Tongue in Chic: New York Fashion Week proves increasingly irrelevant
As a fashion columnist, it would be an egregious oversight for me not to mention that it is currently New York Fashion Week, where brands will showcase their autumn/winter ready-to-wear collections. The week officially kicked off this Monday, Feb. 3 and goes until this Wednesday. Some brands that are showing include Helmut Lang, The Row and Marc Jacobs. Some brands that include not showing are Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Pyer Moss. The brand that made waves by ditching New York for Los Angeles, Tom Ford, staged his runway show Friday night at Milk Studios Hollywood in front of a gaggle of celebrity attendees, including Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Jenner and Lil Nas X.
OK, great! Now that’s out of the way …
Look, I know I should care. For fashion reporters, NYFW is basically awards season for entertainment writers or election time for political journalists. Fashion Week happens twice a year, once in spring and once in fall, and it’s a whirlwind of runway shows, street-style candids and cocktail parties, where everyone jostles to see and be seen. As someone who one day aspires to the position of Vanessa Friedman or Robin Givhan, wading into the thick of NYFW is non-negotiable.
And yet, I kind of … don’t care. And I’m not the only one who feels that way, as a rash of articles have popped up in the last few days declaring NYFW “irrelevant” and explaining the decision to skip the whole thing entirely.
It’s evident that NYFW is losing its luster. But let me be clear: It’s only New York that I’m feeling “meh” about. London, Milan and Paris Fashion Week are still on the calendar, and I’m extremely excited to see what they deliver. But for New York, the hype simply isn’t there — it’s moved overseas.
When it comes to New York’s roster, there are only a few brands I’m interested in seeing: Sandy Liang, Eckhaus Latta, Khaite. Other buzzy emerging designers I would’ve loved to see, like Maryam Nassir Zadeh and Pyer Moss, have opted out of the fracas entirely. The rest … I can take it or leave it.
These are brands that are culturally relevant, that are inspiring discussion and moving the fashion conversation forward. Sandy Liang’s neon-trimmed fleeces, inspired by her childhood, were dubbed the hottest jacket in menswear by GQ; Eckhaus Latta recently mounted a full-scale solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Over the summer, Katie Holmes went viral when she stepped out in Khaite’s cashmere bra, which instantly sold out.
It’s no coincidence that all my picks are smaller, less established brands. That’s because I’d actually wear their clothes — they’re still luxury, with all the creative flair and fine craftsmanship that entails, but they’re also way more accessible and suited for everyday wear. Whereas the heavy-hitters who’ve been around forever, simply aren’t made for the general public. I mean, Tom Ford’s show was gorgeous — Bella Hadid strutted in slinky, body-skimming chainmail — but his line is utterly unwearable. I don’t need to watch their runway shows because, one, I’m not going to see anything I’d realistically put on my own body, and two, I already know I’ll see the dresses later in some red carpet roundup.
Plus, there were shows that were just plain bad. Christian Siriano (who does great work advancing diversity and size inclusivity in fashion) based his collection on “Birds of Prey,” the new Harley Quinn movie. Of course not every season needs to go down in history books, but … why? I liked some looks, such as a ruffly black leather getup, but some, like a confetti-colored fringed bolero, looked like something you’d get at Party City and then toss in the trash after spilling your martini on it.
It seems more and more people in fashion are becoming disillusioned with Fashion Week. A survey from industry news publication Fashionista that asked industry professionals their thoughts on Fashion Week garnered nearly 500 responses and revealed mixed feelings; a majority of respondents said they felt it was a waste of time and resources and that mounting big runway shows, not to mention attendees jetting around the world, exacted an environmental toll. Either way, the future of NYFW is in flux, and, in an industry infamous for its mercurial nature, there’s no telling what next season will bring.
Kitty Guo is a senior writing about fashion. Her column, “Tongue in Chic,” runs every other Monday.