By Lucas Baker
With a record number of over 125,000 attendees and a revenue of $900 million, New York Fashion Week returned this fall in full force. It was an eventful week with countless shows, parties and celebrity appearances. It can be difficult to stay up-to-date on all of the week’s happenings, so I am here to recap the most interesting and entertaining moments of New York Fashion Week Fall 2015.
Moving from the familiar Lincoln Center venue, Fashion Week shows this year were dispersed throughout Midtown and downtown Manhattan. This made for a slightly more hectic transit from show to show as celebrities, fashion insiders and fans hurried through New York. The change of location also took away the ease that Fordham students once had in attending New York Fashion Week. The change of scenery, however, did not harm attendance numbers. Stylish city-goers flocked to the streets, donning their most on-trend outfits.
Among the innumerable attendees, a few trends stood out on the sidewalks of New York City. A Neo-Victorian influence was evident in many outfits throughout the week. Musical artist Nicki Minaj displayed her love for this trend in a long Givenchy leopard-print dress that she appropriately wore to the Givenchy show. Other trends seen on the street for women included slip dresses and classicly tailoring blouses and denim. Additionally, the street-wear influence on high fashion remains strong as women and men alike mixed skate brands with high fashion labels.
If you are looking to get ahead of the crowd, a few trends seen on the runway are sure to get you there come spring. The bohemian-inspired hippie chic trend was evident in many of the shows. With suede and loud prints, some of the models would look as at home at a summer music festival as they did on the runway. Incorporating fringe into many of the looks, designers are aiming to keep this trend intact through the new year and into the spring. This style is more appropriate for the spring and summer months; however, with the right degree of stylish subtlety, it can be incorporated into a fall look by layering or throwing a large coat on top. Additionally, with designers Diane Von Furstenberg, Victoria Beckham and Jeremy Scott leading the way, color-blocking was alive and well on the runway. Incorporating one loud color-blocking piece into an otherwise minimalistic and monochromatic outfit is the proper way to execute this trend without looking out of place. One of the stranger runway trends of late, facial accessories, popped up in the collections of several designers. If you are looking to be the center of attention, this trend will do just that.
With so many shows it can be hard to keep up, but a few shows this year stood out from the rest. The Proenza Schouler show, based on a red, white and black color palette, featured beautiful shapes and symmetry in every look. Head designers Lazoro Hernandez and Jack McCollough presented restrained, voluminous shapes in many of the show’s looks, featuring some of the week’s most-talked about dresses and shoes.
Collaborating with artist Maya Lin, designer Phillip Lim celebrated the 10th anniversary of his namesake in stylish fashion. Lin created mounds of sculpted soil as props for the runway to enhance the earthy vibes present in many of the looks. Thom Browne was consistent as ever this season, presenting the looks of his show inside the frame of a seemingly Midwestern-style 20th century school building. This atmosphere went hand-in-hand with the school uniform-influenced aesthetic that Browne is known for.
A few other noteworthy shows included Opening Ceremony’s theatrical performance, in collaboration with the New York City Ballet, and Public School’s elegant yet minimalistic athletics-inspired presentation. Influenced by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Opening Ceremony’s looks presented natural designs that attempted to be one with their surroundings. Designers David-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne impressed critics once again with refined, sporty looks. Sitting front row for the show were stars such as NBA star Blake Griffin, rapper Common and fashion editor Anna Wintour.
The most talked-about and exciting show of the week came from Riccardo Tisci’s Givenchy. Presented on Pier 26 in Chelsea, the Parisian label made the move from Paris to New York for Fashion Week. The show’s artistic direction and execution were the products of the collaboration with Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic, who managed to create an extravagant setting with the help of the sunset over the Hudson River and the two beams of light issuing from the site of the World Trade Center in remembrance of 9/11. Taking place on the night of the 14th anniversary of 9/11, Tisci delivered a beautiful presentation. Many celebrities were in attendance including Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and David and Victoria Beckham.
West made a separate appearance at fashion week with the presentation of his second collection in collaboration with Adidas. Similarly to the first, this collection featured many athletic-inspired, post-apocalyptic looks with dark hues and draping silhouettes. Additionally, during the show, West debuted his new line of sneakers also in collaboration with Adidas. As always, the shoes were the most talked-about part of the collection. In support of West, many of his close friends and family were present, including most of the Kardashians and Jenners, rappers Drake and 2 Chainz, Anna Wintour and singer Miguel.
As usual, New York Fashion Week 2015 offered new trends, the return of some classic styles and celebrity front row support.
