NEW YORK FASHION WEEK AT ITS BEST: SPRING 2017

Posted on by Cameron Tewson

 Over 5,000 miles flown, 72 shows and presentations visited, without being lazy, 32 Ubers between shows and over 50 hours sleep with thanks (with thanks to Langham Place). Check the highlights below from Tom Ford, Victoria Beckham, Akris, DKNY, Delpozo, Marc Jacobs, Monse and Club Monaco and more!

Tom Ford kicks off NYFW with ‘See Now, Buy Now’:

Fashion designer turnd film director, Tom Ford ushered in the start of New York Fashion Week with a private catwalk show of his debut ‘See Now, Buy Now,’ Autumn/Winter 2016 collection (for both clothing and make up) with a candle-lit dinner at Fours Seasons Restaurant on Park Avenue with guests such as Tom Hanks, Alicia Keys, Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. Ford was one of the first designers move away from the traditional fashion calendar together.

The AW16 collections for men and women included a reinterpretation of the classic tweed suit by pairing them with leather jackets; all with impeccable tailoring. Revisit to the retro 70s with midi dresses paired with colourful fur jackets and fitted pencil skirts in different patterns, prints, fabrics and colur-blocked fur jackets draped over. Unforgettable fur-trimmed patchwork coats with animal prints and camouflage took over the runway.

“In a world that has become increasingly immediate, the current way of showing a collection four months before it is available to customers, is an antiquated idea and one that no longer makes sense,” Ford said ahead of the show.

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Akris debuts on the New York Runway:

Albert Kriemler has spearheaded fashion design at Akris for over 30 years. During that time, his ability to combine innovation with comfortable wearability has led to a subtle, sleek and modern aesthetic that appeals to a sophisticated, cultivated woman. The Swiss beauty arrived at New York Fashion Week this afternoon from the brands usual perch during Paris Fashion Week with a collection dedicated to the work of New York artist Carmen Herrera. ‘On my first visit to the new Whitney Museum in New York, in June 2015, I saw a painting I could not take
my eyes off. It was ‘ Blanco y Verde “, from 1959, an off-white plane with a green arrow-shaped triangle, by Carmen Herrera, born in 1915 and living in New York. Her sense of colour and proportion,
a blend of euphoria and perfect order, stunned me.

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Victoria Beckham’s tribute to 9/11:

British singer come designer Victoria Beckham opened her show on September 11 with a minute of silence in honour of the victims who list their lives during the World Trade Centre collaspe in 2001. This season was one of the first in which designers took time to acknowledge the event during their shows and presentations. Her new collection for SS17 breathed luxury and modernity, two key factors customers have come to expect from her designs. New this season was the inclusion of lingerie, prints inspired by floral wallpaper and looser silhouettes for that slouchy yet sexy feel, highlighting the designer’s ongoing development.

Two of the most talked about items from her collection included a velvet crushed dress and a pleated skirt, both in a pale green shade that Beckham called ‘Peppermint’ green.

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Rodarte realness:

Rodarte has forever played to our fashion fantasies, transporting us to a whimsical, romantic world with their intricate, imaginative collections.For spring, the Mulleavy sisters looked to the old Spanish film “The Spirit of the Beehive” — a fact that came through most literally in the honeycomb skirts, “pollen” dresses and abundant florals.But the movie centres around two young girls wandering their village in search of a monster, and both the clothing and beauty look evoked a youthfulness and childlike sweetness.Overall, slightly gothic with a rock-nroll vibe and killer heels, the Rodarte Spring 2017 girl was born.

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Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders for Diane von Furstenberg:

May 4th, Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders was appointed creative officer of DVF. This season he presented  his debut collection for Diane von Furstenberg during a static presentation at New York Fashion Week creating a fresh signature design imprint that was evident throughout the collection. This was seen in the patchwork floral-print and striped dressed. However the designer also paid homage to the brand’s roots by returning to signature styles including the wrap dress that appeared throughout with fresh silhouettes and asymmetrical hemlines, including structured kimonos, silky rompers and colour-blocked scarf dress. Sometimes the wrap was simply implied through cuts and movement on plunging blouses and sequined and layered frocks.

Although Diane herself was no where to be seen, Saunders made it clear he’s not necessarily filling Diane von Furstenberg’s iconic shoes. “It’s just different shoes, you know? It’s not like I’m replacing her in any way. It’s just a different chapter for the company.”  He went on to tell press that Diane is very much the cornerstone of the brand. Will the commercial aspect to the new collection work?

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DKNY on the new ownership that of G-III Apparel Group:

DKNY revealed its first collection since it was sold by its former owner LVMH to G-III Apparel Group earlier this year. Co-creative directors, Public School’s Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow set a supermodel army down the catwalk in deep v-sweatshirts, open jackets paired with bralettes or figure hugging bodysuits and knee-high socks, giving the diffusion brand a sportive, yet sexy overhaul. The collection could have been named ‘all bark, no bite’. Back in June the duo abandoned the fashion calendar and showed their own line’s Collection 1, and with their next show for Public School already set for December DKNY became the sole priority.

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Alexander Wang meets Adidas Originals:

Alexander Wang managed to take the industry by surprise at the end of his NYFW show with news of his latest capsule collection in collaboration with German sportswear brand adidas. He sent close to 70 models down the catwalk following his SS17 show, showcasing the uni-sex collection. After modelling creations from Wang’s own label, models rushed backstage to change into new adidas garb, while a one-and-a-half minute film teased the new collection. It must not have been easy for the US designer or adidas to keep news of the collection under wraps for so long, but considering how well adidas collaborative collections have been doing, especially among millennials, signals a savvy business step from Wang – who is a self proclaimed sneaker head.

According to Alex himself, it was the biggest show to date the brand has ever presented.

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Tommy Hilfiger’s new adventure on ‘Tommy Pier’:

Clinging on to success, American design house, Tommy Hilfiger was another US brand to embrace the ‘See Now, Buy Now’ business model. However the iconic designer took things one step further than the rest by presenting his labels AW16 collection, as well as the label’s collaborative collection with It-model Gigi Hadid in the most spectacular way. Hilfiger transformed South Street Seaport into a Tommy Hilfiger funfair, complete with carnival attractions and rides, food stalls and shops open to the public, for the brand’s NYFW show. For those who have been to New York recently, you’ll have seen the Gigi x Tommy posters planted across the city, taking over the usual spots on the billboards.

Half of the tickets for the catwalk show were sold to consumers, the rest were reserved for the usually fashion week attendees. The approach to Tommy Hilfiger’s show did raise a number of question concerning the commericalibilty of NYFW. The collection that was presented was heavily inspired by nautical’s running through included fisherman style sweaters, denim sailor pants, shorts and motifs with leather ‘nautical boots’

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Ralph Lauren literally closes Madison Avenue

The shutdown of madison Avenue. Some wonder if Ralph Lauren has lost some of its luxurious allure following it’s new business plan, the US designer was busy working on his latest collection which happened to be for Autumn/Winter 2016. Ralph Lauren transformed part of Madison Avenue, where its New York City flagship store is located to host its debut ‘See Now, Buy Now’ collection show. Ralph Lauren presented 45 new looks to a mixed audience of press, buyers and loyal customers, which influences ranged from Western cowgirl with cowboy shirts, fringed bags and southwestern-inspired diamond inspired patterned dresses blanket jumpers and biker jackets to the bold Native Americans.

During the show finale, the Ralph Lauren bright evening wear stood out from the rest.

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Glam, Grunge and controversial dreads by Marc Jacobs:

After changing his show on the official schedule to the Thursday instead of Friday, Marc closed the afternoon at the Hammerstein Ballroom with a more intimate show than usual. The runway was elevated, and so were the shoes, so dangerous the better, vertiginous suede platform sandals, glittery Mary Janes and psychedlic boots that anyone who has the style gene has dreamt of owning.

The hottest ticket to have was to join the ultimate fashion rave, from dreadlock hairstyles with 11,000 metres of wigs in over 300 shades like candy floss, to the pearly over-the-knee tights; patch-worked and fur-trimmed coats, puff-sleeved jackets, mini-skirts, hot pants, denim, camo and more with high profile models such as Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Karlie Kloss and Adriana Lima.

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Capri pants and flounced hems by Altuzarra:

Known for his signature side slit pencil skirt silhouette, Joseph Altuzarra is a designer who keeps sex appeal in our minds. For spring, he took inspiration from David Lynch’s 1990 film, Wild at Heart, injecting his sultry, sophisticated style with a welcome jolt of whimsy, too.Among the more memorable pieces were a python coat embroidered with cherries, cherry-patterned stockings, and shoes with jeweled fruit charms on top.The designer showed his go-to blazers and pencil skirts, paired with ruffled bras or off-shoulder sweaters. For evening, gowns were embroidered with sequin cherries, pineapples and more. Capri pants with flounced hems were also cheeky fun. Amazingly, none of it crossed the line into saccharine. In other words, there was still plenty here for grown-ups.

Altuzarra is the rare talent to emerge from the New York scene in the past 10 years with a truly identifiable style. Yet, he still manages to surprise us enough each season to keep the juice going.

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The new minimal religion by The Row:

The Row’s Spring 2017 presentation took place at the label’s recently opened store on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, a three-story townhouse turned altar of secret luxury. Outside the townhouse, editors were greeted with pastries and coffee in The Row-branded cups — an interesting touch for the duo who made Starbucks cups a must-have accessory years ago. 

But not all looks were as simple as they seemed. As models turned, their backs revealed artfully messy layers of ties; a strict, somber blouse in the front revealed a sliver of skin, and an implied sensuality when one thinks about how easy it is to just…undo a lace. Layering was also a big theme for the sisters, with bandeaus worn over blouses, all tied on the back over each other. As the show progressed, so did the textures: nubby tweeds, sheer knits, knits that looked like they were peeling away from themselves, silks pleated and ruched until they looked like abstract shapes upon the body, and one spectacular white mini dress in an allover textural floral motif.

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Delpozo dreams:

Delpozo’s immaculately detailed, fairy tale-like collections are always a highlight of my New York Fashion Week, and this season’s — set against a crisp white set with heaps of natural sunlight overlooking World Trade Center — was no different.  Skirt structures combined with the shimmer of sequins was a sight to be seen. The collection had been stunningly constructed wide-leg and pleated trousers, oversized smock-like tops, flared peplum sleeves and skirts and dresses made the collection quite wearable. Sequined details, subtle (and some not-so-subtle) ties, sateen floral patterns, spiraled ruffles and pops of bright pink and orange completed it. Delpozo will be a hit this season on the red carpet of any award ceremony.

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Mega statements at Monse:

A year after Monse’s debut last season, designers Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia presented an extremely strong collection that became one of the buzziest of the week following on the duo’s latest announcement as creative directors of Oscar de la Renta. On the surface the collection looked simplistic but it was anything but. Deconstructed shirts, cold shoulders, droopy sleeves with lazy ending cuffs have been confirmed by Monse as the latest to your work wear capsule wardrobe. Garcia and Kim, recently known for red carpet dressing, gave us an incredibly strong evening wear line up mixing expertly with Monse’s signature shirting, the latter of which came in cotton, silks and even sequins. Screw the rubbish effect, this was a classy affair.

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Law of the Jungle by Raquel Allegra:

This season Allegra finds purposeful tailoring finds the mineral inspired palette in exaggerations and diffusions.  Textural layering continues with the new shapes for ‘dressing’ – pointedly, the 90’s Mini, the Robe Wrap, and the Kimono Sleeve Dress, paired such garments with silk shorts, trousers and sneakers staging ultimate comfort. Allegra presented her Spring line with a and basketball game at the Old School Gym on Mulberry Street, Downtown. She’ll be one to watch for the season ahead!

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Fall Winter to buy now by Club Monaco:

Following in the footsteps that of labels like J.Crew and Banana Republic, Caroline Belhumeur (creative director and SVP Womenswear design) and and Matthew Millward (VP Mens Design), of Club Monaco, shown its first ever show at New York Fashion Week previewing their Fall Winter 2016 collection at New York’s Grand Central Terminal. Mimran and Sung presented 35 exclusive men’s and women’s fall looks that are a part of its “The New York Fashion Week Fall Collection.” The womenswear featured plenty of feminine elements like ruffles and puffed sleeves juxtaposed with military-inspired pieces while the menswear line focused on elevated classics, such as finely-tailored outerwear and luxe cashmere and merino wool Jumpers, plenty to  the brands DNA.

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About Cameron Tewson

Cameron, the visionary force behind frontrowedit.co.uk, established his highly acclaimed blog a decade ago, catapulting him to the forefront of the social media landscape. With a keen focus on global relationships and exclusive interviews with editors, designers, celebrities, and tastemakers, Cameron seamlessly navigated his way to becoming a sought-after freelance consultant. His expertise even caught the attention of the prestigious Saks Fifth Avenue in the United States. In 2019, Cameron earned recognition as one of the influential figures under 30 in the Watches & Jewellery industry. Back in 2014, CNN International ranked his blog as the 7th top-read in its category, solidifying his position as a captivating and authoritative voice in the digital space. Explore the world of fashion, lifestyle, and industry insights with Cameron on frontrowedit.co.uk. View all posts by Cameron Tewson →

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