Since 1943, when it first began, New York Fashion Week has had one of the largest impacts of American culture and fashion. Taking place twice a year, the most recent one took place this February from the 9th through the 14th in the beautiful Starrett-Lehigh building in Manhattan. Designers from all over the world were able to present some of their most stunning creations unlike any other this year. Let’s take a look at some of the best ones.
Thom Browne- “The Tree”
Thom Browne exceeded all expectations this year by creating a lovely collection inspired by poet Edgar Allen Poe. Browne was able to encapsulate the dreariness and edginess of Poe’s work through his color schemes, shapings, and structures in his looks. While Poe is typically known for his works, such as “The Raven” and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” many of his lesser-known works are written about the elegance of nature. In Browne’s look in the image above, “The Tree,” we can see inspiration from Poe’s works, such as, “The Island of the Fay” and “The Sleeper.” In the show, the model wearing the large puffer coat stays still for a majority of the show to act as a prop and truly embody being a tree.
Collina Strada- “Stronger”
Collina Strada has always been known to have inclusive and diverse models in her runway shows. This year, her works represented pregnant women, people with disabilities, LGBT+ people and so much more. In this look, we see model Karolina Liebers carrying her five-month-old daughter on her hip as she takes the runway. Strada states that this was to represent the real world. She’s stated in interviews that “it’s not just diverse–it’s accurate.” The precise naming of her collection, “Stronger,” partially inspired by the Britney Spears song, was termed to highlight the empowerment of women and femininity. Her colorful pieces in this collection only added to her message and spotlighted the beauty of these women.
Prabal Gurung- “Fragmented Memories”
In this collection, Prabal Gurung pieced together 38 gorgeous looks that included both East and West inspired drapings. He describes this collection particularly as “femininity with a bite.” This collection, however, was not just an ode to femininity, but also an homage to his father who passed away last year. In his pieces, he displayed several pieces that looked “unraveled” as symbolism for his grief. The choice of colors in his garments depict this wonderfully as well, with a multitude of reds, grays, blacks and whites. Growing up in Nepal with his father, he used their culture and fashion as a large inspiration for his work in these pieces.
Kim Shui- Year of the Dragon
With the Lunar New Year taking place amidst Fashion Week, designer Kim Shui decided to pay tribute to her Chinese heritage by representing the Year of the Dragon in her newest collection. Shui has stated that she finds humor in the fact that the dragon is the only mythical creature listed in the 12 zodiac signs and that she wanted her models to “embody that dragon mother energy.” In her designs, she used colors that are considered to be lucky, such as blues, reds and purples, as babies born in the Year of the Dragon are believed to be born having great luck and future success. Furthermore, she even incorporated materials influenced by country of origin including silk, vegan snakeskin and fur.
Tommy Hilfiger- “A New York Moment”
Although it’s been over a year since his last show in New York, Hilfiger decided to finally make a return and start an entirely new chapter for his brand. However, Hilfiger’s collection still manages to stay on-brand with their classic preppiness and all-American styles. The looks within this collection contain many different elements of American culture. The combination of the snake-skin boots, neutral colors, turtlenecks, layered with blazers and jackets truly captures classic prime and traditional New York fashion. Hosting the show in Grand Central Oyster Bar truly tied it all together with the setting complimenting the clothing with absolute perfection.