There has been some criticism of New York Fashion Week lately, and some of it is justified: the venue is spread out, the cost of the shows is prohibitive, and the sponsors of the past are no longer there.
Then again, for those of us who can remember the ’80s and ’90s, New York fashion has always been a tale of two cities: uptown chic and downtown cool. Over thirty years ago, season after season, year after year, the week began with Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta at the Plaza and ended with Geoffrey Beene across the street at The Pierre Hotel. In between, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan and others presented their current collections in their showrooms on 7th Avenue. The only invited guests were the store buyers and the press.
In the evening, the same visitors went to the clubs and restaurants downtown to mingle with the young fashion designers they had read about in The Village Voice and Details Magazine. It should not be forgotten that Marc Jacobs, who celebrates his 40th anniversary this year and is considered part of the old guard of New York, tried to combine the two parts of New York fashion with his “grunge” collection for Perry Ellis was dismissed without notice in 1992.
With its influencers, street style stars and celebrities sitting in the front row, NYFW may look very different today than it did 30 or 40 years ago. But the fact is that the infrastructure of the industry hasn’t really changed, and until it does, no amount of runway shows is going to solve the problem.
On the positive side, New York is still the first big city to show up, even if Copenhagen becomes more important with each season. It is a harbinger of what is to come in London, Milan and Paris. Therefore, industry professionals who want to prepare for the season should take a look at the key trends of NYFW. FashionUnited has summarized the four most important trends from New York.
Refined style
It is in the spirit of the times to dress in a sophisticated and even “ladylike” manner. The current television show “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans,” with its couture-clad celebrities from the 1970s, captures this essence perfectly. Chanel-style capes, evening suits, sheath dresses and yards of bouclé tweeds take center stage in this trend, perfect for emulating the strong and confident “ladies who lunch” of the Upper East Side.
Badgley Mishka
Badgley Mischka sent an ocher mid-length boucle dress with beading and leather boots down the runway.
Carolina Herrera
Wes Gordon presented a slim-fit black knit turtleneck top and a mid-length satin skirt with floral embroidery for Carolina Herrera. He combines it with yellow patent pumps, a red clutch and a wide black belt.
Sandy Liang
Sandy Liang showed off a two-piece suit in brown and cream tweed with a fitted crew-neck jacket and knee-length skirt. Accessories included black ballet slippers and a black crossbody bag.
Tory Burch
At Tory Burch, a knee-length tweed dress was sent down the runway with sheer knee socks and flat toe shoes.
Pamella Roland
Pamella Roland presented a black two-piece with a cherry blossom print; a one-button jacket with a deep V-neck and a full, mid-length skirt.
Inside Out
There’s a saying that goes, “What takes a long time finally comes good,” and that explains the recent fascination with nineties and millennium style. The image of Kate Moss in a slip dress is part of fashion history. Lingerie looks, including briefs and corsetry in satin and silk fabrics, were on show during NYFW FW24.
Joseph Altuzarra
A black lace skirt and semi-sheer black bustier with sequin detailing took center stage at Altuzarra.
Corner house Latta
A silver satin brief under a black sheer overlay with embroidered detailing was shown at Eckhaus Latta.
Michael Kors
Michael Kors presented a black satin knee-length slip dress with a lace bodice and hem.
Ludovic de Saint Sernin
Ludovic de Saint Sernin brought a black satin slip dress with gold print and trim to New York.
Prep rally
It’s been an astonishing 44 years since Lisa Birnbach published the ‘Official Preppy Handbook’. What was intended as a tongue-in-cheek guide to imitate wealthy and picky Americans became a guide for a wide range of fashion lovers who wanted to know what to wear. It’s never really gone out of style since then, and this season has seen plenty of preppy looks, most notably Tommy Hilfiger.
Anna Sui
Anna Sui showed off a printed zip-up cardigan, mini skirt and hat with an argyle sweater and matching socks, silk scarf and slingbacks at NYFW.
Helmut Lang
At his second Helmut Lang show, Peter Do debuted a plaid oversized wool top and fringed hem skirt with matching boots, all in red, cream and black.
Tommy Hilfiger
Preppy king Tommy Hilfiger lived up to his roots by pairing a black logo shearling jacket over a cream cable-knit sweater, a red, black and cream micro-mini tweed skirt, sheer knee socks and loafers.
Meilke
At Melke, designer Emma Gage presented a chunky ivory turtleneck sweater with fish embellishments paired with a plaid pleated skirt, red pants and Dr. Marten lace-up shoes.
It’s a wrap
Many New York designers played with the idea of cocooning, of being well wrapped up against the cold of winter. Puffs, shawls and oversized shawls are still popular, as is a sophisticated style of knitwear.
Fforme
Fforme designer Paul Helber chose a long-sleeved cream embellished wrap top over banana-shaped pants.
Jason Wu
Jason Wu showed off a gray mohair sweater with wrapped shoulders and a charcoal gray wrap maxi skirt.
Brandon Maxwell
Brandon Maxwell presented a light gray rib-knit dress with dropped shoulders and a scarf in the same color in New York.
Prabal Gurung
Look 19: a bi-colored blue wool jacket with wrapped scarf front over a turquoise two-piece pant suit
Tibi
At Tibi, designer Amy Smilovic created a look that consisted of a camel-colored knit coat over a matching sweater and a black patent skirt, along with bronze ankle socks and pointed pumps.
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.uk