One more day of shows, presentations, trends, and the creeping sense that New York fashion is NEW again. Grab an afternoon coffee and then see for yourself—and pay special attention to all the denim hitting runways yesterday, because American fashion is ever-evolving, but this American staple looks like it’s finally becoming a hallmark of U.S. designers again.
Based in Los Angeles, No Sesso calls themselves a “community-powered brand.” They sell their stuff on Depop, cater to a wide spectrum of sizes, and—starting this fall—have free rein to remix deadstock pieces from Levi’s, ensuring they can have an even greater impact on the fashion world and the natural one. Check out the placement of those zippers—smart, skilled, cool, all of it.
Left: Jonathan Simkhai.
Right: Tibi.
Both: The realization that instead of buying (and buying and buying) more clothes we don’t need, we can start styling them with a bit more creativity, a lot more layering, and a final nail in the “can I wear dresses over jeans?” coffin, because yeah, obviously, wear whatever you want. (But if you wear this Tibi mini dress before I get to buy it, I will cut you.)
New York’s hottest club is revenge. After Julia Fox’s post-breakup walk at LaQuan Smith, Telfar Clemens upped the ante with need-now-please denim that showed The Gap—whose brand he was supposed to helm, until they basically ghosted him—exactly what they’d lost. Clemens also made some of his coveted T-bags for sale, and announced their availability with a QR code on the catwalk. To infinity, and your closet, and beyond.
Related article: Julia Fox Opens The LaQuan Smith Fall 2022 Fashion Show
Girls making the clothes they want to wear? Sadly, still groundbreaking. Claudia Li does it with a wink, thanks to unapologetically cheerful pieces like fuzzy floral coats, gauzy red trenches, and a manufacturing team based entirely in New York, because if you’re into shopping local, think about getting your clothes from your neighborhood, too.
It’s nice to see continuity in a designer’s work—you get what they stand for, and you know if you couldn’t scrape together the funds for a current season, the next runway will provide. At Prabal Gurung, the thread from runway to retail was especially strong, with vibrant color-bleeds on the models and on-brand fans like Remi Bader.
It was pretty delightful to see choreographer Parris Goebel create a Clueless throwback—albeit with modern Motorolas Razrs instead of ’90s Nokia bricks. Now if only those party clothes weren’t so binding, because they’re way existential. (10 out of 10, fine holiday fun.)
This kind of soft power is exactly what we need in the world right now. If it starts with a fabulous scarf and separates in a perfect shade of lilac, so be it.
When reality show contestants are truly brilliant, they make us all a little uncomfortable. After all, we’re supposed to be tuning in for entertainment, not art in motion. (Need proof? Witness the sh*t Christian Siriano endures online just for making great clothes.) But Megan Renee Smith does not care how we know her name—from Amazon’s Making The Cut, as I’m sure you already know. Now that she’s in our pop culture lexicon, she’s gonna make sure it’s for all the right reasons. With this airy and bold collection, there’s no doubt Smith is a winner. Put your money on her rising star and invest in these unexpected style staples now.
Related article: See Every Look From Coach’s Fall 22 Collection
Michelle Ochs has been contorting fabric into clingy warped creations since 2008, well before the current rush of Euphorians took over. In her latest line, she sticks to what she knows best—how to make a killer mix of sheer and opaque intrigue—and adds some full-length puffers for a TikTok-worthy peek-a-boo reveal. Enjoy.
Remember when Hervé Léger was the mummified spandex dream dress of J.Lo, LiLo, and The Hills? Those days are over, thanks to Christian Juul Nielsen. HL’s new boss is a former teammate of John Galliano and Raf Simons (at Dior) and Lars Nilsson (at Nina Ricci); here, he takes the house’s signature bandage dress and remixes it with softer fabrics, more technical shapes, and our new favorite thing: Fleggings. (Like the idea but not the tightness? Check out Nielsen’s other line, AKNVS, for a more cocooned version of the vision.)
Téla D’Amore and Everard Best both worked at Off-White with Virgil Abloh. Their most recent presentation paid homage to the late legend with a few callbacks to his final Louis Vuitton collection (like this angel-winged suit). But that doesn’t mean these clothes don’t stand on their own. Consider the puffer vests paned with stained-glass window embroidery, the shredded sweaters that exposed the heart, or the army pants stamped with a protest slogan—as “Who Decides War?” surely is. All felt like a welcome signal flare to American sportswear suggesting that while this line comes in peace, they’re also ready to claim their throne.
I only have one photo in my hands, and this photo represents which suit will win America’s Next Top Web Caption. To the left, we’ve got a sharp (and actually sustainable, according to scientists!) denim jumpsuit from Exclusives by G-Star Raw. To the right, it’s Kristen Bell in Rosetta Getty’s new maroon dream-wear. But both can win, because both are easy ways to pull a look together in the time it takes to zip your fly. Let’s get dressed!
This article originally appeared in Harper’s BAZAAR US