New York Fashion Week: The mystical time of year that gets every fashionista excited to walk around the city in her finest street style, attending her favorite shows and lusting over next season’s couture. Although most people outside the fashion bubble might feel alienated from this experience, NYFW influences us in ways we could never imagine - beyond blogger street style snaps, envy-inducing Instagram posts, editorials and buying offices. Here are some things everyone should know about NYFW:
What is New York Fashion Week?
When designers present their upcoming collections in a series of runway shows and presentations. Traditionally, this is what influences what we will see in stores and in fashion magazines in the next six months, but over the past few years it has turned into a much larger spectacle and conversation.
When is it?
Twice a year, in February and in September. Designers always show their collections for the upcoming season, so in February we are seeing the following fall/winter designs and in September we are seeing spring/summer.
Where is it?
All over NYC! Technically, it is centralized between two locations, Skylight at Moynihan Station, in Midtown, and Skylight Clarkson Square, in SoHo, but designers often do their own thing in various locations throughout the city in whichever locations speak to them and their collections.
Who goes?
There are two groups of people who go to the shows and events: those who are working and those who are there for the show. The working group consists of editors, buyers and stylists who use the shows to forecast trends, buy for stores and preview looks for clients. The other group - the audience - includes bloggers, socialites, celebrities and friends of the designer. Luckily, over the past few seasons, we have seen a shift towards designers opening their shows and events to the public more, in an effort to bring the focus back to the actual art that is the work.
Why should I care?
Not only does this week of shows and events influence what we will be wearing and seeing in the upcoming season, it also depicts a conversation about the larger picture of what is going on in our society and the world today. Fashion is essentially a wearable art form that communicates who we are and what we are about. This season we saw 3 major trends: the shift from traditional runway shows to actual events and presentations, inclusive casting (using models of every size and shape and color), and brands moving their collections to the see now ready-to-wear model. There were many brands that embraced this new way of doing fashion week, including the Pier 16 Carnival hosted by Tommy Hilfiger, the actual street fashion shows put on by Rebecca Minkoff in Soho and Rachel Comey in TriBeca, and Kanye West's take over of Roosevelt Island for the controversial Yeezy presentation. Who knows what surprises next fashion week will hold!
Do you have any favorite moments from NYFW SS '17?
#nyfw #springfashion #2017 #summerstyle