Photos: Showbit
As New York Fashion Week concludes with Marc Jacobs just a day before Valentine’s, fashion heavy-weights are now starting to feel the heat, prepping for the next big show: London Fashion Week.
Before we move on to the city in United Kingdom, we take a look at the things that went down at NYFW. To sum things up: It was a blast to the past. Literally. Were New York-based designers feeling nostalgic? Or could the past be a happier moment for America, and that creatives chose to express their longing for it through their collections?
Here are five significant moments that had happened at New York Fashion Week F/W’19.
1. The revival of the OG supermodels conquering the runways
The F/W’19 runways saw a return of many legendary supermodels, apart from icons like Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford who had continued to flaunt their gams and enviable stature at almost every fashion week.
Christy Turlington (now Christy Turlington Burns), who had left the runway for a good 25 years (can you believe it?), made a recent comeback at Marc Jacobs F/W’19 show.
“About tonight! OMG @themarcjacobs invited me to close his beautiful show tonight and I couldn’t resist,” she wrote on her Instagram post, which depicted her in a black feathery ruffled gown. “A. I have known and loved this man since I met him at age 16. B. 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. C. 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,” she continued.
Apart from Turlington, Patti Hansen, a former model who once graced the coveted covers of Vogue and Glamour magazines, made a reappearance as well. She closed the Michael Kors show in a very Hansen demeanour: The rockstar was seen in a glittery gold pant-suit and a pair of matching platform heels.
2. Tom Ford’s ironic response to America’s negative culture
If gathering supermodels from the past wasn’t enough for fashion, Tom Ford had decided to revisit his impressive era: The ‘90s grunge-meets-glamour lifestyle during his tenure at Gucci.
Though Tom told Vogue that he “[didn’t] want to wear anything particularly challenging or anything particularly aggressive” as part of a response to America’s ongoing negative culture, we can’t help but wonder if sophistication was his idea of simplicity.
Translated at his show were garments fashioned out of luxe materials: Velvet two-piece suits, silk-satin pants, plush fur hats and a sequin gown. Was Gucci’s ’90s glam and sex appeal his idea of understated? All we can say is that it was more tamed than his past few collections.
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3. It was all about the glamourous lifestyle at Studio 54 with Michael Kors
Going back in time to a few more decades, the era taking lead at Michael Kors was the ‘70s. The nightclub scene, particularly the iconic Studio 54, was the primary factor that propelled Kors’ idea of “revisiting the past”.
In fact, he bought the rights to the club’s brand logo. It was seen plastered across oversized puffer coats, printed silk blouses and even on sequinned t-shirt dresses. If that didn’t scream Studio 54 enough, what could possibly be louder than that?
The lady who closed the show. Yup, we’ve mentioned it: Patti Hansen, the model who — wait for it — frequented Studio 54.
4. Staud celebrates joy and freedom with dancing
Another designer who’s referencing the ’70s was Sarah Staudinger, the creative brain behind Staud.
“For me, it’s a really important collection because fashion for me is not just about the way clothes make you feel, but the way people move in the clothes…It’s all about real people living…their best lives,” Sarah told Women’s Wear Daily. And for her, it was the ‘70s jovial attitude that inspired her F/W’19 collection.
Apart from the slip dresses and flare pants (which served as a visual medium that translated the idea of liberation during that era) that plastered the show, the notion of freedom can be seen from the models’ cheery attitude on the runway. Walking was replaced with dancing to the upbeat rhythm of Tavares’ Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel (1976). We dare say that the atmosphere took our breaths away.
5. Japan took over at Marc Jacobs
The star of NYFW who had caught the attention of many fashion insiders was Tomo Koizumi, a Japanese costume designer that Marc Jacobs’ stylist Katie Grand had fortuitously discovered on Instagram.
A prelude to the Marc Jacobs show, Koizumi made his debut with gargantuan organza ruffled gown soaked in rainbow hues that were shown at the basement of Marc Jacobs’ pop-up store in Madison Avenue.
The vibrant colourway and OTT cuts (that are, de facto, very Japanese) were the designer’s way of displaying the idea of happiness and freedom through fashion. “I got that feeling of vastness and joyousness [from Koizumi],” Katie told Women’s Wear Daily.
ALSO READ: FROM RUNWAY TO REAL LIFE: GET THE SLICKED BACK HAIRSTYLE THAT’S ALL OVER NYFW 2018