NEW YORK, United States — Experimentation,
play, and glitter: a coronavirus-impacted
New York Fashion Week got underway
Friday with Fall/Winter 2022 shows by Proenza Schouler and Christian Cowan.
اضافة اعلان
A model walks the runway for Christian Cowan during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at One World Observatory on February 11, 2022 in New York City. (Photo: AFP)
In its collection, presented in an art gallery in
Manhattan’s trendy East Village, New York brand
Proenza Schouler played with
shape, contrasting fitted waists with loose or slightly rounded skirts.
Designer Lazaro Hernandez said the idea was to
exaggerate and juxtapose different forms to respond to “this whole body
obsession these days with social media and everyone showing the body.”
Model Bella Hadid wore an outfit featuring buttoned
sleeves, accentuated shoulders, and a black velvet hooded top — giving off a
Catwoman vibe.
“Experimentation and play are key, perhaps now more
than ever,” Proenza said of its collection.
Glamor and glitter
Christian Cowan — who has dressed
Lady Gaga and
rappers Cardi B and Lil Nas X — presented his collection in the observatory
atop the One World Trade Center skyscraper that replaced the Twin Towers felled
on 9/11.
The show had the
atmosphere of a nightclub, highlighting the British designer’s taste for
glitter and glamor.
Ahead of the runway, the label teased fans with what
might be in store by posting an image of the “Freedom Tower” all in pink on its
Instagram page.
Despite pandemic restrictions and the
Omicron variant upsetting preparations, several other brands have opted for in-person
shows, including Michael Kors, Altuzarra, Tory Burch, Brandon Maxwell and
Telfar.
A notable absence was Tom Ford, chair of the
Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) that organizes the event.
He was due to close the week next Wednesday but
canceled at the end of January due to a surge of COVID-19 cases among his team.
“We have tried everything possible to avoid
canceling our New York show but ultimately are faced with the sad fact that we
will simply not have a completed collection in time,” he said.
For several years now, New York has had to deal with
big names deciding to skip the event in favor of displaying their latest
collections elsewhere.
Some designers are also choosing to eschew the
classic runway calendar, with growing criticism that the frantic pace of
fashion is out of step with sustainability.
The absence of top creators like
Christopher John Rogers — the CFDA’s women’s designer of the year 2021 — and Kerby
Jean-Raymond’s Pyer Moss brand, also provided an opportunity for emerging
talents to grab the headlines.
Or at least that is the hope of labels such as Melke
and Dauphinette, which promote sustainable and ethical fashion.
“It is really rewarding realizing that people can
see the work that I’ve been doing and they think that it deserves a place
amongst a bunch of other very successful brands,” 26-year-old Emma Gage, who
founded Melke during the pandemic, told AFP.
“It kind of really solidifies you as someone that people
know is going to be around for a long time,” she said inside her small studio
in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
Read more Fashion