Ludovic de Saint Sernin
Don't go bashing New York to Paris-based designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin.
“I have so many friends here, I love the culture. And I'm kinda maybe manifesting that I get to spend more time here,” he said ahead of his fall runway collection presented Sunday night during New York Fashion Week.
De Saint Sernin used the runway to launch a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the New York-based Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, established by the transgressive artist to protect his work before he died of complications from AIDS in 1989. Mapplethorpe was best known for his black-and-white photography documenting the New York S&M scene, using models recruited from leather bars and clubs to stage sex acts. More shocking perhaps in the pre-internet porn era, his work became a lightning rod for political conservatives.
“Through his work, I found myself as a queer kid discovering my sexuality,” said de Saint Sernin, 32, who has been referencing the photographer with his sexually charged, gender-fluid designs since starting his brand in 2017. “I was always drawn to the erotic work, but for some reason I completely became infatuated with his photos of flowers,” he said of getting to know them better while visiting the foundation six months ago and immersing himself in the archives.
On the runway, the collection unfolded like a journey from youthful innocence to sexual maturity, with Mapplethorpe's blossoms hand cut in velvet and fused onto beautiful delicate sheer backless tops, button-down shirts, slipdresses and long skirts, or pixelated into crystals incorporated into de Saint Sernin's glam metal mesh halter tops and gowns.
Leather coats, boleros, bra tops and ankle-slit pants had sultry sophistication that transitioned to the leather bondage straps, front-lacing pants, briefest of briefs, plunging corsets and face masks of darker sexual fantasies, though still with a luxury gloss.
“It's a dream of mine to do this. [At the foundation] they could feel the love and see that I've been referencing him for a while. They liked the approach that I had, which was rather than print his pictures on garments, to bring his pictures to life by having the characters come out of the frame and onto the runway,” said de Saint Sarnin of introducing Mapplethorpe to a new generation.
“I wanted to remind people that he could photograph incredible body parts that were shocking, and like something you've never seen, but then equally beautiful was a photograph of a tulip,” he said.
In a time when freedom of all kinds is under attack, when de Saint Sernin took his own model-like strut around the runway, it felt like a victory lap.
Jason Wu's sea-washed, grit-and-glamour spring ethos came ashore for fall.
The “Nocturne” collection felt like a sister to his previous effort, with stunning craftsmanship and a luxurious approach to deconstruction. But it was also a nod to his personal evolution as both a sportswear and eveningwear designer, with inspirations à la illustrator Arthur Rackham harking back to his fall 2009 collection.
“That show looked like a fairy tale, which I love, but this one's more subversive. 2009 to now, it's very interesting. I always say, ‘everyone should be lucky to be put in a box because' that means you're known for something. But at the same time, we all need to evolve and I've evolved a lot. I wanted to revisit a topic from a long time ago,” he said.
His fall collection proved that with an emphasis on rich textures, inside-out constructions, hand-drawn flora and fauna motifs, “deconstructed” luxe sportswear and “glamour, glamour.”
The collection instantly set the mood with look one's drapey long gray jersey dress with outside seaming details — the look was an ode to Geoffrey Beene, one of the two iconic American designers who Wu referenced in his collection.
The references were both personal and purposeful to Wu, who backstage emphasized his steadfast enthusiasm for showing in New York and for American designers. “We need credit in New York as we make beautiful clothes here. We're not just commercial designers. I think American couture is a real thing,” he said.
Fall's architecturally draped corsets gowns — his own Charles James moments — in rust-toned, crushed gold metal satin and muslin-hued silk-spun cotton (with a little bit of linen) renditions certainly fit the bill. Ditto for sensual, hand-shredded fil coupe organza dresses that evoked healing bark.
Next to “old school,” Wu also peppered in rich collaborations with “new school,” emerging designers, including plush, enveloping cashmere knits with Crush Collection and gilded jewelry with Sauer (as well as footwear with Gianvito Rossi for the first time).
Wu said he spent three months in fabric development, and it showed all the way from grosgrain-woven bustier nestled between raw edge suiting and padded luxe puffer-meets-opera coats to delicate floral embroidered sheer origami tops and printed and layered organza midis.
All in all, it was a collection steeped in dark, moody beauty — one that certainly requires an up-close, second look.
— Emily Mercer
Norma Kamali
If you're going to buy three items from Norma Kamali's fall collection, let it be one of her strong reversible coats, a black turtleneck catsuit and a black belt, to tie it all together.
During a showroom preview, Kamali cited those pieces, and their variations throughout fall, as her key items of the season. Not just because they looked good, but because the versatile styles were part of her mindset around shopping smart. The idea extended into lengthy wrappable scarves, crossover essential bags and cozy tube scarves that topped off the collection's simple yet sartorial dress that's cozy and strong.
“I did this collection because I wanted it to kind of anchor this year and what's going to happen in the first year after we have another election, so that people could feel grounded but still feel happy,” she said. “In the end, I really thought that if we just really think about how much does a person need to buy and the idea of shopping smart, not meaning boring, but smart, and getting those pieces that transform everything in your wardrobe if you want them to. We're always thinking about sustainability and easy care; multipurpose styles are key for this.”
The idea was solidified throughout her look book, with “about 70 percent” of looks being styled atop her poly Lycra and sheer power mesh catsuits. For instance, under a scoop neck tank cotton crochet minidress and black oversize vegan leather midilength moto jacket, or beneath her modern takes on girlish tailoring à la houndstooth printed layers (a great riding coat or pleated skirts), boxy dresses and easy suiting.
Next to updated signature Kamali layers, her “twofer” reversible outerwear in a variety of enveloping silhouettes, lengths and materials including terry, reflective silver and black vegan leather with cream faux fur (offered in three lengths with contrast pocket and seaming details) were certainly standouts.
The collection's sensibility extended into pricing, Kamali explained, noting that her new sleeping bag coats (which also come in fall's ultra-fun “Mob Wife-” inspired patchwork cheetah prints) are now $200 each, in all of the sizes, while other garments will be priced together.
“My job is to be smart, ask a lot of questions and see how can we be smart about what we do, because I really think this year is going to be cuckoo,” she said.
Christian Cowan
Christian Cowan used his fall 2024 collection to look inward at his label, offering a mature take on his signature design codes while also paying homage to his late father.
“I grew up in a very science household,” Cowan said during a preview of the collection. “[My father] would get me telescopes and we'd look at the star patterns and I have always seen fashion and astronomy like the same thing in a way because astronomy, you're essentially looking at dots in the sky, but it's your imagination and the endless possibilities. I think fashion is much the same in the sense of you can look at a dress or a suit or whatever it is and imagine these infinite possibilities for yourself and this character it gives you and this confidence, which is something I see in all of my customers.”
Cowan took the astronomy inspiration head-on by leveraging his signature star motif for large paillettes and studs seen on a large range of party styles — a micro silver skirt paired with a mohair and leather cropped jacket, a bedazzled matching suit with cutouts or a red matching set. More subdued styles utilized the motif in a pinstripe-like pattern, such as on a backless cropped jacket and lowwaisted trousers. The styles stayed true to Cowan's signature flashy flair and showed the designer's ability to create bold, youthful silhouettes that are as fun as they are inventive each season.
While these styles showcased Cowan's affinity for a bold look, the designer also offered pieces that were more refined, such as a sheer blouse with billowing sleeves paired with a high-waisted 1950s-style skirt or a formfitting red silk dress accented with mohair trim. Both styles, as well as his other simpler looks, showed a more mature Christian Cowan woman, yet one who still likes a good party.
“I wanted this whole collection to be very quote unquote ‘wearable,'” Cowan said. “I wanted a lot of looks that people who I know and love, whether it's my family members or whomever, can throw it on and feel amazing. It's all very luxury — everything is made very beautifully.”
Overall, Cowan showed his craft as a designer with the range in the collection and gave viewers an enticing look at what the future of his brand might be. — Layla Ilchi
LaPointe
Sally LaPointe took her runway guests back to school with her fall 2024 collection, showing a range of youthful and energetic styles on models who entered the venue from a branded school bus parked outside.
“The idea was back to school — so the idea of one-upping your bestie on the first day,” she explained backstage. “I remember going to school and you'd be thinking about what you were going to wear that first day. That was the biggest deal, so every single look I just wanted it to be super strong, almost like a fantasy version of what the kids would wear to school these days.”
LaPointe used several points of inspiration, including her own school looks from the ‘90s and HBO's “Euphoria,” to create a collection that offered the right amount of fashion-forward and trendy styles created with well executed design methods.
The hero style was a sheer draped dress created in maxi and short versions in various colors. The look was simple, yet embodied an effortless cool vibe that LaPointe has proven season-to-season she has a knack for.
There were a range of textures with styles including tracksuits accented with knitted fringe, color-blocked fur coats, nylon trenchcoats and metallic knit dresses. LaPointe closed the show on a strong note with her latest denim looks
— a fur-lined oversize coat and featherembellished trousers — which helped give a mature balance next to the collection's more party-leaning designs.
She furthered the cool girl feel by leveraging her own DIY backpacks as a teen for a collaboration with jewelry designer Chris Habana on a series of backpacks.
“Everything that I do is about the vibe, the message and the energy,” she said. “Casting my girls — they come in already knowing what that is. They know LaPointe. They know it's this strong female, kind of bad b–ch vibe, and they love it and make it 10 times better.” — L.I.
Sandy Liang
Sandy Liang's cool-girl aesthetic received a mature update for fall 2024, with the collection offering an array of officeappropriate styles that still embodied the designer's downtown design codes.
Liang explained the collection was broken up into three sections, starting with looks inspired by “Upper East Side corporate” style, like matching suit jackets and pencil skirts, then progressing to casual styles like knitted turtlenecks and silk maxiskirts, ending with Liang's take on “the new princess,” which she was inspired to create based on Japan's
Princess Mako and the late Princess Diana.
“I remember being so inspired when I saw Princess Diana's wedding gown when I was in London a few years ago at an exhibit,” Liang said during a preview. “It was so cool — no one gets married like that anymore. Obviously it was of a time, but it was so princess and it was really radical for me to see this other type of princess.”
For the princess-inspired pieces, Liang stuck to her ultrafeminine design codes for styles including silk jacket-like dresses, Marie Antoinette-inspired pouf skirts and romantic bow and rosette-detailed dresses that were modern and unfussy.
Liang's corporate looks showed her ability to bring her cool girl aesthetic into other types of dressing via her take on officewear with jacket dresses, tweed sets, relaxed suits with bow details and updated dress shirts.
Liang also offered new versions of her popular accessories. Her classic ballet flats were leveraged for her first boots and she introduced her first collection of leather bags.
The season marks the brand's 10th anniversary. Liang humbly acknowledged the milestone, marveling at how its following has evolved over the decade.
“Ten years is such a long time, but also a big part of me still feels like I'm learning constantly,” she said. “I've never been that person to be like my three-year goal, my five-year goal or whatever. I just take it day by day. I'm just really happy that people have started to reconcile like ‘this is a Sandy girl,' or ‘that's not a Sandy girl.' That's really cool for me that I've built up this language in a way.” — L.I.
Adeam
Taking a beat and not showing on the runway, Hanako Maeda was able to distill what is at the center of her work: Japanese craftsmanship and tailoring. The choice led her to leave out the embellishments and mute the color palette to showcase “the details that you don't really see that much when you have more embellishments,” she said on a call from Japan.
Tailoring is a brand staple, but the pared down approach for the season made it really shine. A thin pinstripe suit with the addition of asymmetrical pleating on the skirt details played with duality, fluidity against structure; a sandy colored blazer tucked into a matching high waist pant, masculinity with the femininity. Outerwear options included a doublefaced wool coat, a cape coat with faux leather trim in contrasting hues and a soft faux leather boxy trucker jacket — all simple classics that will last beyond one season. She rounded it out with several evening looks that played with sheer elements: one in black with panels of fabric streaming off the gauzy skirt felt dreamy, perfect for a young thing's red carpet debut.
Maeda introduced the next collection for her gender neutral collection Adeam Ichi, based on “how people really dress in the streets of Tokyo,” she said. With a focus on layering, it melded a Japanese take on preppy with streetwear. It easily could be mixed with her main collection, showing the versatility and range of her work.
— Thomas Waller
Kallmeyer
Café Kallmeyer is back. Daniella Kallmeyer once again staged her collection in real life, this time at downtown hotspot La Mercieie. “It's wearing and living in the clothes,” she said of her presentation. “That is what Kallmeyer is.” What Kallmeyer is and the community Danillea has built was on full display. She chose aprés ski images from the '60s and '70s as a base, setting the room with flowers, playing cards, backgammon sets, coffee and tea sandwiches on tables.
The dynamic nature of the vintage photography, such as the contrast from the highlights and the shadows, is what struck her. “It's so sharp and discerning,” she said, adding that the joy of escapism was top of mind. Models moved around the space set in momentary tableaus, but far from stagnant — her clothes are about movement, authenticity and giving power to the wearer.
Pre-fall saw her muse on athleticism, the body and its relationship to clothes. She dove deeper into that here, with languid draping in stretch fabrics. Two looks in red in technical fabrics were standouts. Knits were a touch collegiate with striped V-neck details or mid-zip mock necks, while an oversized black leather jacket with lived-in patina on the trim felt like a grail find at a flea market. Customers may have found Kallmeyer for the loose oversized suiting or pants offering (they were here too), but there is so much more to the brand, including supple handbags, classic belts and more.
Her vein of minimalism is powerful, not precious. “The greatest compliment you can give a Kallmeyer garment is living it,” she said.