New York
September 2016 was the first fashion week without Bill Cunningham but his presence was very much felt. On day one, IMG outfitted photographers in the late legend’s signature blue jacket at the Dock at Skylight Moynihan Station, and blue chairs were arranged into the shape of Cunningham’s camera right in the middle of Bryant Park.
In recent times, runway diversity is slowly becoming the norm, from only black models opening the show at Brandon Maxwell to plus-size models at Christian Siriano and Chromat. In fact, J. Crew did not even feature one professional model for its presentation, gathering friends, present and past employees of the brand to showcase the Spring 2017 collection instead.
Speaking of diversity, it was not just model castings that deserved a shout-out. Anniesa Hasibuan became the first designer to present traditional Muslim pieces at one of NYFW’s main locations, Moynihan station. Her Jakarta-themed show was given a high-fashion spin with metallic details, embelishments and luxe fabrics.
Rebecca Minkoff took it to the streets, literally, to present her SS17 collection. Staging her show outdoors along (a closed) Greene Street in SoHo, showgoers got to enjoy some fresh air while watching models make their way down the cobblestone road. Did we also mention that the show was right outside the brand’s new New York flagship store? Talk about runway-to-retail.
London
If there is anyone who could get us excited about handbags, it is Anya Hindmarch. With an impressive show space that exuded a retro-futuristic mood, all eyes were not only on the British designer’s range of accessories. The show set featured an intergalactic spacecraft-like venue with gradated steps made up of concentric circles, a perfect combination of art and geometry to complement the ready-to-wear collection.
Unconventional finale walks seem to be all the rage this season. Celebrating its 10th year anniversary, Henry Holland sent models down the runway in a new range of the brand’s iconic Fashion Groupie slogan T-shirts, the ones launched by the house back in 2006. With tongue-in-cheek slogans like ‘Be my minx, Binx” and “I’m yours for a tenner, Kendall Jenner”, the house’s Instagram even featured the aforementioned models in the tees. Now that is brilliant marketing.
First, there the Birkenstocks then Teva sandals, and just when we thought the “ugly” shoe trend was over, Christopher Kane revived the Croc shoes by giving them a high-fashion makeover. Yes, bejeweled rubber footwear. On the runway. At Fashion Week. We shall say no more.
Milan
Supermodels came out to play at Milan Fashion Week, featuring some of the biggest names from the ’90s to today. At Versace, Carmen Kass, Doutzen Kroes and Adriana Lim made surprise cameos on the catwalk. However, it was runway queen, Naomi Campbell who stole the show, looking as sporty and sexy as ever.
Bottega Veneta had a few reasons to celebrate this season; the house marked its 50th anniversary and 15 years of Tomas Maier’s artistic direction. Nevertheless, the SS17 show was a grand one, combining both the women’s and men’s collections. To amp up the epic factor, Lauren Hutton made an appearance and walked the runway arm-in-arm with Gigi Hadid, carrying the original Bottega woven clutch bag in American Gigolo.
When a fashion show’s official hashtag is #aliceinghettoland, you know things are about to go down. For starters, there was a giant gnome named Pimp at the show venue and then models were seen suspending in the air on a swing. Not to mention, there were performances by Fat Joe and Fergie, and a runway cameo by Paris Hilton. While we are as confused as you are, the show caused a social media frenzy.
Dolce & Gabbana took “eat, live and breathe” fashion literally by featuring dresses printed with large noodles, hair pieces made of dried pasta (penne and fusilli to be exact) and even burlap-like dresses with hand-painted pizza mofits. What better way to display the city’s best comfort food than at Milan Fashion Week right?
Paris
Contrary to popular belief, the fashion industry is not as ruthlessly cutthroat as it is, well, cut out to be. This impression quickly diminished, especially this season, when designers are seen making appearances at each other’s shows. One of them is Alber Elbaz who attended the Dior show where Maria Grazia Chiuri debut her first collection as the house’s creative director.
While there were a lot of #throwback trends (here’s looking at you, ’80s) seen on the catwalk, Chanel looked to the future for inspiration. The house transformed the Grand Palais into a data center filled with servers and supercomputers. No one knew which model opened the SS17 show but since the ultra-chic Chanel tweed suits were presented on a stormtrooper-like droid, there were no complaints.
At the unveiling of SS17 collections by the industry’s uprising designers, this year’s Buro Fashion Forward Initiative (BFFI) was attended by an outstanding cast of industry leaders and celebrities. Among the notable guests who joined hotst, Buro 24/7 founder, Miroslava Duma and Farfetch were Carine Roitfeld, Eva Chen, Anna Dello Russo, Kim Kardashian (pre-robbery, in case you are wondering) and Courtney Love, just to name a few.
SS17 Fashion Week was nothing short of a giant spectacle. From Tommy Hilfiger‘s carnival in New York to live classic musical at Burberry‘s “Orlando”-inspired runway in London, topping the “Most Memorable” list is, indubitably, Stella McCartney‘s show. Instead of your average finale walk, models took a lap around the show venue by grooving in an upbeat, choreographed dance-off.
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