New York Fashion Week fall ’18 is over and we are here to spill the deets – fresh off the runway. The common thread at this year’s extravagant fashion event has been apparel for the working woman, sassy animal print, and a greater diversity among the models (although I can’t help but wonder, have the Hadid sisters cloned themselves in order to pop up on just about every single catwalk?)
Icons such as Naomi Campbell were sitting front row, as was #MeToo pioneer Tarana Burke, and young talent Millie Bobby Brown. And Cardi B was rubbing shoulders with former editor-in-chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour.
From Philipp Plein’s spaceship to Victoria Beckham’s last NYFW show ever, we have you covered! Read about our favourite NYFW 2018 picks below!
Eckhaus Latta
Previous years Eckhaus Latta has been stirring up a storm, breaking the norm using non-industry models such as senior citizens and pregnant women. And this year was no exception. The collection was gender non-binary and the models were an eclectic and diverse mix of people. The show opened with a white, double-breasted suit-dress paired with boots that ended just below the knee. Then on the viewers were treated to a wide range of boxy silhouettes, classical tailored shirts and trousers, experimental knits, and of course, their trademark carpenter jeans.
Calvin Klein
The 2018 fall collection was Raf Simons’s third runway show for Calvin Klein. The venue was a large barn with floors covered in popcorn, half-a-foot deep. Taking over one of America’s most iconic fashion houses, Belgian-born Simons’s provocative shows have been seen as a commentary on America from an outsider’s point of view. And a very dystopian one at that. Raf Simons put on a bold and conceptual show, featuring popcorn and balaclavas. The lineup consisted of firefighter jackets over large, tailored coats paired with knitted balaclavas and sunglasses.
Victoria Beckham
This year’s NYFW show was Victoria Beckham’s last before she joins London Fashion Week in September, for the brand’s 10 year anniversary. This inspires us to throw it back to the hourglass dresses of her very first collections. This collection, however, is still a celebration of the female form, yet with a different take on the classic silhouette. The collection emphasised tailored suits, strappy belts, marked waists, asymmetrical silk dresses and a memorable leopard print jacquard coat.
Ralph Lauren
To open the show, Ralph Lauren’s models swept across the catwalk wearing white and blue summer dresses and bare feet. Inspired by the designer’s home in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Lauren wanted to create an easygoing collection reminiscent of a fresh summer breeze. The light colours and beachy dresses are indeed not appropriate for fall, this was, in fact, a spring collection, as Lauren favours a buy-now-wear-now business approach. Classic and timeless designs in white and blue with the occasional pop of unexpected colour.
Philipp Plein
Let’s just say, Philipp Plein most certainly knows how to put on a show. Now, where to begin? The show started with a performance by Migos and resumed with a large Transformer Robot walking along the front row, asking the audience if they were “wearing Philipp Plein.” Then on Irina Shayk emerged from an 18-meter-wide UFO. The supermodel strutted down the catwalk in a skin-tight catsuit, hand-in-hand with the robot. The spectacle featured artificial snow, snowmobiles, giant moon rocks, and a Paralympic runner who sprinted a couple laps around the catwalk, because, why not? As for the clothes, the models were dressed in bodysuits encrusted with crystals, colourful fur coats, biker jackets, latex trousers, and items of clothing created through a collaboration with Playboy. Last but not least, the show ended with all the models dancing (awkwardly, might I add) to Bad and Boujee.
Anna Sui
Anna Sui’s distinct aesthetic and playful pieces have made for quite the collection this year. The Hadid sisters opened the show wearing fantastic outfits in deep red. Parkas, suede lace boots, colourful fishnet stockings, sequins, feathers and the occasional sexy number was flaunted across the runway.
Coach 1941
The Coach venue at NYFW 2018 was a dark Basketball City with glitter-sprayed trees suspended from the ceiling. In this eerie environment, Stuart Vevers presented a wonderful collection inspired by the American West with prairie gowns, cowboy boots, an abundance of fringe, and leather backpacks.
Prabal Gurung
One year ago, Prabal Gurung’s models paraded down the catwalk wearing T-shirts with feminist slogans such as “This is what a feminist looks like”. This year Gurung has stated that his collection is inspired by two female-dominated societies, namely the matriarchal Mosuo tribe of China and India’s activist Gulabi Gang. The collection is a merger between draped saris and asymmetrical sequinned skirts. Model Ashley Graham glowed in a bright, red dress with cut out shoulders, and the show closed with Bella Hadid in a velvet, floor-length gown in plum.
Sies Marjan
Sander Lak unveiled his fifth collection for Sies Marjan at this year’s NYFW. And for those of us who are obsessed with Lak’s unique use of colour – this collection will not let you down. Hosted at an unexpected venue on a vacant floor in a shabby hotel, the space was beautifully lit up into different ombre hues. Dresses wrapped in tulle forming elegant silhouettes, real and faux fur in dreamy tints, satin suits in dirty pastels, and glossy leather trenchcoats. The colour palette was as tasteful as it was odd, using brown, teal, lilac, peach, orange, jade, blue and red.
Photos via Vogue Runway. Feature image by Slaven Vlasic via Getty Images.
