Recapping New York Fashion Week 2019
New York Fashion Week (NYFW) has been known as a global stage for some of the most beloved fashion houses to display their upcoming Spring and Fall collections. It is also an opportunity for up-and-coming designers to showcase their fresh, often innovative point of view.
What separates NYFW from all others is its particular love for loud, outspoken, and often outlandish designs that push the creative envelope. It is in many ways a perfect reflection of the city itself: raucous, glamorous, gritty. Much like the city that never sleeps, New York Fashion Week urges designers to do whatever they want as long as it’s not boring. It can be flamboyant or it can be punk, but it just shouldn’t be predictable.
image via fashionweekdaily.com
Though this year’s Fashion Week saw a host of familiar and new talent, here’s a list of some of the most outstanding collections and shows from New York Fashion Week 2019.
Tomo Koizumi for Marc Jacobs
Perhaps the most talked-about show during the week was held at the Marc Jacobs store on Madison Avenue which displayed a collection by the little-known Japanese designer Tomo Koizumi. His designs featured ethereal, explosive, and almost childlike creations that in some colors resembled large puffs of cotton candy. It is a true testament to the playful and fun nature of the city’s Fashion Week. For this relatively unknown designer, the collaboration with Marc Jacobs was a remarkable triumph and a collection I am sure will remain etched in the minds of fashion lovers for years.
The Power of Color: Jeremy Scott, Brandon Maxwell, and Sally La Ponte
In contrast to Koizumi’s palette of dusty pastels, designers such as Jeremy Scott, Brandon Maxwell, and Sally La Pointe all steered toward a path that favored monochromatic looks. Jeremy Scott, known for his use of loud colors and often overwhelming creations, opted for a collection made entirely in black and off-white, made to look as if the clothing were made of newspaper.
Brandon Maxwell, on the other hand (well-known for sticking to black and white combinations), featured the use of vivid emerald green and finished the show with a boisterous magenta dress.
Sally La Pointe, perhaps the standout of the three, showcased a collection inspired by Rock’n’Roll and more specifically, Elvis Presley. With entirely monochromatic looks, the designer presented ready-to-wear fall fashion that featured leather, silk, sequins, wool, fur, and even snake print in a combination that seems new, yet entirely wearable. The collection begs the audience to feast their eyes on one specific color per look, ultimately celebrating the different tones and hues of each one.
A New Direction for Menswear and Men in Fashion
In another celebration of up-and-coming designers, New York Fashion Week also saw the debut of Victor Li. The clothing presented is both functional and borders on the line of androgyny (a trend popular across East Asian fashion brands), urging for a more varied color use in everyday menswear. The outfits also draw from skater fashion, which might explain why some of the pieces look like you might find them on our very own Berkeley campus.
This year’s New York Fashion Week was a perfect reflection of the life of fashion in the city. Precisely because it was all so different is it an accurate reflection of New York. Each collection and designer pays some sort of homage to the city, either through dreamy and over-the-top volume, through highly structured monochrome, or through collections that challenged our ideas of the relationship between color, gender, and fashion.
Words by Manuela Abenante