New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2020. This was my fifth season. So here we are at Halloween, fashion month is over, and I owe you guys a synopsis.

Let’s begin with why September (and February) is referred to as “fashion month”… When the “Big 4” fashion capitals of the world host their own Fashion Week. It begins with New York, then London, Milan, and Paris. During each week, designers showcase their collections for the season ahead. My goal is to make it to them all one day, but not until I have a legit number of invitations and a schedule that will justify flying across the globe. The New York hustle will not cut it in Paris (or says my pocketbook and husband). But the sportswear that continues to be a trend in NY has me thirsty for the haute couture ensembles that Paris is (and always will be IMHO) known for.

There are two types of “shows” that take place during Fashion Week: Runway shows and presentations. A runway show takes place with (surprise!) a runway. The audience is seated and the entire show last about 10 minutes and can be quite theatrical. Presentations, on the other hand usually take place in a more obscure venue like a bookstore, loft, or boutique. The models are stationed throughout the space and pose as mannequins, with the audience walking around them, taking in a 360 view and snapping photos. Presentations last from 30 minutes to an hour (or longer if a cocktail party is incorporated).

But what else makes fashion week, FASHION WEEK?! Street style, parties, and networking with people who have the same fashion focused obsession. Although most of the events currently take place in Tribecca, all of Manhattan becomes a playground for the fashion lovers of the world. Every corner of the street turns into a stage and photoshoots are happening next to you while you wait for your morning coffee at Starbucks. By now you should have a greater understanding of why I can’t stay away. Here are some shots that I took from people I met there – at Spring Studios, in the street, at our hotel, and reconnections from past seasons…

Now, I’d be remiss to not mention trends, so here’s a snapshot: Athleisure, Monochromatic Palettes, baggy trousers, mom jeans, couletttes, sneakers, mixed prints, wild colors reminiscent of sherbet, vintage pieces mixed with bright modern graphics. As I mentioned before, NYC is trennnndy. NYFW embraces athelisure, and chaos. That being said, I still got to witness the most beautiful collection in person, by Cong Tri. Not familiar with Cong Tri? Perhaps you’re familiar with the iconic yellow gown that Beyonce wore to The Lion King premiere? This Vietnamese designer’s international clientele includes influential celebrities and social icons such as Rihanna, Katy Perry, Gwen Stefani and Jacqueline Fernandez. Less and less European designers are coming to NY (they often showcase in London, Paris, and Milan), but Asian designers are on the rise and currently at the forefront of fashion.

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February was my fourth season attending NYFW, something that I used to only wish I could experience. What’s the lesson here? DO WHAT YOU WANT. Just go out there and take it. I’m not waiting to be invited to anything. I flew to NYC alone, dressed up, showed up, and it was incredible.

2019 Styles

Red is very in right now. The Pantone 2019 Color of the Year is “Living Coral”, which is an orangey red, but there were reds of all shades on the runway and the streets. I dig it. Other trending colors: lavender (yes, still), marigold, pistachio, winter white.

This season featured the most wearable looks I’ve seen so far. So much great tailoring, power suits, layering, bold prints, feminine prints, and more fur (of course, I love that). Less avant-garde than one would expect from NYFW runways. Yet, I couldn’t help but notice many guests trying SO HARD to come across as avant-garde, street-fashion was an explosion of athleisure, and neon colors. I have to shake my head. I do realize that I’m the minority here.

On Sunday, I had the honor of attending the Rebecca Minkoff runway show. She showcased her Spring/Summer collection, instead of showing looks for this coming Fall/Winter, as is traditionally done at February shows. Mixing many different fabrics and creating a lot of layers with feminine, yet bold prints. Hot white, electric blue, red, every finish of black, and bold patterns. Belts also played a big role in this collection. Belts are very much a highlight in fashion right now and are being paired with everything. Belt loops are no longer needed and honestly, pants are the most unlikely pairing.

Rebecca Minkoff SS19 Runway Show – February 10, 2019 – Spring Studios, NY, NY

A Nod to the Disco Era

Naeem Khan presented a runway show featuring ’60s/’70s inspired looks with an array of mixed textures including velvet, floral embroidery, sequins, and ruffles. I wrote a blog post specifically about mixing textures here.

Michael Kors also embraced the ’70s decade, complete with disco balls and Barry Manilow in sequins, singing Copacabana on the runway.

“I think this collection is very much my love letter to the melting pot of New York City. There’s a lot of dance influences for the disco dollies, ballerinas, ball room dancers, or the modern dancer, there’s movement!” – Michael Kors (taken from an interview with @margoandme, of Neiman Marcus)

Michael Kors FW19 – NYFW- February 2019

Neon Hues

Neon Colors – not my cup of tea, but I’d be remiss not to mention the overwhelming array of neon hues that covered the streets of Tribeca. Christian Cowan‘s collection embodied this trend.

Christian Cowan FW19 – NYFW – February 2019

Monochromatic Palettes

Monochromatic palettes were all over fashion week. Phillip Lim showed simple palettes of grey, white, or black with clean straight lines. Brandon Maxwell‘s show (no, I was not fortunate enough to attend in person, but did watch it live online) was probably my favorite. His collection boasted mostly solids, black and white with a few pops of pink, green and blue.

Brandon Maxwell FW19 NYFW

Cushnie presented a series of monochromatic looks in (surprise, surprise) lavender, black, red, etc.

  • images from Cushnie.com

HELLO, Ralph Lauren. You are speaking my language. This collection was made entirely of a white, black, and bold gold metallic color palette. I guess he has the monochromatic thing going but this is a FAR CRY from the majority right now. You won’t see chunky sneakers, neon hues or mismatched patterns on his runway. {insert Wayne & Garth screaming “WE’RE NOT WORTHY!”}

Also trending, or should I say finally inclusive, Plus Size. Gracing the runways of some of the industries top talent, including Christian Siriano, 11 Honore, and Rebecca Minkoff. Fashion is now available (and being celebrated) for women of all sizes. Cheers to that.

Photos (of me) by Viva Lux Photography

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More is More. If you know me at all, this should not surprise you. I go hard on details, and New York Fashion Week brings out my most extreme self, as you can see here – I’m mixing all the textures. With the temperatures in the twenties and anticipated bone-chilling winds, I knew I had to figure out how to dress for fashion week but not freeze to death (note: anything under 60 degrees is unacceptable, only exception being NYC).

The answer: Layers and of course, FUR. The goal is cover as much of my body as possible, keep my feet warm, but still make a statement. I wore a black tulle and lace skirt, a gold sequin long sleeve top, a black and brown striped faux fur coat, black tights, and cognac leather boots (by Zimmerman, no longer available). Every material and texture that I could tie into one look. This color palette is my absolute favorite, which makes mixing so many different materials okay without looking crazy.

IMHO, you do not have to choose a singular style to base your wardrobe or personal look on, put anything on your body that you love. These short Zimmerman boots are no doubt leaning toward the oh so popular western trends that blew up last year and are here to stay for a least a few seasons I think (wanna see more? Follow Coachella goers on IG this April). Yet, I wear them with anything from skinny jeans to a tutu. Do your own thing, and never doubt your creativity. Someone doesn’t like it? They can unfollow 🙂

Mixing textures: How do you wear things like silk, sequins, leather, fur, metal, all at once without looking like a hot mess? Try to stick within the same color family. With that in mind, distressed denim is an easy way to start… pair some shredded skinny jeans with a delicate lace top, velvet jacket, and sleek patent leather heels. Boom… four textures that give an “everyday outfit” (jeans, top, shoes, jacket) a little extra oomph, in an obvious way because there are FOUR textures, not just maybe two. It makes it more obvious. Another tip: look for repeating patterns in different textures. I chose this skirt before I added the coat to this look. Why? Notice the vertical stripes in the coat and the vertical seams in the tulle and lace. It carries the eye from top to bottom and although many may do a double take if I were wearing this around Atlanta (which is nothing new to me), it just works.

I’ve linked similar items to what I’m wearing below (scroll to the bottom, past the images). Below my outfit, I’ve linked items that I think would look great together if you’re ready to make the (bold) move, or just take a peek for inspiration. Stay tuned for less about my outfits, more about trends that I saw, on the street and on runway, at NYFW FW 2019.

    Photography by: Viva Lux Photography

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    It’s no surprise that the fashion of the ’90s is back.  That being said, I do not take that 100% literal.  This windowpane plaid suit, when buttoned up could be very reminiscent of Cher Horowitz’s iconic yellow suit from the movie, Clueless.  Yes, I did skip the thigh high stockings and mini backpack purse.  Sorry, Cher.

    I purchased this set (sold separately) during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale, hoping for it to be a great go-to outfit this Fall.  For work, I will probably pair it with pointy toe pumps, but these strappy lavender heels were perfect for bottomless mimosas at The Oyster Bar at the Roxy Hotel in Tribeca.

    September in New York, in my opinion, is the perfect weather scenario.  This year, however was unusually hot.  Not only that, but it drizzled rain the entire weekend.  Hence the location of this shoot – the lobby of the The James Hotel.  Our original plan was to shoot it on the cobblestone streets of Chelsea, near the flower markets, but the weather would not cooperate.  If ya gotta relocate a shoot to indoors, finding a stellar hotel in NYC is cake.

    Skirt suits are being seen far outside the boardroom this season.  Coco Chanel made skirt suits a status symbol in the 1950s, following which time they were synonymous with business.  In the ’80s women attending high brow meetings with corporations were often seen in designer skirt suits, in the ’90s they became shorter, louder in color and were suddenly trendy with teens.  Now, they can go from the board room to the street.

    Aimee Song pairs skirt suits with Louis Vuitton Archlight Sneakers.  Don’t even get me started on this sneaker trend.  I saw Louis and Balenciaga sneakers everywhere during fashion week, and I just don’t get it.  Sometimes I gotta stand my ground and say “WTF?!”.  The point is, skirt suits are still a power symbol, but times are a changing and so are the office dress codes.  Yes, industry has a lot to do with it, but suits are worn less and less M-F and popping up more and more on the runways.  Is this a sign that avant garde designs are becoming fewer, and more attention is being paid to tailoring and technique?  Only time will tell.

     

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    Sequins, shimmer, glitter… FINALLY I’m not just being “extra”.  Okay, I’m always going to be a little extra, but if ever there’s a time, it’s now.

    I styled this skirt to be worn casually during the day.  Traditionally, it could be worn as special occasion evening wear but I think that pairing it with a cotton top makes for a fun juxtaposition.  I would even go so far to say that black combat boots would be killer, but alas I wore mirrored strappy heels – after all, I like to be a fancy pants.  I paired it with an oversized leather tote and tied a silk scarf to the handle.

    When one thinks of glitter and sparkle, what designer immediately comes to mind?  For me, it’s Kate Spade.  One phrase that was trending after her unfortunate passing this past June, was that “she left a little bit of sparkle everywhere she went”.  Creative Director, Angela Weiss took that phrase to heart when planning the SS19 show (last week), adding an element of sparkle in many looks, including a stripe of glitter down the runway.  What a lovely sentiment.  Hopefully she will be remembered for who she was in the beginning – what we know Kate Spade NY to be – a bright and joyful brand that embodies women who carpe diem the shit out of this life, being as “extra” as they wish, every step of the way.

    But you don’t have to be young, extra, or a trendy influencer to embrace the sparkle craze.  Saks Fifth Avenue SVP Fashion Director, Roopal Patel was asked about the shiny embellishments taking front stage in their department store, and she responded with, “We find that sparkle has no age limit; there is a wide appeal to all of our customers to add sparkle and shine to their wardrobes,” she says. “For so long sequins and embellishment were used for holiday dressing, but now designers are playing sparkle into everyday silhouettes. Through bejeweled necklines, sparkly collars, and rhinestone trims, popular brands like Gucci, Prada and Miu Miu have brought the idea of adornment into daywear.”

    Being “extra” is now just being one in a crowd (at least it is at NYFW).  Find your favorite shimmer, mix it up with different prints, colors, and textures or just add a touch with your shoes or bag (I’m looking at you, Kate Spade NY).  Dress it up or dress it down.  Not your thing?  More into linen or lace?  Move along… because after all, knowing your style is the first step to looking and feeling your best (*shameless plug* read my blog post on “Defining Your Style” here).

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    Images by Viva Lux Photography

     

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