New York Fashion Week: A Review

As covid-19 continues to restrict large gatherings, this includes fashion weeks around the world. Big brands such as Tom Ford, Calvin Klein, and Michael Kors opted out of showing during New York Fashion week. However, not having commercial brands show this fashion week allowed up and coming young independent designers to hold the torch this season, such as Prabal Gurung, Tia Adeola, and Victor Glemaud. Each of their collections showed that we don’t need conglomerate brands to keep fashion exciting, and would even make the argument, that they are the ones paving the way for the trends of the season. With sheer, 70s and 80s inspired designs, and elevated mainstream loungewear, these designers are the ones we should be looking towards to pull us out of our sweatpant uniforms.

Prabal Gurung

80’s love and lust continues with three gowns. The middle brings both a reckless and avant garde reminiscence of 80’s excitement, feelings we have been missing since lockdown. To the left is a strapless bodice and full black skirt, with a matching polka-dot scarf. The right’s slim cut pants, low plunging neckline and voluminous middle gives viewers a multitude of extravagance and elegance, while still having a quirky feel to it. These looks make consumers want to go out even more than they already did, proving that there may be light at the end of this seemingly never ending tunnel.

Prabal Gurung creates a fun and uplifting collection, shaking the cobwebs off the loungewear movement of covid. This red suit opens up the show, bringing color and ambition with such a vidid color. The tailoring brings customers a clean cut look, creating a look that will sell commercially but is still exciting to a fashion lover. Strong shoulders reference 80’s club scenes, a theme constant with the rest of the collection, and the paring with black gloves still allows consumers to be chic while keeping safe if they choose to go out and about.

The corset comes up constantly in this collection. First paired in red with 80’s shoulders, and a red shirt, as well as in a pink dress as well as paired with red flair pants, yet another nod to the 1980s. The finale look also showcases a corset, proving to customers the versatility of the piece, in a time where people are not shopping as much. Gurung ensures his customers that although these pieces may seem like a risky purchase, they are wearable with things they may already have in their closet.

Tia Adeola 

Tia Adeola is a young upcoming designer known for sheer ruffle sets, born in Nigeria and raised in London, but now resides in New York. Her collection was titles “Black is Beautiful,” with references to past periods such as the renaissance. The first look of her collection is a sheet ruffle duster coat, encrusted with pearls and a matching white bodysuit. Her sheer looks come back this season, and as she creates performance wear for the likes of Lizzo, this look is as cohesive with her brand as it gets. The look is pared with white boots, matching the elegance of the duster coat, and giving a clean feel to this all white ensemble. The sheet duster has ruffles draping the edges, creating a dreamy delicate feel that is reflected in the rest of the collection.

A beautiful feather dress appears, giving a nod to the 70’s. The bust is completely feathered as the waist is extenuated and tiered feathers fall bellow. Thew fridge effect naturally extenuates the body, as well as displaying Adeola’s draping and craftwork. Adeola studied art history at The New School, and this look gives reference to her degree with multiple decades all in one. She shows the elegant silhouette of the late 30’s as well as the 20’s with the tiered feathers.

Adeola’s love for sheer continues to be showcased in this look, where a lace and sheer dress is complemented by bedazzled buckles and asymmetrical straps.

Look 8 sh0wed Tia Adeola’s love for the 70’s, as well as Cher. A reference to Cher’s iconic 1974 Richard Avedon look is done perfectly, all while incorporating the core aspects of her brand. She makes no attempt to hide the reference, which many designers these days try to do, but it goes with the rest of the collection perfectly. She shows how well references can work, when they are not hidden behind a wall of “original creativity,” as fashion is a cycle of references, and when done well, it can be a showstopper in a collection. This look embraces the sheer trope of her brand, and draws back to the feather dress pictured above. This look is less sheer than Cher’s original look, making it as approachable as this look can be for consumers. Overall, Tia Adeola’s collection “Black is Beautiful” is simply put, beautiful. She continues to incorporate the core aspects of her brand, all while exploring and building a name in fashion that will soon be at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

VICTOR GLEMAUD 

Victor Glemaud has cemented himself as the ultimate knitwear designer. Creating mainstream looungewear since 2006, Glemaud was a finalist in the 2017 CFDA/Vogue fashion fund, as well as honored with by the Ambassador of Haiti to the United States. Raised in Queens, NY, Glemaud studied at FIT in New York, and now is showcasing some of his best designs at New York Fashion week. This first look showcases how Glemaud expands his knit work from simple designs and sweaters, to an asymmetrical dress. The cutouts harp on one of the many trends we will be seeing this season, as well as the monochrome seen throughout the collection.

This black and white set shows yet another skill of Glemaud’s: elegant deconstruction. The trim of the top anchors itself into the short, as the shorts are piped with white knit, matching the sleeves.

This jumpsuit is yet another example of Glemaud’s ability to turn knitwear on its head. We see the monocrome yet again, with a white V accentuating the bodice.

Glemaud brings in color, as well as mixing fashion, comfort, and professionality all in one. No only can these pieces be worn seperatly, and would be able to sell to a more commercial audience. The wearability Glemaud presents in this collection is something everyone needs in the time of covid, and the comfort is an added bonus.

Gabriela hearts 

Gabriela Hearst showed her fall collection at New York Fashion week, as anticipation rises for the Uruguayan designer’s debut at Chloè. Her luxury ready to wear collection incorporates suitability and transparency in her designs, which many hope she will being to the house of Chloè. In addition to her namesake collection and soon to be designs for Chloè, Hearst also still runs her family’s ranch in her home country of Uruguay, which she references frequently. The show opens with a simple white cape. It incorporates high end elegance, with clean and chic piping along the front. This may be a preview into the aesthetic she will be bringing to Chloè: a dramatic yet elegant feel.

This black leather single breasted coat with white and brown detailing gives a 60’s/70’s feel, while paired with a burn orange dress shows Hearst’s ability to meet womenswear and workwear in the middle. The jacket feels strong, giving a sense of confidence to the customer, while the flowing dress gives consumers a softer feel, yet again mixing the two elements of hard edge and a delicate touch.

Next Hearst shows a black knit matching black set, paired with a back leather trench. She may not have been intentionally referencing Phoebe Philo’s Celine, but this look will attract that customer in a heartbeat. The contrast between the soft knit and the hard and edgy trench combine to create the perfect look for a wide rang of customers, and show how Hearst can mix both edgey and soft flawlessly.

Hearst showed many variations of this white slip dress that begins as a knit, then melts into silk as the skirt and top are tied together with black lace. Although some were stronger than others (hence: the black leather skirt version), Hearst is giving her customers options. The comfortability of the knit tied together with the lust of the black lace and silk may just be the perfect preview of what she may be doing for the house of Chloè in the future.

All photos curtesy of Vogue