Designers and labels at the recent New York Fashion Week drew from a multitude of inspirations for their collections. Some, like Ralph Lauren, attempted to bring the house down by putting on a grand jazz show.
Others staged visually arresting runways with florals and dramatic columns – or included poignant tributes. Of course, the one fashion presentation that caused a buzz was by Serena WIlliams, who presented her latest collection for women.
Here are the fashion week highlights that you need to know about. — AP
Floored By Florals
Wes Gordon, now into his second year as Carolina Herrera’s creative director, upped his game with a crowd-pleasing, flower-themed collection big on color and vibrant prints.
The inspiration was the California super bloom, a phenomenon that leads to an high proportion of wildflowers blossoming at once. The runway saw a succession of dresses both very long and very short, with dramatic bursts of florals.
A Visual Feast
After a two-year break, Vera Wang returned to New York Fashion Week with a moody and visually arresting show that featured high-couture lingerie elements, hippie hair, and heels so spiky that some models struggled to stay on their feet.
Camisoles, bustiers, garters, corsets. All of these were on full display in a show that took place in a dark room punctuated by dramatic columns of white light. The show was titled “Seduction. Layering to Reveal. Done and Undone”.
All That Jazz
Janelle Monae brought down the house at Ralph Lauren’s New York Fashion Week show, where “the house” was a jazzy nightclub of yesteryear that Lauren created inside a Wall Street building.
Sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid were among the models who navigated a grand staircase of the art deco club as they showed off Lauren’s sparkly dresses and tuxedo-inspired evening looks.
On Point
Only three days after her appearance in the US Open final, Serena Williams went from the court to the runway to present the latest collection of her fashion label, S by Serena.
The show in midtown Manhattan began with a brown trench-style coat, followed by a suit in the same fabric with an asymmetrical wrap skirt. Pants and slouchy sweaters followed, then a series of dresses, tops and coats in an animal-style print.
In Memory
From a linen and leather pant to a macrame tweed skirt, Tory Burch looked to one of the most important fashion icons of the 20th century for inspiration at New York Fashion Week – Princess Diana.
“I think every girl growing up wants to be a princess. It was my dream, too, to be a princess,” Burch said. “I mean, I do of course follow the royal family, and it’s good to see how they’re doing. And Princess Diana, she was very special.”
All-American Flavour
There were no flag outfits, but Michael Kors’ show was very much a patriotic tribute as he saluted American fashion with a collection that ran from nautical chic to classic glamour-girl gowns to whimsical polka-dot designs.
Kors later explained that the collection was inspired by many different threads of the American experience, from the recently reimagined Broadway musical Oklahoma to his immigrant ancestors.
Rough And Tumble
Tom Ford enticed the fashion crowd into an abandoned subway station by serving up dumplings before a precarious three-story walk to the rails, and, yes, heels were involved.
Sporty was the name of Ford’s game, in elevated ball caps and leather biker jackets. Wide elastic-waist trousers came in several colours, paired with a sculpted breastplate that defined his model’s chest in the same hue.
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