New York Fashion Week's Most Memorable Moments: AREA Goes Bananas, Collina Strada Opts For Creature Couture
Concrete jungle where fashion is made of.
Fashion week in the Big Apple has finally wrapped, and boy was it exhilarating. From vibrant hues and intricate patterns to dazzling and... bizarre runway presentations, designers crafted their collections with showmanship in mind, making for a lasting impression on the guests in attendance. Of course, many of these splendid moments inevitably made their way to the Internet - and fashion fanatics around the world can't get enough. Ahead, we break down some of this season's most viral moments.
Related article: NYFW FW23 Street Style: The Most Stylish Looks
It's no secret that Thom Browne loves to tell a story with his collections, but few expected him to go to infinity and beyond. White sand, a crashed propeller plane and planetary ornaments filled a black box, setting the stage for models clad in intricately tailored suits and gowns with extra-terrestrial inspired hair and makeup. While the tone was no doubt eerie, the show was equal parts captivating and tantalising.
This label is never bashful when preaching about sustainable fashion practices, but creative director Hilary Taymour took it to the next level this season by tapping on makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench to create uncanny animal-like prosthetics for the models. Horns, beaks, whiskers and more came down the runway with a collection consisting of recycled deadstock fabrics and rose silk – a vegan alternative to regular silk.
Creative director Piotrek Panszczyk Burke’s proclivity for sparkle and three-dimensional geometric shapes is second to none, as we previously saw from AREA’s spiky FW22 collection. But this time, he’s literally gone bananas with a campy collection inspired by fruits. We’re talking banana peel heels, watermelon bras and grape-bunch embellishments, supplemented by countless feathers used in accessories and footwear.
Inspired by the 1988 film Dead Ringers, which features a pair of delirious surgeons obsessed with the female anatomy, fashion designer and artist Carly Mark embraced horror movie tropes throughout the collection. Be it bags with analog phone handles or blood-red roses, the show was a poetic love letter to the psycho-thriller genre.
Rodarte never fails to impress. Set in a ballroom with glittery silver tableware and decor, models decked out in vampy black-and-white ensembles sashayed around the space, reminding everyone of Netflix’s hit series Wednesday. Soon afterwards, technicolour tinsel, silk and crystal-encrusted fabrics took the place by storm, leaving the audience totally enthralled.
Looks like Coach may have the next "it" bag, in the bag. The show looked like an A-list party, gathering the likes of Lil Nas X, Eric Nam and Camila Mendes under one roof. But the true stars were the leather mini-bags in all sorts of shapes. Animals, fruits, stars - you name it, and Coach had it. These novelty bags will undoubtedly be beloved by anyone looking to inject a little sense of humour into their daily fits.
Wiederhoeft's debut was subversive to say the least, with male and female models wearing revealing wedding dresses, corsets and embroidered beaded gloves. The collection explored themes pulled from ancient Greek and Catholic mythologies with theatrical fervour, focusing on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice in the underworld.
This New York City label is usually one of the last shows at NYFW, and they never disappoint. Leaning heavily into their signature aesthetic, The Blonds took it up one notch with supersized gemstones that left the audience awestruck. Pose star Dominique Jackson closed out the show in a bejewelled diamond bodysuit and snow-white coat with loads of attitude – the perfect conclusion to a stunning season.