FASHION

Alexander Wang and Beyond: How to Decipher the Summer 2016 Fashion Calendar

by Katherine Cusumano

Alexander Wang

The fashion world has gotten a major makeover in the past year — and it’s finally starting to take shape on the runway. According to WWD, Alexander Wang announced Wednesday that he would hop on the direct-to-retail bandwagon helmed by designers like Ralph Lauren, Versus Versace, and Moschino, who have started to ride the wave of enthusiasm around their shows by offering select items for sale straight off the runway. Wang will show a few looks from his Resort 2017 collection during the Spring 2017 presentations this fall, but he’s embargoing the rest of the looks until they’re ready to hit stores. Elsewhere, designers and major fashion houses have started to move away from the rigid Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter calendar, opting instead for bigger midseason events outside of fashion week. And most of all, the line between menswear and womenswear has become increasingly blurry as brands collapse the separate collections and show them seemingly whenever they feel. Here, we untangle the fashion calendar’s messy summer ahead, deciphering the new strategies from the likes of Wang, Burberry, Vetements, and Hermes.

1

Alexander Wang: The former Balenciaga designer will split up his resort collection, teasing part of it during the Spring 2017 presentations in September and embargoing the rest until it hits stores. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.

2

Balenciaga: Vetements’ irreverent creative director Demna Gvasalia will present the first Balenciaga menswear show during Paris Fashion Week in June; the brand already has a menswear line but this move demonstrates a renewed commitment to the line. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.

3

Bottega Veneta: Tomas Maier will celebrate his 15th anniversary with the brand, and Bottega Veneta’s 50th anniversary, with a blowout combined women’s and men’s presentation in lieu of separate Spring 2017 collections. It remains to be seen whether Maier will resist the industry momentum towards combined shows in the long run, though. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.

4

Brioni: Just weeks after announcing Justin O’Shea as the new creative director, Brioni also announced the brand would show its menswear presentation during women’s couture in Paris this summer. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.

5

Burberry: Beginning in September, Burberry will show women’s and men’s collections together, offering them on a see-now, buy-now basis. And even further, the brand will eschew the traditional Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter definitions in favor of “seasonless” collections. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.

6

Cédric Charlier: The French designer will forego his native land’s fashion week in favor of New York presentations in January and June, beginning next month. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.

7

Chanel: Though perhaps not quite a switch-up à la Burberry or Brioni, Chanel still saw a bit of adventure for its recent Cruise collection, for which Karl Lagerfeld and company decamped to Havana for a party on the Paseo del Prado. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.

8

Direct to Retail: Designers like Versus Versace, formerly under the command of Anthony Vaccarello who vacated the position to take up Hedi Slimane’s mantle at Saint Laurent, sister brand Versace, Ralph Lauren, and Moschino have already started offering some of their products straight-to-retail during fashion week. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.

9

Eres: The French luxury swimwear brand will co-present its Winter Cruise and Fall 2016 lingerie collections in New York next month. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.

10

Hermes: Taking the opposite approach to many designers who will collapse their various collections into a single event, presenting its first-ever such collection at the start of Paris couture in July. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.

11

Oscar De La Renta: During Australia Fashion Week earlier in May, — under the guidance of creative director Peter Copping — presented a summer collection amid a roster of designers that hewed overwhelmingly towards those based in the land down under. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.

12

Public School: Beginning in June, Public School will present menswear and womenswear side-by-side, off the normal fashion week calendar. Their shows are currently slated for June and December, which will give Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne a chance to dig into their latest project — as creative directors of DKNY — during the usual fashion seasons. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.

13

Thakoon: Thakoon was acquired by Vivian Chou’s investment firm Bright Fame Fashion late last year, and skipped Fashion Week Fall 2016 entirely. It remains to be seen whether Thakoon Panichgul’s eponymous label will re-join the fashion calendar. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.

14

Tom Ford: Ford skipped womenswear during the Fall 2016 season; he’ll show his women’s collection during menswear in September. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.

15

Vetements: Demna Gvasalia might be branching out at Balenciaga, but over at Vetements, he’s consolidating his designs. Vetements has been invited to show during Paris couture, where Gvasalia will reveal his menswear and womenswear collections on the same runway. Photos by Getty Images; collage by Biel Parklee.