What an auction New York Fashion Week!

I’m not a fashionista, but when I heard that the Fendi show at Manhattan’s Hammerstein Hall on Friday evening was the 25th anniversary of the brand’s famous baguette, a whole fashion show? for…bag? Kim Jones is one of fashion’s most talented entrepreneurs—how to run the world’s largest menswear brand and design womenswear for the mighty Fendi. And Is it a couture collection for them?—but Fendi’s polite, efficient, professional demeanor sometimes leaves me cold.

Boy, was I wrong. Hammerstein’s floors were covered in plush beige carpeting, and the walls were lined with silver curtains leading out to massive campfires. Just after the lights went out, someone pulled down the curtain in front of the runway to reveal a large mirror – which made me think of the old doorman trick, where the big man in a suit picked up the mirror and said, “What? you Shall we let you in?”—a mix of house and techno music composed by Simon Paris began to shake the silver expanse before us in the chaos of a nightclub.

Jones’ outfits, meanwhile, were his warmest and most fun to date. The final part of the show was a collaboration with Marc Jacobs, whose large signature block logo was interwoven with Fendi on a number of coats and jackets and trousers. But not only because Baguette cheerleader Sarah Jessica Parker was sitting in the front row next to Kim Kardashian, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Jacobs’ prudence influenced Jones’s stuff. (It was Jacobs who hired Jones to design Vuitton’s menswear back in the day.)

The core of the collection seems to take the treasures and fun of the basic girl like polka dots, and stripes, and rhinestones, and ballet dancer-ish baseball caps and beanies and mix them with a much wider zaniness. – A girl with eyes queues for the club. Seeing these characters in their cargo dresses and shirts (along with their bags, of course) in the clubhouse at the time, they were thinking to themselves, If only I walking Like I’m here…. (Even funny, occasionally a woman’s voice breaks into the soundtrack and says, “Sorry, I’m on the list!” Sidney Toledano, CEO of LVMH Fashion Group, is smiling and stomping his feet. For the clubwear and By taking out.

The Marc Jacobs woman is always someone who wears clothes that don’t have to work, but do. (reminiscent of her enviably ill-fitting Instagram photos). The humane quality of these clothes gave Jones good taste.

Christy Turlington, Amber Valletta, Kate Moss and Shalom Harlow front row at Fendi.

Plus, the party atmosphere was fantastic and feel-good: who could resist joining Christy Turlington, Amber Valletta, Kate Moss and Shalom Harlow in the front row; And Linda Evangelista as an encore appearance?! It might feel like a collaborative madhouse – the bags are made by the amazing Japanese bag brand Porter, if you haven’t heard of it you should check it out right away. And Tiffany & Co. offered some bling; And One of the Baguettes was designed by SJP—but instead felt like a big ole kiss from LVMH, a cool but eager New York strover. Rooting for this girl!

The feeling that you’re rooting for a girl is a particularly New York thing. Every season at Colina Strada, you can see designer Hilary Taymor’s style from caterpillar to butterfly, and it’s clear that she’s patiently attaining the status of regal, if not mature, butterfly. (The show took place at the Royal Butterfly Road station in Brooklyn—go with me here, folks!)

Taymor is an amazing woman, the kind of person who moves to New York and finds herself with other deep passions, eager to change the world no matter how impossible it seems. Usually, that local sense of purpose is expressed through loose-fitting pants, wildly cute sweaters, and edgy blouses, but in this collection, Taymor was thinking about how to expand her red carpet opportunities—which is smart, because the landscape’s celebs have been rocking the landscape for the past five or two years. A lot has changed over the years. A lot of young celebrities expect the clothes they wear on press junkets to say something, and in fact, they don’t look like anything else. Her peplum shapes (actually, as she puts it, an upside-down wine glass), empire-waist skirts, and florals with satin pants are all crazy updates to the style of staidgy evening wear that summer’s big night calls for. went out. The lovely Harry Neff’s slouchy dress at the opening looked chic over plaid pants with a pair of Manolo Blahniks and earrings from Frank Ocean’s Homer jewelry line (sweat-grown diamonds!).

You can often see her trying to get beyond the art school vibe she’s in. The question I’m left with after the show is whether her bread and butter will always be those great comfy pants and sweatshirts — basically walk-on rave-chic — or if she wants to be lusty environmentalist Oscar de la Renta. Whatever it is, what makes me fascinated with Taymor’s work is that she has guts. She truly believes in what she does, and her work, in messaging and statement-making clothes, is driven by sincerity.

Collina Strada Spring/Winter 2023

Open gallery

Knowing how the designer feels makes a big difference. On the backstage of Proenza Schouler’s show, Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez said that the latter’s Latinx background inspired the show’s passion and poignancy. I loved the sensuality of the opening look, like a crop top paired with a puffy mini ball gown across the belly, or rocking a gold fringe on top of a wrap dress. The models’ skin shined beneath the crotch and lace (and the cast was). Killer– Shalom Harrow And Bella And Kendall. Yeesh!) Surprisingly for such a summery collection, the skinny boucle coats in shocking limes are something a woman sees and immediately files away as a must-have (or days later at Moda Operandi, a site owned by Proenza bestie Lauren Santo Domingo).

But there were a lot of Bottega-isms in this outing, especially with the oversized leather-lined dresses and heeled shoes. Along with some very voluminous bell bottoms, they felt more like an experiment with the item than something a New York woman would expect from Proenza, which was the perfect little odd outfit—like the black turtleneck with an oversized white dress from the Fall 2022 collection. It’s already sold out everywhere – either just the right coat, or the sophisticated dress without snoozing. McCollough and Hernandez have a knack for making something fantastical rather than modern, and I wish they’d call out that talent more.