New York Fashion Week was once the shining center of a new guard of fashion, far removed from the legacy and prestige of Milan and Paris or the experimental creativity of London. In recent years, however, the event has fallen somewhat out of fashion.
Over time, New York seemed to become a little too commercial, a little too reliable, and often unprofitable for the brands whose collections were ostensibly intended to sell. While the latter remains a constant struggle as support, both financial and otherwise, is not readily available, Fall/Winter 2024 has proven that there is more than enough young talent deserving of that support. Just like some of the city’s biggest success stories once did.
Anniversaries and New York originals
Marc Jacobs, who was named ‘Design Student of the Year’ at Parsons University in New York in 1984 and was now celebrating his label’s 40th anniversary, was not officially on the New York Fashion Week program. However, his show and its continued relevance underscored the true potential of New York creativity. The collection itself was driven by the idea of the everyday. Seemingly everyday and simple garments and shapes reminiscent of ’60s housewives were, as is often the case with Jacobs, exaggerated yet impeccably tailored. The models walked beneath a large-scale 2006 sculpture by American artist Robert Therrien entitled “No Title (folding table and chairs, beige)”, which gave the collection a childlike sense of wonder, aptly expressed by the collection’s name, ‘Wonder’. Perhaps it was because Jacobs, like most in the industry, is aware of how rare a sustained success story like his truly is that he celebrated this milestone with more vigor – and more publicity than any before.
However, Jacobs wasn’t the only designer in New York who had a lot to celebrate. Former newcomer Joseph Altuzarra presented his 15th anniversary collection at his headquarters and invited only those who have truly supported him throughout his career, said Nicole Phelps, global director of Vogue Runways. The presentation and the collection itself felt extremely personal, not only for the designer but also for the customers who value the brand. Inspired by equestrian clothing and the style of Princess Diana, as well as portraits by Art Deco artist Tamara de Lempicka, the collection was imbued with a sense of nostalgia without sacrificing modernity or the modern woman.
A brand that has been in business five years longer than Altuzarra is Tory Burch. The designer opened the doors of her first store 20 years ago and has been a fixture on the New York calendar ever since. Recently, however, the brand has experienced something of a renaissance, at least according to Lyst Idex, where it was listed as a “breakout brand” a few months ago. After being nominated for Womenswear Designer of the Year by the Council of American Designers (CFDA), the brand and its pierced mules have made a successful transformation from commercial to cult, according to the British search engine. The anniversary show, which had much to celebrate, radiated happiness as models confidently walked the catwalk to the sounds of The Cure and Joy Division. They showcased a colorful array of shiny frocks alongside muted office wear cleverly transformed into work-appropriate hoodies.
Proenza Schouler and Khaite are two New York prodigies who had no anniversaries this season but still had a lot to celebrate. While the first label, run by boy wonders Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez since 2002, was a sure favorite among the city’s It girls from the start, Catherine Holstein’s Khaite brand has achieved cult status in just a few years. The brand was founded in 2016; Holstein has since been named Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America twice, in 2022 and 2023, and has a loyal following. Both brands dress the quintessential ‘city cool girl’ in their own way, but while Holstein seems to have leaned into the trendy ‘mob wife’ aesthetic this season – shearling coats, gold chains, oxblood colors and lots of leather – , the designer duo from Proenza Schouler relied on clear lines, sharp cuts and wafer-thin and layered basics.
Tommy and Thom return to town, Ludovic De Saint Sernin makes a pit stop
Aptly titled “New York Moment,” Tommy Hilfiger, who has been out of town since September 2022, returned to New York City this season, bringing prep, nostalgia and a star-studded front row with him. A designer synonymous with American fashion, Hilfiger paid tribute to what the show notes described as “a lifetime of memories” of the city. The show, held at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Terminal, brought classic American cool to the runway and focused on Hilfiger’s trademark style. The designer combined rugby shirts with pleated skirts, baseball caps with shirts and ties, varsity jackets, hoodies, tweed clothing and lots of red, blue and white colors that the brand describes as “Tommy’s Americana come to life.”
Hilfiger’s return to New York wasn’t the only notable comeback. Despite being chairman of the CFDA and thus at the forefront of US fashion, Thom Browne skipped the Spring/Summer 2024 presentations in September after debuting his haute couture collection in Paris. Returning to the city, Browne concluded the Fall/Winter 2024 season with an Edgar Allan Poe-inspired collection that masterfully combined garments with commercial appeal and endless storytelling. The theme of the collection gave the collection a touch of mystery without forgetting the clothes themselves. From a striking black headdress resembling a raven to coats decorated with black birds, the designs were imaginative and theatrical but, at their core, wearable.
One designer who somewhat surprisingly made his debut at New York Fashion Week was Ludovic de Saint Sernin. The Paris-based designer has been a fixture on the Paris Fashion Week calendar since launching his brand in 2017. The reason for his arrival in New York was, on the one hand, the collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, which the photographer, who died in 1989, founded, and, on the other hand, the desire to quench the thirst of his customers in the USA, who, according to Women’s Wear Daily 32 percent of the brand’s total sales. The presentation on the catwalk ranged from youthful innocence to sensual maturity. Mapplethorpe’s hand-cut velvet blooms adorned sheer tops, slip dresses and skirts that contrasted with de Saint Sernin’s glamorous metallic mesh designs with pixelated crystals. From sensual leather coats to bondage-inspired dresses, the collection delved into darker sexual fantasies while maintaining its luxurious aesthetic.
The “new guard” redefining fashion in New York
De Saint Sernin is far from the only young and exciting designer to choose New York as his stage this season. Others, such as Willy Chavarria, Collina Strada and Eckhaus Latta, consider the vibrant metropolis their home and have long since made a name for themselves among the big commercial names on the official CFDA program.
Similar to Tommy Hilfiger, Willy Chavarria has redefined American “Ivy Prep”. But while Hilfiger’s Prep remains at its core in the world of privilege, Chavarria has taken the inspiration and transformed Americana into something much more inclusive. The CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year winner’s Fall/Winter 2024 collection is titled “Safe From Harm” and tells a story about collective protection of one another. The designer illustrated the idea using tailoring and familiar fabrics such as tweed, herringbone and glen plaids.
Fabrics and textures also played an important role in Eckhaus Latta’s fall/winter collection. Design duo Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta played with unique knits and unconventional fabrics as is typical of the brand, but this season their mood seemed to have shifted from playful to serious. The collection opened with a rendition of Lana Del Rey’s “hope is a dangerous thing for a girl like me to have – but I have it”, which set the tone for a slightly more subtle, but by no means less successful collection. The brand, the In business for 13 years, presented a collection of clean lines and cubist patterns that emphasizes wearable pieces rather than just seductive appeal. Sheer mesh shirts, satin-fringed maxi dresses and rope-like “vests” highlighted the talent the brand to forge a path in an industry in which the balance between commerce and creativity sometimes seems to be secondary.
Creativity still reigns supreme at Luar, although this season a surprise appearance from singer Beyoncé almost eclipsed even one of fashion’s most creative designers. Luckily, Luar designer Raul Lopez presented a collection that easily held its own while announcing the comeback of the “metrosexual.” The Oxford Dictionary defines the term as “a man who is usually heterosexual and is very interested in fashion, grooming, and his appearance in a manner that is usually considered woman-like.” The term and the phenomenon behind it have their roots in the 90s, at least until Luar’s fall/winter 2024 collection. The brand’s signature oversized shoulders graced tailored pieces, outerwear and dresses, complemented by unconventional design elements that encapsulated the collection’s interplay of masculinity and femininity.
