Fashion

At New York Fashion Week, It’s a Femininomenon

Posted on by cs
11
Feb

There’s a moody vibe in the air.

Maybe you could blame it on the weather, but really it’s because or perhaps it’s because politically, everything is absolutely terrible right now. It’s hard to rally when there is one anxiety-inducing news alert after another. People are jumpy, sad, and irritated, all for good reason. Questions of “How did they weave that?” or “Where did the fabric come from?” become existential: “Will those weavers wind up in a jail cell for simply existing?” “Will these clothes even be available after the tariffs are put into place?”

It seems as if designers are feeling that way too—there’ve been a handful of collections that have felt safe, focused on wearability over escapism. And really, there’s no harm in that. But the silver lining hangs on the fact that this season has seen many celebrations of women and female-identifying people in various forms, whether through the clothes themselves, a runway strut, a ‘destroy the patriarchy’ theme, or the buzzy appointments of two major new creative directors.

Veronica Leoni became the first woman ever to helm Calvin Klein and Frances Howie took the reins at Fforme, a female-founded and run company. There was Christopher John Rogers’s joyful return to the runway at the top of the week, which was, at its core, about the pursuit of personal style and feminine strength as a balm and a way to move powerfully through a murky world in rainbow colors.

Hillary Taymour hit the nail directly on the head with a great collection titled “Fempire.” As she wrote in her show notes, “Imagine a world where unruly femininity, queerness, and disability aren’t embattled but emphatically embraced. Where what has been dismissed as excessive or unfit for the mainstream is exactly what shapes the future.” This sentiment was realized through freaky, amped-up girly clothes, pieces like a hooded pillow coat in a daisy print corduroy, frilly ruffled dresses, and watercolor velvet cargo pants.

The models, some in loose satin suiting and others in ruffled and draped minis, reflected Taymour’s fempire by skipping and sauntering down the runway. A couple of women dressed in wedding looks kissed in front of the scrum of cameras. Taymour’s tailored coats were fantastic this season. Overall the collection was both a wildly fun and much needed escape, but also one that punctuated a serious message from Taymour.

During the show, an original soundtrack featuring versions of Enya and Destiny’s Child played overhead with her own personalized lyrics that urged showgoers to prioritize taking care of the environment. Guests smiled and cheered as a makeshift daycare area was set up just adjacent to the show space—a place for her team members’ kids to gather and play. Taymour is a pro when it comes to communicating a strong political message while also managing to keep things light and optimistic. Hers is a very specific playbook but always a vehicle for fashion to do some good. Her shows are memorable, the songs catchy, and the clothes are always the coolest in the room.

There was a different kind of cool at Brandon Maxwell and Sergio Hudson’s shows. Maxwell showed fantastic plaid blazers, leather motorcycle jackets, and oversized button-down shirts—a wardrobe for women living our lives, day to day, miring through the mess and coming out on top. The knits were a highlight too—intarsias and chunky pullovers crafted with the help of knitwear designer Ryan Roche. As the models stomped through the gallery space where the show was held, you could imagine any of them making a big sale that day and going out somewhere fabulous to celebrate after work.

Hudson’s American sportswear was more of a literal homage, though still powerful. This season, Hudson played on classic ideas like three-piece pinstripe suits, tweed sets, and silk shirts and ties in sultry jewel tones. Hudson’s fans are always front and center at his shows, turning up and showing out in their most glamorous looks, hair and makeup done up to perfection. This is a designer who has a solid customer base and makes clothes they wear day-to-day, but he also understands the importance of injecting flair into every one of his collections, including this one. Hudson is designing for a woman who knows her worth and more.

A similar strength was seen at Khaite, namely in the great denim that opened the show and beautifully tailored leather jackets that were cinched just so at the lower back to give some volume. Hers are power women willing to spend on luxury, a notion Anna Sui explored too, albeit borrowed straight from the silver screen. Her show at the National Arts Club was about as much fun as it gets during New York Fashion Week, with Debbie Harry and Sofia Coppola sitting in the front row, as well as a gaggle of Sui die-hards dressed in piled-on vintage prints and skinny eyeglasses with lady handbags, likely none of whom were even born in the designer’s ‘90s heyday.

Pulling inspiration from Barbara Hutton, Peggy Guggenheim, and Doris Duke, among other legends, Sui wanted to evoke a kind of casual glamour with layers of textile fabrics and loads of costume jewelry. She titled the collection “Madcap Heiress” and noted during a preview a few days before the show that she “loved the stories behind all of these women that fell into these fabulous fortunes and ended up spending all their money on men, jewelry, and art.” If these eccentrics were still around today, they’d certainly have a blast in Sui’s neon plaid twin sets, her faux fur-lined coats, and drapey, pressed silk dresses. Referring back to her muses, Sui also said, “I just love that they lived their lives the way they wanted.”

Designer Jonathan Cohen went in deep on his muses this season too—women in his community who inspire him, like Julie Gilhart, Sally Singer, Marina Larroude, and his own mother. When Cohen began researching the collection, he was looking at a famous image of Muhammed Ali during a fight, distracted by the sight of Elizabeth Taylor. From there, Cohen integrated easter eggs that nodded to the image and to Liz, in the collection. A leopard jacquard was designed using a zoomed-in image of Taylor’s eyes and floral prints that nodded to her collection of porcelain gardenias. The collection felt exuberant, with plenty of pattern play and bold colors like sunshine yellow and emerald green. As I was walking out of the presentation, Cohen pulled me aside to meet his mother. She looked incredible, and I asked her to show me where her photo was. She pointed proudly, beaming.

Cohen wanted to remind us of the inherent power women possess in our lives and how valuable it can be in tumultuous times. Colleen Allen had an especially interesting take on that position, with spectacular Victorian-inspired garments that included velvet duster coats in a rich, royal blue with removable bustles at the hip. There was also a celery-hued cap-sleeve dress that hugged the body with boning-style construction that didn’t look at all constraining. One of Allen’s major references this season was a photograph of designer Vivienne Westwood going commando to meet Queen Elizabeth II. Irreverence and rebelliousness were present in the off-kilter cutout shirting, the sheer black gown with ruching at the bodice, and of course, her new “merch” as she called it: a series of t-shirts printed with the words “witch club.” At the preview, Allen explained that she and her friends have “witch club meetings” in Upstate New York—a kind of female-centric gathering to just be in each other’s company and maybe, cast some spells too.

What better than all of this to wear while sticking it to the man?

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