The highly anticipated 2022 New York Fashion Week generated some major standouts, while most designers indulged on past themes within their collections.
Peter Do, who has previously worked with Celine among others, has officially created a strong name for himself despite the luxury European brands he is competing against. In a world that now focuses heavily on gender blurring, his sharp tailoring finished with elongated silhouettes is creating a strong buzz within the industry.
Peter Do, Getty Images
Joseph Altuzarra was another one to make his mark after officially announcing his spilt from Kering prior to showcasing his collection. Altuzarra featured many elements his past shows already presented, especially the shearling-collar coats to coin embellishments, finished with bold, printed patterns splattered across body con skirts and ripped sweaters.
The most talked about however, was probably that of LaQuan Smith who brought in Interview editor Mel Ottenberg to co-style his hip-baring micro-skirts and high-cut crotches. Doesn't hurt that Julia Fox opened his show on the same day her break-up with Kanye West became public.
Joseph Altuzarra, Getty Images.
LaQuan Smith, Getty Images.
Area focused heavily on bulbous silhouettes bedazzled with neon-bright sequins. Instead of a catwalk, a fluorescent-light, mirrored-wall showroom was placed just north of the fake watch sellers on Canal Street. It successfully created a mesmerizing feeling just like the design’s pieces are able to make now that the fashion brand has exploded in the last two years.
With sustainability and eco-friendly products more of a strong focus than ever before, the biggest trend was that of used headstock fabric, where designers from Tom Ford to Erin Beatty were able to mix ingenuity and production strategy all in one. Beatty confirmed that a lot of time management was saved while focusing on the creation of such pieces, while Gabriela Hearst states that, “Sourcing deadstock has become trickier as more brands seek it out, but that it’s a good problem to have - it means there is less waste.”
Tom Ford, Getty Images.
Mixed reviews surfaced after Michael Kors opened with a nighttime show at Terminal 5 accompanied with a performance of covers by pop star Miguel. Kors’ collection was focused on cashmere, sequins, finished with fabulous wool tweed puffers. But it was the attendance of New York City mayor Eric Adams, who accompanied Anna Wintour, that managed to complete the show’s evening.
Michael Kors, Getty Images.
Getty Images.
While business insiders, fashion executives and designers continue to ask themselves if fashion shows are still needed, what the industry and enthusiasts could use right now is some hope especially during an on-going pandemic and political crisis. Despite real authenticity and talent continue to be missed and the world sits and waits, its effect is seriously taking a toll. One can only wonder what kind of fashion shows we will be seeing in the near future. On Monday February 14th, Metaverse released several collections in a hush hush manner, to introduce several designers and even celebrity VIP guests. Jonathan Simkhai kicked things off by introducing eleven pieces of the designer's new season looks that were digitally reimagined for the event. London designer Roksanda focused on merging technology and fashion by introducing NFT pieces to give consumers “tangible access to high-end fashion that they previously wouldn’t have been able to.”
Time will tell. In the meantime, I’ll finally be investing in Area’s new 2022 collection - a long overdue and necessary purchase.
-Natalia Ortonowska ©