Ten things we learnt from fashion week
A rising Irish star, a racism row and a futuristic vibe were key talking points in New York as the industry looked ahead at the new season, writes Meadhbh McGrath
New York Fashion Week has just drawn to a close, and it was a more muted affair than normal. With the country facing political turmoil and the industry facing upheaval, designers seemed to lack direction. Yet there were still a few ‘wow’ moments — here’s the 10 biggest talking points from the week.
1. An Irish designer makes a splash
Following Kate Spade’s tragic death last June, creative director and Antrim native Nicola Glass continues her legacy at the namesake brand. For her sophomore collection, she looked to the house signatures of graphic prints, vivid colours and vintage-inspired shapes. But Glass’s show was more than a retro tribute, instead offering soft glamour with fluid silhouettes, vibrant hues and “two bags, one look” styling, where totes were paired with smaller cross-body bags.
2. Satin slinks back into style
Steamers at the ready: satin is making a comeback. Sies Marjan presented rich emerald shirting and gowns edged in baby blue lace, while Tom Ford dug into his archives, pairing silk blouses and velvet blazers with high-shine trousers.
3. Fashion looks to the future
Red carpet favourite Christian Siriano provided attendees with a “live-voting” app, allowing viewers to hit “like” or “love” on each look — feedback that can help determine what styles could prove popular in stores. And instead of a catwalk show, Rag and Bone staged a dinner party where Justin Theroux and Keri Russell mingled with the guest of honour: an AI that listened to attendees throughout the evening before making some poetic closing remarks, in the voice of Radiohead singer Thom Yorke.
4. Racist scandals cast a shadow
Dolce & Gabbana recently cancelled a show in Shanghai and saw their products pulled from Chinese e-commerce sites following a backlash over an ad campaign, while Prada and Gucci removed designs decried as ‘blackface’ from sale. In New York, everyone wondered if, and how, brands would tackle diversity. But on the catwalks, this season was the most inclusive ever, according to TheFashionSpot’s diversity report, based on race, age and size. Plus-size models made an impression at Prabal Gurung and 11 Honoré — the latter’s final look, on transgender actress Laverne Cox, was one of the week’s most buzzed-about — while this season saw Pierre Davis make history as the first trans designer on the schedule with her brand No Sesso.
5. Vegan leather rules the streets
To combat the icy weather, the fashion crowd looked to cult brand Nanushka’s trophy piece: a vegan leather puffer jacket. A somewhat genius rebrand of what you and I know as ‘pleather’, vegan leather looks to be this season’s street style sensation.
6. The Olsens conquer fashion
Former child stars Mary Kate and Ashley abandoned Hollywood for a career in fashion, and their label The Row has earned a stellar
reputation. Founded in 2006, The Row is not a new brand, but it came to the fore with one of the week’s most lauded collections. The Olsens’ neutral palette and considered minimalism, in particular a new waist-conscious outerwear silhouette layered over funnel-neck shapes, reigned supreme.
7. Scam costs Plein nearly $1m
Designer Philipp Plein promised a performance by Kanye West, for which he allegedly paid $900,000 — only not to the rapper himself. According to reports, West’s signature had been forged by one of his “associates”, who pocketed the advance. It’s not the first controversy to surround Plein’s shows: past performers include Chris Brown, who pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna in 2009, and the rapper Tekashi69, who pleaded guilty to using a child in a sexual performance in 2015. With West absent, guests had to make do with an appearance from Mickey Rourke and his Pomeranian to liven things up.
8. Last gasp of the blow-dry
Is the bouncy blow-dry over? Anna Sui, Proenza Schouler and Rachel Comey are proposing shaggy styles and even a teased mullet. The ladies who lunch in Carolina Herrera will be swapping their immaculate coifs for a looser chop, while the Meghan Effect is out in full force: her trademark low knot appeared at Brandon Maxwell, SelfPortrait and Brock Collection.
9. Smaller designs shine
Calvin Klein, Rodarte and Victoria Beckham were missing from the line-up, which left the spotlight open to new talent. King of them all was Tomo Koizumi, a costume designer based in Tokyo. Marc Jacobs offered the basement of his store for models including Bella Hadid and actress Gwendoline Christie to showcase Koizumi’s masses of ruffles. It was NYFW’s most exciting show, only upstaged by…
10. The return of Christy Turlington
After 25 years off the catwalk, the supermodel made a spectacular comeback at Marc Jacobs. “I turned 50 this year and have arrived at a place where ‘Why the F not’ is the answer that comes up when I ask myself questions,” she wrote on Instagram. “I have a 15-year-old daughter who I desperately want to see and hear me, and this is a medium that ‘speaks’ to her.” For the final look of NYFW, Turlington and Jacobs delivered proper fashion magic in a week that seriously needed some.