Fashion Week in New York showcased darker, intricate styles, along with dazzling outfits adorned in shimmering fabrics
New York Fashion Week is currently in full swing, with designers presenting their latest collections in various unconventional locations such as warehouses, churches, and piers. This year's event is a vibrant mix of the familiar and the avant-garde.
Eckhaus Latta, for instance, showcased deconstructed looks that included tees worn by male models with the front entirely cut out, and utilitarian pieces offset by ultra-sheer knits and mesh. The artist Martine Syms made a guest appearance on the runway, while another model was seen smoking a pre-rolled joint, adding a touch of the unexpected to the event.
Amidst this tumultuous fashion landscape, some designers chose to present collections that felt like smart extensions of past seasons, building on their signature styles rather than venturing into the unknown. Speaking to CNN, Nicholas Aburn of avant-garde label Area spoke of returning to the roots of the brand, "which is the nightclub." He described the collection as looking like New York to him, because there are these avant-garde, crazy characters, but they're framed by these normal, chic but quiet people.
Khaite's collection, which has become one of the week's headlining acts, focused on the label's established symbols of power dressing. The collection featured bold shoulders, clean lines, exaggerated shapes, limited color palettes, and a balance between hard and soft materials. Key items like leather jackets and skirts came in hues of cherry red and mustard, while Kendall Jenner walked out in polka dots - fashion's favorite print of late.
At the Collina Strada show, models came out in twos, with one outfit entirely in black, mimicking the gestures of their more colorful counterparts to create an illusion of a shadow. The all-black clothes represented "humanity's darkest impulses."
Tory Burch's collection explored the "complexity of women," featuring embroidered monogram initials, slingback heels adorned with dainty barbed wire, and a balance between color and texture. Stuart Vevers, creative director of Coach, designed a collection inspired by New York's balance of grit and glamour, featuring baggy workwear pants, leather staples, plaid blazers, and accessories like snap coin purse necklaces and dangling earrings made of small books.
Alexander Wang held his latest fashion show in New York City in a new building at 58 Bowery in Chinatown. However, the event was overshadowed by allegations of sexual harassment that Wang faced in 2021. Despite this, the fashion world continues to support him, with celebrities like Cardi B, her young daughter Kulture, Martha Stewart, Law Roach, and many others attending his show.
Willy Chavarria returned to New York with a small, intimate show on Wall Street, featuring womenswear looks from his latest collection first shown in Paris during the summer. The format harkened back to the traditional salon show, with models holding numbered cards to identify the outfits they were wearing for purchase.
Off-White's collection, designed by Ib Kamara, was staged on a rooftop basketball court of a Manhattan high school and featured street artists transforming the environment with visual homages to the city's five boroughs.
The week's events were not just about fashion. Jessica Chastain and Julianne Moore attended the Kering Foundation's fourth annual "Caring for Women" event, which coincides with fashion week in New York City. Alexander Wang also announced he would be turning a former bank into a permanent cultural space dedicated to Asian arts.
As the week comes to a close, it's clear that New York Fashion Week is a vibrant and dynamic event, a melting pot of innovation, tradition, and the unexpected.
