+99 The Best of NYFW SS23
Adam Lippes Look 1
September and New York Fashion Week means the debut of fashion month, so let’s jump right in.
Prabal Gurung was colourful and vibrant, playing with sheer draping and tailoring that we’ll see a lot throughout the rest of the month I think. The colour pairing was exquisite, choosing new and exciting colours that were unexpected and pairing them with a contrasting colour that seemed to just make sense. Now that is a man who knows his colour wheel.
It seems that Valentino’s all pink show last season really did a number on Norma Kamali, who presented a metallic pink collection that aligns with the Barbiecore trend we’ve been seeing sweep the globe since those first images of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling wearing tight jeans first graced the internet, and my eyes. Sadly, it was nothing compared to the Italian fashion house, with Norma’s collection being sorry to say, extremely tacky. Ruched metallic polyester ran alongside sheer layered ruffles in what looks like 2003 Escada on steroids. At any rate, it’s a reminder that tonal dressing doesn’t always look elegant – it matters what tones you’re picking, too.
There was lots of playing with sheer and opaque fabrics – something that will be a huge trend for SS23 (don’t worry, you can wait for my fashion month rundown to unpack all the trends). I’ve seen a few sheer shirts paired with long trousers where only the shorts are opaque and the rest are sheer – notably Peter Do and Prabal Gurung (or Tory Burch did the same with skirts – forget sheer suiting). Otherwise, sheer dresses showing off contrast underwear is a new take on subversive dressing for those who are slightly more daring, and it’s an extension of the sheer knit column dresses we saw in AW22.
The newfound pursuit of sheer dressing developed into a gradient design, which in turn developed into a tie-dye print. The psychedelics aren’t over just yet – Altuzarra showed some bohemian colourful dyeing, complete with pleating and jangling embellishments to add movement and dynamism to an already busy pattern. Keep a look out for trompe de l’oeil designs that transform into bodily manipulation through colour.
Fringe was seen not only as skirt hems but in place of shirt arms and shoulders, shirts and skirts, draping down the body and swaying with the power of the walk. Forget the AW22 ruffles, these are string fringes, and not in the 1920s way either. Instead it’s altogether modern, seeing fringe as a part of the garment rather than just a trim.
I really enjoyed Carolina Herrera this season. I never thought I would say those words, considering mostly it’s just dull florals that are designed for either grandmas or American prom queens named Katie-Jane Smith, but this year, I’m keen. Maybe I’m getting old. Yes, it was florals, but it feels more like the modern Emilia Wickstead version of florals rather than your old aunties couch (or that catsuit that a pregnant Kim K wore to the Met Gala that one time).
Clearly designers have heard my soft and feminine call, seeing as skirts and dresses were far more prominent throughout collections than trousers. As fashion reflects culture, I guess as the world news get more and more dire, the hard mentality of having to pick ourselves up by our bootstraps and hunker down is being flipped on its head and giving us the freedom to be carefree and soft in skirts, even when everything around us is telling us to toughen up. In my mind, that’s a rebellious toughness in itself – being calm and free and feminine when the world is telling you to be afraid and stuck firmly in your own lane and to be tough. Put down the biker boots and embrace the ballet flats.
Marni was one of my favourite NY shows, with the designs reminding me of a glowing sunset in an explosion of sunny colours. One might think that the circular motif is reminiscent of a bull’s eye, but to me it looked more like a rendered version of a sun, or layers of the earth. Having been inspired by the colours of changing light throughout the day in the Italian countryside, it feels I am not far from the mark.
Anyway, Marni’s contemporary aim still shined through with crop tops galore and mini-maxi skirts cut in semi-circular fashion. Texture was not at the forefront of the collection but still made an impact through spider-web beading, cut-out weaving and even mirrored patchwork pieces.
Gabriela Hearst has always endeavoured to empower women as much as she can, so for her Spring/Summer 2023 collection, she thought, “Why not encase these women in gold?” What she created is a powerful testament to the strength and ability of women, with the designs exuding a creative yet fierce expression that Vogue described as “a vibe […] of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war.” Naturally, as Gabriela indeed does practice what she preaches, one of the models walking the runway was Lauren Wasser, who lost both her legs to toxic shock syndrome and replaced them with gold prosthetics instead. Women are a gold and glittering triumph, and Gabriela Hearst agrees.
Tom Ford’s collection was bittersweet, considering he’s in the middle of negotiating selling his company to someone else, so it felt like a bit of a goodbye and a reflection back on his most impactful works. In typical fashion, there was plenty of sheer lace undies to go around (including for men if you’re keen), as well as metallics, sheer dresses, and shimmering disco mirrored pieces. I did see a sneaky Western influence under the ‘80s disco persona, and with the return of the cowboy boot I’m hoping there’s going to be a huge Western resurgence, à la D&G S/S 2010. Tom Ford’s latest collection spoke to the highlights of Americana design and how he has contoured the American fashion scene into what it is today. The fashion world in general wouldn’t be where it is now without Tom Ford’s at-times outrageous design, and this collection feels like a celebration of his heyday and all he has achieved. His modus operandi in the form of velvet, tailoring, and sumptuous silk still made appearances – because it wouldn’t be a Tom Ford collection without a little velvet – but the collections even though it felt quintessential still feels new and exciting, which is a special skill that the designer has, still being able to evoke suspense and engagement after all these years. I hope this isn’t the last we see of him.