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I was meaning to write this article earlier but kept telling myself that maybe I should wait for Y-3, or Phillip Lim, or Thom Browne, or Proenza Schouler, and now New York Fashion Week is over and I am stuck with trying to give a full overview.
Thankfully, NYFW is not my favorite of fashion weeks since I am not invested in most of the designers who show. What can I say? I do not particularly care about most sporty and or casual American Spring clothes. Anyway, here are a few of my thoughts.
PRABAL GURUNG
I am not a Gurung fan, but sometimes he puts out decently interesting collections. I have enjoyed most of his recent showings, so I was partially looking forward to this season’s. Disappointingly, the collection was (in my opinion) kid of a letdown. Gurung lists “Marilyn Monroe” as his inspiration but I think he really meant to say “Raf Simons”. I have no idea why someone like Prabal Gurung would decide to gather so much “inspiration” from European designers, especially when he’s starting to gain a bit of a following. Don’t believe me? Ask Michelle or Kate. Overall the collection was very much a miss, save for a few pieces.
What I liked:
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This crisp, white look.
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Stylish back braces (even if the hair is very obviously Margiela)
What I didn’t like:
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This looks like Raf Simons for Jil Sander
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This is Dior down to the scarf.
ALEXANDER WANG
This is the first collection I was looking forward to, not because I am a huge Alexander Wang follower, but because I wanted to see how his newfound Balenciaga fame affected his own line. In a strangely paradoxical manner, the clothes remained very similar with one noticable difference: the words Alexander Wang plastered all over. It seems that he is now counting on his name’s new weight to sell, and it’s probably going to work. Besides that, the pieces maintained the same air of casual New York chic Wang has thrived on.
What I liked:
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These cropped button-ups.
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This entire look is something I would spend money on.
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That Alexander Wang has figured out how to seamlessly incorporate branding into his designs.
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I’m in love.
What I didn’t like:
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One look and I’m already overhyped. Aila is the only one who should be allowed to wear this.
ALTUZARRA
I’ve never been “into” Altuzarra for some reason. Maybe it’s because I do not find him particularly interesting or exciting to my tastes. The fact that I find Joseph Altuzarra’s work dull confuses me on as to why I like this collection so much, as it’s probably one of the most uninteresting he’s ever shown. The entire presentation consisted of different variations on the same few garments. It was overall casual and easy, two things I never care about but in this case really enjoyed. The downside to playing it so safe, however, is that some looks are extremely forgettable and dull.
What I liked:
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Effortless layering.
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That this fabric looks like mercury.
What I didn’t like:
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This isn’t terrible, but it will take a lot to convince me that fringes are a good look.
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I’m bored.
3.1 PHILLIP LIM
Lim stated that his collection was inspired by geodes, which made me interested from the get go. Little known fact: I’m a complete sucker for geology, so my perspective on this collection is a bit skewed. That being said, I honestly did not find anything with any type of major flaw. Sure some pieces weren’t to my personal liking, but I can see them working well for many people. While there were a few more conceptual pieces in the show most garments were clearly designed with maximum saleability, which isn’t really a bad thing. Lim clearly knows what his fans want.
What I liked:
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The beautiful detailing and transparent accents of this ensemble.
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The metallic leather finish.
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That Lim took something that could have turned out terrible and made it great.
What I disliked:
Nothing.
THOM BROWNE
I’ve have a rather troubled relationship with Thom Browne’s work. On one hand, it’s impressive in both technique and design. On the other, his presentations are generally a flat, one note spectacle. Like a bloated cartoon. This season’s showing was themed after an insane asylum, not the thought provoking, disturbing vision shown by McQueen in VOSS, but simply a parade of well worn archetypes. It’s a shame, really, since Browne’s designs are technically impressive especially considering his rather small workforce, but I wish that more thought went into the clothes. This point is perfectly encapsulated when Tim Blanks asked Thom Browne what the abundance of Elizabethan silhouettes meant, to which Browne replied “there’s no real reason other than I loved it, and I loved the volume that I could get with that reference.” Sure, the collection is initially striking, but it eventually devolves into a one note show. All I see is a haphazard conglomeration of obvious references, and a lot of wasted potential.
What I liked:
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The latex overlays and mannequin-like gloves.
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That Thom Browne can create this level of detail.
What I disliked:
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That all of these start to blend together.
RODARTE
Whatever happened to the Mulleavy sisters of Fall 2008? I don’t know, but that’s what I kept asking myself as I viewed this monstrosity of a collection. The sisters claimed to be inspired by Los Angeles, which was probably a bad idea as that city seems to inspire only terrible clothes these days. This collection was horribly designed in its entirety, even the materials looked bad. I have no idea what type of person is going to pay designer level money for any of these garments, as you could probably find something similar at any cheap fast fashion store.
What I liked:
Nothing.
What I disliked:
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That the Mulleavys figured out how to make high-hipped shorts worse.
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Scorpions deserve better.
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The fact that this exists.
PROENZA SCHOULER
Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough said this collection was based on furniture, an aspect of design I’ve never paid much attention to so I don’t have a lot to say about that respect. The clothes themselves were quite nice, if a bit forgettable. Perhaps the domestic inspiration translated into the clean, uncluttered silhouettes. I’m not quite sure. The collection was overall decent, and I liked that it included a number of coats despite being a Spring collection.
What I liked:
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The draping on this dress.
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This sparkling fabric.
What I didn’t like:
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This reminds me a bit too much of Balenciaga. I’d tread more carefully if I were them.
MARC JACOBS
A friend of mine described this collection as being very “bag lady,” and right then I knew I’d like it despite myself. Yes, a lot of it is quite ugly and I acknowledge that. But there’s (to me) a distinction between ugly things that work well and ugly things that just look like a complete mess. This collection had a lot of both. Honestly, I have no idea why I enjoyed it as much as I did. Hell, I even liked the stupid wigs. Maybe it’s because I dislike light Spring clothes and pastels. Or maybe it’s just that my tacky middle school goth phase isn’t quite over yet.
What I liked:
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Spring flowers done in a very non-Spring way.
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This is ridiculous and I love it.
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I don’t know what I’m looking at, or why I like it, but the heart wants what it wants.
What I didn’t like:
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There’s a way to do oversize proportions right, and this isn’t it.
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Who told Marc Jacobs this could go on the runway?
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What is this mess?
And that’s my late and light NYFW overview. The rest of the collections can be viewed here, if you want. Or like me, you can keep an eye on LFW.
[Edit: at the time of this article’s publishing, LFW is over and MFW is starting. Go look at that.]