/Summer, storytelling, surrealism, theatrical, theatrical costumes, theatrical storytelling, Tommy Dorfman, Top, Vivian Jenna Wilson
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