CULTURE

The Best of New York Fashion Week Fall 2017


Despite winter storm Niko pummeling New York City on the first day of New York Fashion Week, fashion toughed it out. After all, the fashion show(s) must go on. This season brings a slew of exciting Europeans to the city for the first time–La Perla, Philipp Plein, and, of course, Raf Simons at Calvin Klein Collection–as well as the perennial New York favorites, including Altuzarra, Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, and Proenza Schouler, in what is expected to be their last show in Manhattan for some time. Here, W hits all of that, and so much more, to highlight the best, most note-worthy looks of the week.

1
Marc Jacobs

Jacobs was inspired by the documentary Hip-Hop Evolution, and his fall collections melded Marc-isms and touches of 90s era hip-hop style. His inspiration came through loud and clear in this Jenny from the block fur hoodie and baggy pant.

2
Michael Kors

Kors offered up many a dress with animal spots and fringe, but a favorite look was not as loud – this undone blouse and calf-grazing leather skirt was a classic and chic.

3
LRS

LRS, a young label designed by Raul Solis, is one of W’s New York Fashion Week designers to watch. A favorite look was a white military-inspired trench coat that can be deconstructed and reconstructed with buttons, allowing the wearer to create different silhouettes and shapes.

4
Frame

The denim label continues to offer up the coolest and most covetable denim. It just so happens that their ready-to-wear separates are just as enticing. Every woman should have a leather trench in her closet, and this one will be snapped up by fans of the brand come fall.

5
Alejandra Alonso Rojas

Rojas is the recent recipient of Fashion Group International’s rising star award, and with this fall collection, she proved that she is one to watch. An oversized tuxedo jacket and wide leg pant looked easy-to-wear and not so precious, exactly what a woman in charge needs in her daily wardrobe.

6
Yeezy

Kanye West launched denim at his Calabasas collection, in a stonewashed blue and black. A slightly baggy denim jacket worn as a shirt and tucked into jeans that purposefully bunched at the ankle is a new denim silhouette to consider.

7
Zimmermann

Aussie label Zimmermann is well-loved for their day summer party dresses. Now, for Fall 2017 they’ve shown us how to wear that dress in the winter – by throwing on their shearling, in a subtle peach shade that perfectly matches their pretty florals.

8
Brandon Maxwell

Season after season, Brandon Maxwell presents a parade of red carpet-ready eveningwear that harkens back to a far more glamorous era. Imaan Hammam closed the designer’s fall design in a truly gorgeous green gown matched with a jade fur jacket.

9
Tory Burch

Inspired by Katharine Hepburn’s character in The Philadelphia Story, Tory Burch showed a collection of impeccably detailed pieces, including an especially luxe mixed fur coat worn over a prim plaid dress.

10
Gabriela Hearst

For her first runway show, Gabriela Hearst hosted an intimate soiree of chic, wardrobe staples done in muted colors. An iridescent eggplant-hued dress was a standout.

11
Coach

Coach’s Stuart Vevers continues to move the storied house well into the future–this time, with help from a front row appearance by Selena Gomez–with floaty floral dresses and cool shearlings the brand has become known for.

12
Narciso Rodriguez

Narciso Roriguez’s runway is always a zen moment in the chaos of New York Fashion Week. This season, the designer showed languid, elegant pieces, including this edgy take on the jumpsuit.

13
Oscar de la Renta

Lineisy Montero walked in a black velvet one shoulder dress that was dripping in crystals. A highlight of Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim’s debut at Oscar de la Renta, place your bets now on who will wear this number to the Oscars at the end of the month.

14
Rosie Assoulin

There is so much to love about this collection, but a gown made of fabric that Assoulin created using dried flowers and metallic star stickers beloved by elementary schoolers was most charming. Assoulin also created her own shoes, and enlisted a potter to help create miniature ceramic jug earrings.

15
Carolina Herrera

Mrs. Herrera herself often wears a crisp, white, button down, and it is always a pleasure when these work their way into her collections. For fall, a white peter pan collared peplum button down was paired with a crisp white pleated skirt. A simple black ribbon bow tied at the neck finished off the look. For those of us who may never find themselves wearing one of Mrs. Herrera’s evening gowns, this is a covetable daytime alternative.

16
Creatures of the Wind

Shane Gabier and Chris Peters’ best looks of their fall outing were when they deconstructed the fur jacket. By taking the floral lining from the inside out – and adding a few crystals along the way – they created a way to wear fur that felt modern and vintage at the same time.

17
Lacoste

Lacoste’s sporty separates and outerwear was exactly what a freezing and windblown fashion crowd were covering. The loose fitting cargo pant done in a lightweight windbreaker fabric could easily be worn with a chic pump – a nice high low mix for the usually utilitarian cargo pant.

18
Adam Lippes

Lippes had a huge sign on the fence of his Washington Square Park North brownstone, and that sign declared his support for Planned Parenthood, which mere footsteps away, was holding a rally. Despite the uncertain times we live in, and of which many fashion designers have been responding to, Lippes did what he does best–beautiful clothes in charming florals, including this fringed Liberty print dress.

19
The Row

Who doesn’t need a stone-washed black denim oversized coat? Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen turned out impeccable coats for their fall collection, and many secured shut with chic tone-on -tone belts. This denim coat felt young and easy.

20
Ryan Roche

Ryan Roche held her first runway show this season, and the clothes warranted it. Her tailoring was perfect, the fabrics luxurious. It was difficult to choose a favorite – a cream knit dress styled over a slouchy knit pant was a contender – but this red suede trench won out.

21
Monse

Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim’s Monse line stayed true to its developing DNA – shirting, deconstruction, military/utilitarian touches. The finale featured a handful of chic red-carpet looks – a favorite of which was a blue and yellow ‘paint splattered’ sequin dress.

22
Area

One of W’s designers to watch this season, Piotrek Panszczyk and Beckett Fogg are known to enjoy using Swarovski crystals in their work. For their runway debut, they used them to mimic a woman’s curves on this burgundy jumpsuit. While not everyone will dare to wear this number, the duo also did a sweatshirt version which we can easily see on the likes of Bella Hadid or any insta-girl.

23
Altuzarra

Joseph Altuzarra proved he truly is fashion’s renaissance man with a fall collection that mixed old-world techniques with a true sense of modernity.

24
Diane von Furstenberg

Jonathan Saunders continued to unveil his new vision for the legendary brand with colorful, joyful pieces that felt both totally modern and completely DVF.

25
Jonathan Simkai

Simkhai adorns his clothes with crystals, and feathers, but he won with this floaty, easy sheer dress. However, the audience’s favorite look seemed to be the one the designer himself wore – a t-shirt that read, “Feminist AF.”

26
Tome

Tome’s exceptional fall collection was inspired by the anonymous all-female art coalition, Guerrilla Girls, cleverly manifested in furry outerwear that took on the appearance of an ultra-luxe, well, gorilla.

27
Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham made the notion of school uniforms ultra-chic, pairing classic blazers with floaty chiffon skirts and structured bags.

28
J.Crew

Once again, J.Crew’s Jenna Lyons presented her collection on “real” models–editors, artists, etc.–but with a collection full of wardrobe-building pieces, the focus remained fully on the clothes which erred on the playful side thanks to polka dots and plenty of leopard print.

29
Sies Marjan

Once again, Sies Marjan’s Sander Lak showed incredible mastery with bright hues, the most sensational being a cool, mint hue, shown on a model with hair to match.

30
Prabal Gurung

Prabal Gurung’s feminist t-shirt filled finale nearly broke Instagram, but his slinky, sequined evening dresses were just as note-worthy, not to mention completely red carpet ready.

31
Public School

Public School’s Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chung took what is already shaping up to be a major trend of the season–plaid, menswear-inspired tailoring–and injected a dose of sex appeal with structured leather corseting.

32
Alexander Wang

Wang’s best collection are when he gives his downtown girls exactly what they go to him for – edgy separates, tough hardware details, and black,black, black. The jacket on Mica Arganaraz is tailored to perfection, and the bell sleeve blouse in velvet adds a dose of luxuriousness to this all-black ensemble.

33
Tanya Taylor

Taylor is known for her prints, but this marmalade-hide jacket with ruffled sleeve is a must-have. We’ll take the printed boots, too!

34
Calvin Klein

Raf Simons much-awaited debut at Calvin Klein brought us great denim, tailored suiting, and a stunning gold fur coat, layered in plastic – As in the kind of plastic your grandma used to cover her couches, in the 70s and early 80s. In a collection filled with Americanisms the American audience loved, this fur coat was a standout piece.

35
Linder

Buzzy men’s brand debuted a women’s collection. Raf Simons at Calvin Klein wasn’t the only designer playing with plastic – this jacket is a plastic-coated check, and it makes a great shape.

36
Hellessy

Designer Sylvie Millstein stayed true to the drapey silhouettes and silky separates upon which her brand Hellessy was founded. There was something arresting about her play with color and texture in this look, with the color of the blouse aptly named “avocado.”

37
Milly

Deconstructed suiting elements were juxtaposed with softer moments – mohair, feathers – at Michelle Smith’s Milly show. This cozy cropped knit will be a favorite among the Instagram set, and with so many it girls sitting front row and snapping away, it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing this look on these girls’ feeds sooner rather than later.

38
Ohlin-D

“Teacher off-duty” was the inspiration for Ohlin-D’s fall collection, and a chic, one-sleeved top adorned with safety pins of various sizes was just the look for a crafty substitute with access to the supply closet.

39
Jason Wu

Jason Wu celebrated 10 years of his label at his fall show, along side his friends Diane Kruger and Adriana Lima. He showed smart tailored pieces, charming evening wear and even a few more casual sweater options. This velvety studded number was a favorite.

40
Cushnie et Ochs

Designers Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs presented their fall collection in perhaps what was their biggest show to date. It girls like Caroline Vreeland and Amanda Steele, blogger types and young actresses took over the front row, and one can imagine the brand’s slinky dresses appearing on a red carpet soon. A favorite moment was a pant look with an off the shoulder blouse. It felt a bit more fashion forward and a little less revealing for the customer who may shy away from cut-outs.

41
Brock

Feminine romanticism weaved together Brock’s streamlined fall collection, which ranged from rust-colored cashmere to a floral taffeta dress with corset detailing.

42
Cinq a Sept

The brand, beloved by bloggers, played up a sense of luxe aristocracy with rich knits,layered prints, and a fur-trimmed brocade coat that made for a standout piece.

43
Colovos

For fall, husband and wife designer duo Michael and Nicole Colovos played up the notion of deconstruction, evident in pants designed to look like two pairs in one and loose bodysuits with over-sized sleeves.

44
Haus Alkire

On the snowy first day of New York Fashion Week, it was hard not to instantly feel attracted to Haus Alkire’s sumptuous mixed-tweed coat with fur pockets.

45
Ulla Johnson

For her first runway show, Ulla Johnson updated her signature floaty dresses for fall, reimagining them in heavier materials, such as tan leather.

46
ADEAM

ADEAM designer Hanako Maeda injected some rock n’roll into the first day of fashion week with cool, peal-accented separates.

47
La Perla

As La Perla’s Julia Haart continues to bring ready-to-wear into the lingerie brand’s arsenal, it was a sparkly minidress, modeled by Dillone, that most effortlessly married the category to the expected sex appeal of La Perla’s undergarments.

48
Adam Selman

While roses were the reoccurring theme within Adam Selman’s fall collection, it was his mini chain-link dresses that made the biggest impression, and are sure to resonate most with his cool, party-girl muses, including Rihanna.