With New York Fashion Week recently having come to a close last month, we’re here to recap some of the best fall/winter shows and collections that everyone has been talking about recently.
New York Fashion Week is a highly anticipated moment of the year, with many speculating about what brands and designers will do for new collections and shows. Along with London, Milan, and Paris, Fashion Week is crucial for the industry, media, and consumers all around. Everyone is looking towards the next biggest trends or staples in fashion.
Beyond that, designers strive to stay competitive and memorable in the eyes of the industry by crafting unique pieces and extravagant shows that will leave people talking. Creativity and ideation comes out to play, with designers revealing what has been the inspiration behind their collections.
Whether it be a complete rebrand for a luxury label, or a distinctive material or silhouette used, brands will do what it takes to show that they’ve earned their stripes on the runway.
The Return of Tommy Shows
Tommy Hilfiger made his return to the New York Fashion Week runway at the Grand Central Oyster Bar on Friday, February 9th. The classic American brand opened its show with a performance from multi-Grammy winner Jon Batiste. Titled “A New York Moment, the NYC-inspired show included many famous celebrities, such as Jasmine Tookes, Noah Beck, and Kelly Rutherford. The latest Tommy ambassador, Sofia Richie Grainge, sat front row with her husband Elliot Grainge.
The fall/winter collection, inspired by NYC’s style, featured lots of Tommy classics, such as big varsity jackets, polos, and rugby shirts. It was a preppy, yet simultaneously casual show, with lots of boxy blazers, trench coats and wide-leg trousers. Of course, there were tons of red, white, and blue, typically paired with more neutral colors, such as black or brown. Materials included staples like cashmere, cable knits, and corduroys.
It was classic Tommy with a modern NYC twist.
Tory Burch’s Rebrand
Tory Burch’s show, featured in the New York Public Library, turned lots of heads in the media because of how experimental it was for her. Many are used to the classic Tory Burch sandals and bags, but Burch decided to go for something a little different from her usual taste for this collection.
Marking 20 years since her start in the industry, Burch said her idea behind the show was dressing for the everyday sublime.
“I think I’m more apt to explore my vulnerability now than I ever was before–vulnerability from a design perspective and putting myself out there taking risks,” Burch said in her interview with Vogue.
Indeed, Burch did experiment with this collection in many fun and playful ways.
At times, Burch played with some boxy and tailored silhouettes, along with many interesting fabrics and textures. There were glamorous tinsel dresses and big coats, patterned tights, and taffeta dresses. She used a very wet-looking vinyl material for bodysuits, which were paired with sheer skirts. Additionally, Burch implemented black, faux croc in some of the tops and skirts.
Burch also kept it simple with zip up jackets and tailored suiting. The skirts and dresses hit just above the knee, still feeling very ladylike and reminiscent of the 60s and 70s.
Ominous & Experimental Shows
Both Helmut Lang, the opener of NYFW F/W 2024, and Thom Browne, the closer of the extravaganza, exhibited collections that took on a darker, more gothic feel.
For Helmut Lang, this was designer Peter Do’s second collection for the brand, titled “Protection vs. Projection.” Going off of that, the show featured many pieces that didn’t bare much skin, including face and head coverings, and lots of leather, suiting, and darker colors such as black and grey. Surprisingly, lots of bubble wrap leg coverings were also present.
Held in the Williamsburgh Savings Bank on February 8th, this collection also included lots of dark and heavy eye makeup.
Later on, Thom Browne closed NYFW with and Edgar Allan Poe-inspired collection. Ellaborate hairstyles and lots of black, patterned fabrics made this show quite ominous. The looks were not only inspired by Poe’s The Raven, but also by insects, making it feel all the more creepy and crawly.
To CNN Style, Browne said, “I’m always trying to push myself to play with proportions in new ways every season. This time, I really wanted to play homage to George Goursat’s illustrations of bugs in clothing.”
Models walked through white powder representing snow, while a model wearing a 30-foot tall puffer jacket stood amongst everyone, resembling a tree. With mainly black and white coloring, there was lots of layering happening and cinched waists. Everything from corsets, to tweed, to black tie suiting was featured.
This show from Browne definitely proved to play with shape, form, and silhouette.
Luarsexual!
Solange’s son, Juelz Smith, made his runway debut while Beyoncé sat front row at the Luar show in Brooklyn on February 13th. Inspired by the metrosexual man, a term coined in the 90s, designer Raul Lopez told The Face Magazine in an interview at his studio that the hybrid of that era and today is “kind of a Luarsexual.”
Metrosexual was a word used to describe men who were crazy for gay culture and chic femininity. Lopez strove to take these older eras and combine them with today to create his own “Luarsexual” collection.
The show definitely highlighted elements of the Tudor and Elizabethan eras, with wide shoulders and tailored, yet flamboyant garments. Sheer button downs and fur arm coverings paired with rigid suiting exhibited the fluidity of masculine and feminine.
The Newbies of NYFW
Ten designers were new to the New York Fashion Week runway, and a very notable one this season was Ludovic de Saint Sernin. While de Saint Sernin is already very well-known in Europe, consistently appearing in Paris Fashion Week, where the designer is based, he debuted in NYC this February. The designer told CNN Style that part of the reason he decided to show in NYC was because of how the U.S. has become his biggest market.
Lots of little floral details were present in this show, with some darker colors and close-fitting silhouettes. Beautiful, sparkling see-through gowns and dark, edgier leather pieces marked this collection. The exploration of gender, and a blurred line between masculinity and femininity was also key.
Returning To Our Girlhood?
The Coach show revealed many coquette-esque pieces that took us back to girlhood. Complete with bow hair accessories, the collection featured taffeta tops and skirts, along with distressed leather bomber jackets and blazers with hoodies underneath.
Creative director Stuart Vevers presented this collection at the historic James B. Duke House on the Upper East Side, paying homage to NYC with classic styles and lots of bows and accessories.
As of recently, Coach has been marketing more towards younger generations looking to buy more luxury items, maybe providing for why this show felt more youthful and girlish.
Meanwhile, while technically not part of the official New York Fashion Week schedule, a week beforehand, Marc Jacobs revealed his S/S 2024 collection at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC. A part of his 40th anniversary celebration, the show featured doll-like models with blown-up teased hair walking underneath a huge table and chairs display.
The collection included lots of exaggerated, oversized silhouettes and shapes for all the 60s-inspired clothing worn. Pieces almost looked like they rested on the body, instead of clinging to it. The makeup was reminiscent of Twiggy, icon supermodel of the 60s.
Fashion is something that connects us and moves us. Designers are often inspired by periods or phases of life and even invoked emotion. With New York Fashion Week at its close, we look forward to future shows from our favorite designers, all across the globe. Additionally, look back on NYFW’s S/S 2024 collections to see past collections of these designers.
