WOMEN COLLECTIONS S/S 2019
New York has not yet lost its power as the American fashion capital. The Big Apple is a little like superheroes; they may go out of style for a while but will soon be back stronger than ever. In this round of shows, instead of the usual talk of a crisis, of designers showing elsewhere, and the creative vacuum filled by the and , there were many positive signs coming from an array of sources. Firstly, like the proverbial return of the prodigal son, Proenza Schouler and Rodarte came back to New York after two years in Paris, revealing that “home is always home”. And they demonstrated it with collections that expressed a sort of , especially for Hernandez and McCollough, who used ‘real’ materials like and canvas and wiped the surfaces clean of all complex details and textures. These collections were ideal for real women who want to be comfortable in their clothes. More faithful to their creed, the Mulleavy sisters at Rodarte stuffed their collection with and decadence immersing it in a fairy-tale dimension featuring clouds of tulle, , and . These two excellent accompanied another comeback, that of Escada, the German brand, which returned to the runway after seasons of presentations to celebrate 40 years in business. Big in the , the brand dipped back into the decade to pull out , and , while Marc Jacobs celebrated pure Eighties maximalism in a show that confirmed the designer as the (ex-)enfant terrible and prodigal son of fashion in America and beyond. Another German brand, Boss, said goodbye to Jason Wu and entrusted its latest collection to an in-house team led by Ingo Wilts, who added a and a sense of to dreaming . Many other designers also gave an idea of ease to their looks, perhaps a sign of the general mood in New York, which could be summed up as , after all, if you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere! Oscar de la Renta’s relaxed included , , and , while Tory Burch took a casual, fluid approach to escaping the Manhattan skyscrapers for old Europe with airy and a penchant for and . All things exotic also fascinated 3.1 Phillip Lim, which added North African influences to its signature layering with cassocks, skirts and and fringed , while Michael Kors, joining his colleagues’ desire for escape, headed to Bali and embraced the seaside atmosphere with , and of various types, provided they were comfortable and casual. So, in the end, New York can still be proud both of its designers and the aura it transmitted in a week in which, between big debuts and returns, one brand reaffirmed itself as the king and father of American fashion: Ralph Lauren marked 50 years of refined with a show-party of celebrities and iconic outfits that celebrated Made in USA.
