Rappers, women aiming big at Grammys
US designer Tom Ford opened New York Fashion Week on Thursday with his signature high-gloss swagger, but he is one of a dwindling number of heavyweights showing his stuff in the Big Apple, AFP reported.
New York is the first stop on the world’s runway carnival that heads to Milan, London and Paris, but little by little, the top names in the biz are foregoing a stateside catwalk show.
The 57-year-old Ford, who turned out a fairly restrained collection last season, went for more of the same this time out. Ford went back to the archives of his Fall-Winter 1996 collection for Gucci, which by his own admission sealed his reputation as a major talent.
Long, fluid backless gowns were reminiscent of the series of white dresses the Texan showed in Milan more than 20 years ago.
A red pantsuit worn by top model Gigi Hadid recalled a similar ensemble he sent out back in the day.
But the cuts and styles certainly had a modern touch — more cleavage, more tightly cinched waists and cropped trousers.
Ralph Lauren — another reference point in a New York Fashion week lacking some spark — hit the runway on Thursday.
Immaculately dressed young waiters offered coffee and pastries as soon as you sat down at Ralph Lauren’s scaled-down fashion show on Thursday, a stark contrast with last Music’s biggest stars will gather in Los Angeles on Sunday for the Grammy Awards, and this year observers are hoping the hip-hop and women artists leading the pack will get their due.
The industry’s annual gala draws eye rolls every year from critics who say the winners are too white and too male, but for the second consecutive year black hip-hop artists dominated the nominations across the board.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar earned eight nominations, while Canadian rapper Drake snagged seven.
Women artists scored nods in all of the top categories after being largely snubbed a year ago, with rapper Cardi B, pop diva Lady Gaga, pop futurist Janelle Monae and folk rocker Brandi Carlile among the frontrunners. In the Best New Artist category, six of the eight nominees are women.