For as long as I can remember, I have dreamt of taking front row seats at fashion week. I did not, however, imagine it would be while I wore my PJs and a cup of tea. Nevertheless, I signed onto the livestreams and followed with awe. Here are some of my top moments from the week.
RUNWAY360
In order to broadcast the events of the week, the Council of Fashion Designers of America created an online platform called Runway360. The digital showroom gave designers a space to exhibit their collections to a world-wide audience. From a sustainable look on the site, it both supported the reduction of carbon emission that would have previously occurred from A-list names and editors in traveling to such shows in the past.
JASON WU
The September weather gave way for outdoor fashion shows to take place. Designer Jason Wu opened the series of socially distant events with a rooftop show on Spring Studios of Manhattan. The Spring-Summer ‘21 collection was revealed to a modest audience of just 30. The air of exclusivity was further pushed by the Mexican inspired set. Shades of terracotta and holiday-ready looks fed into the minds of the dreamers, wishing for better (and sunnier) times. Naeem Khan was just one of the many other designers to embark on the mindset of escapism.
CHRISTIAN SIRIANO
With the precautions of this new world we live in, designers took on the challenge to put on a show safely. The Spring-Summer 2021 collection from Christian Siriano was presented from his home garden in Connecticut. All the models wore coordinated masks and guests were seated six feet away from one another. Iconic figure Billy Porter was just one of the VIP guests that sat front row at the show.
HARLEM’S FASHION SHOW
The Harlem Fashion Show is a platform created to honour and promote the diversity in fashion by supporting designers of colour. The Sunday-night virtual event showcased collections from black designers Kristian Lorén, Kimberly Goldson and Rich Fresh. The new brand on the block to showcase was Oak & Acorn, a Harlem-based denim brand, focused on sustainability and creating looks that are bold and genderless. ….AND CUT!Leave it to the creative minds of designers to seek new and fresh methods of displaying their creations. Davidson Petit-Frère pushed the boat out with his short film ‘Destined’ to showcase menswear suits and his debut womenswear line. Actors Michael K. Williams and Ron J. Rock took centre-stage for the designer.THE FINALEThe official closing of the NYFW was led by renowned designer Tom Ford, as he presented his Spring-Summer ‘21 lines via digital look-book. Ford himself said ‘’the last thing I want to see are serious clothes’’; and that was most certainly the case as soft silhouettes, fun colours and ‘70s inspired looks caught the eye of the admirers. Further explaining the desire for clothes in a ‘casual world’, Ford mentioned that this would also have to be a world ‘where I actually felt like making a bit of an effort to get dressed’. Whimsical prints brought an air of ‘extra’ and glamour, everything the fashion world needed after months of doom and gloom. Thank you, Mr Ford.