Yes, fashion IS changing. Always.
Of course, that’s what one expects. That every season hemlines will shift and realign, silhouettes fatten up or slim down, hues brighten or lighten on the color palette, models morph from celebrity super star to all-inclusive age- and size-wise. That another new inspiration will direct the zeitgeist of design down a new path of enlightenment or illumination, grabbing design by the hand and walking it out on a ledge of next-level-ism.
Change this season is a little different. There’s a lot to look back at. Ralph Lauren fêted 50 years in the business with a show and black tie gala dinner at Central Park’s Bethesda Fountain that included Oprah and Steven Spielberg, among other luminaries. Badgley Mischka celebrated 30 years with an intimate garden tea party/runway presentation. Escada flexed its 40 year old heritage, tapping into its 80s’ power woman reputation yesterday.
Creating just a little bit of stress and angst, most shows have scattered to the winds in New York City, presenting at venues hither and yon, with no centralized location to speak of. While some designers decamped for Brooklyn (Ulla Johnson, for one), others scheduled at the popular-this-season Pier 59 Studios at Chelsea Piers, Spring Studios and Industria Super Studio. Angel Orensanz Foundation has been home base for Art Hearts Fashion runways, while the Manhattan Center set up for Style Week shows. Editors are running back and forth all over the city. At least, Uber and Yellow Taxis seem to be doing quite well this show week!
Kicking off last Wednesday, New York Fashion Week led with Tom Ford’s super sexy slay. The NYFW shows will reach a pivotal peak with Marc Jacobs tomorrow night, the evening of the 12th, with all shows wrapping Thursday. Fashion is fashion, though, and I think the coolest, most up-to-date trend is the forward-movement of technology. From vending machine purveyors peddling pocketbooks by Neely and Chloe, bracelets by Venessa Arizona or T-shirts by Rebecca Minkoff at Spring Studios lounge sponsored by Visa, the new Payment Technology Partner of the shows, to the ready-to-really-wear runway looks instantly shoppable at the “Fashion Delivered” show by Cotton Incorporated x Amazon Fashion’s at Angel Orensanz, the “see now/buy now”technological advances are the best new spring trends.
Check back for more Spring 2019 reportage from the runways, as always with “My Style, My Spin!” xokim