Hilfiger makes fashion splash with ‘It’ girl Gigi
NEW YORK: Tommy Hilfiger headlined day five of New York Fashion Week by sending modelof-the-moment Gigi Hadid down an ocean-liner themed catwalk to open and close a trans-Atlantic voyagethemed show as snow fell outside.
Hilfiger, who has turned affordable but fashional apparel into a global empire, is known for his flamboyant Fashion Week shows, which each season transform the Armory on Park Avenue into a spectacular set.
“Years back, in the ‘20s, the ‘30s, when the people would travel transAtlantic they would get dressed properly,” the 64-year-old design king told AFP ahead of the show, explaining his inspiration.
The models wearing his fall/winter 2016 collection strode the deck of the ocean liner, which pumped steam into the air through giant funnels against a night sky backdrop of glittering stars.
Hadid, who has collaborated with Hilfiger on a capsule collection to debut in September, opened the show dressed in a biascut, silk print dress, walked second in an embellished silk blouse with black retro briefs, and closed the show in a gold sequined sailor dress and tiara. The daughter of real estate developer Mohamed Hadid and “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Yolanda
Foster, fans are precisely the customers that marketing savvy Hilfiger is keen to snap up.
Hilfiger, dressed in a captainstyle navy jacket, made a victory lap at the end of the show for which he created a special “InstaPit” for the Instagram creators transforming the way fashion is consumed.
French navy allusions featured prominently on captain-style jackets and coats, embellished with braiding, and there was a sprinkling of 1970s styles and shapes thrown in, such as highwaisted bell bottoms.
Hilfiger said the collection was made sexy with whims ic a l , fun print dresses and crepe de chine, which would be layered up in winter with a sweater or a jacket, or paired with a stunning black leather coat.
“We made it sexy by doing a lot of crepe de chine,” he told AFP. “At the same time even her shoes have a wink and a nod and the wink is the sense of humour and the nod is to the navy and military influence.”
The models wore ankle socks and gold loafers in an almost grungy look Hilfiger said was optional.
“The socks we thought were appropriate for a young woman of today who wants to have some sort of a nostalgic look in her wardrobe,” he said. Trousers were finished with a lot of braiding and button detail, there were high-waisted wide shorts and wide-legged jumpsuits, vintage swim pants and a modern motorcycle jacket was given a nautical feel. In September, the label will allow customers to buy clothes straight from the catwalk, doing away with the customary sixmonth lag that Instagram has undercut by zapping images across the world in seconds. — AFP