It's hard time for fashion. Bigger and bigger "see now- buy now" discussion don't allow designers to focus. Some of them are leaving as they can't work under such pressure (i.e. Alber Elbaz, Lanvin), some are trying adjust (i.e. Michael Kors- "Ready to wear, ready to go" project). Real winners are those who work with passion. That's my top 10.
1. Marc Jacobs
Definitely the best show on New York Fashion Week. Sixty-five heavily embellished, manically layered, and mostly black looks, including one on Lady Gaga. Black eyes and lips, foot-high platforms (not easy to walk in, even for a model!), crocheted doily collar, and full skirt ballooning above a crinoline were absolutely amazing. My number 1.
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2. Rodarte
Kate and Laura Mulleavy celebrated the 10th anniversary of Rodarte. They are the only ones whose clothes summon the ludic sensibility of kids playing dress up. The demented level of embellishment, which included ruffled leather, hand-cut floral paillettes, and mesh and lace sequined in watery patterns, recalls a child’s take on glamour, with every available fancy piled on. Great job.
Lazaro Hernandez said, “It’s about control and release. Last season we were peeling away the layers, this season we were putting them back together again, sort of mending.” Generally speaking, that translated into an attenuated triangular silhouette, narrow on top and falling in an A-line below the knees. Not bad.
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4. Alexander Wang
Wang mixed tony tweed with metal-pierced leather, the skirt suits and coatdresses were the most surprising elements of the collection, and the best.
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5. 3.1 Phillip Lim
“Lady bosses running through the streets of Shinjuku in Tokyo” was one of the scenes in Lim’s mind’s eye for Fall 2016. Some of the Eastern references were instantly recognizable in the kimono-inspired outerwear, even if the Japanese ripstop coated jackets seemed to recall a more rugged military terrain. That masculine-feminine tension was captured quite nicely in a cheongsam-like army green tunic, which was layered over a slinky pleated gold tube skirt.
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6. Calvin Klein Collection
The most intriguing is where Costa took the body jewelry idea. Swapping out last season’s delicate chains for crystals, he suspended small polished stones in several small cutouts across the bodice of dresses, or a single agate geode in a single larger one. All in all though, Costa gets points for pushing his and the Calvin Klein aesthetic forward.
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7. Victoria Beckham
“I wanted to look at my wardrobe and rework things,” she said. Beckham’s idea was to make the bustier appropriate for day. She also experimented with volume, sending out bubble skirts and others that flared generously to below the knee over flat shoes. Outerwear was a strong suit. Reflecting the dichotomy at work elsewhere in the collection, softly structured clutch coats with fringe detailing at the hem shared the runway with more sartorially inclined, sharply tailored numbers in menswear checks.
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8. The Row
Every detail was considered at The Row’s presentation, from the handmade invites fastened with a mother-of-pearl button to the 50-plus pieces of antique furniture—George Nelson, Edward Wormley, Mario Bellini—decorating the showroom. “Reduce, reduce, reduce,” could be the Olsens’ motto, but for the fact that they use the world’s finest, and most expensive, fabrics: double-face cashmere, sheared astrakhan, the gorgeous cognac leather of a swaggering coat with wide lapels and a full skirt. For the most part, they let those materials do the talking. And still they are exemplary minimalists.
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9. Self-Portrait
Women of all ages, sizes, and tastes gravitate toward Self-Portrait’s unfussy dresses, because they pack a punch but still leave room for interpretation. Chong is smart to offer them in varying lengths and colors. He used the edges of lace to create graphic, uneven hemlines, and mixed fluid silk with lace appliqués for a rich, multidimensional look.
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10. Delpozo
Backstage post-show, Font spoke about being inspired by the darkly delicate tenor of Petrilli’s work, fantastical and refined, it features sad-looking girls who walk flocks of scarlet ibises and unbutton their dresses to reveal pools of koi. A similarly uncanny beauty has long characterized Font’s shows, with their serene, even slightly wan, dollish models. This time they took to the runway in embellished opera gloves, canary yellow crepe trousers, and gorgeous, two-tone knits that will be a surefire hit for the shopper keen to dip a toe into the world of Delpozo.
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