Birkenstocks are the New Black: New York Fashion Week sets the stage for future trends


By
 in ,

While most fashion events occur on traditional runways, designer Ralph Lauren transformed his Madison Avenue location into a casual runway for New York Fashion Week. (Photo from Flickr)

If you follow fashion or scroll through social media on a daily basis, you would know that last week marked a major annual event for designers — New York Fashion Week. All throughout NYC, top fashion designers, editors, models and influencers gathered to watch the epic shows. Whether the show takes place in a traditional runway space, outdoor garden or Instagram-worthy cafe setting (like Ralph Lauren’s), the new styles and trends on display at New York Fashion Week always intrigue the masses.

For me, New York Fashion Week tends to be overwhelming because of the constant social media and editorial material posted throughout its duration. I’ve been working on keeping up with the best moments and emerging trends of the event for as long as I’ve had interest in fashion.

From new hues and textures to completely groundbreaking silhouettes, the designers at New York Fashion Week offered no shortage of innovative looks. Not only did the designers provide amazing fashion inspiration, but the editors, influencers and models (as always) provided slightly more wearable street-style looks. Today, I’ve decided to share some of my favorite runway and street-style trends from NYFW.

As a lover of simple elegance, I am always drawn to Ralph Lauren during Fashion Week. The show took place in the Ralph Lauren store on Madison Avenue that was elegantly transformed into a cafe guests could enjoy while the designer’s looks took the runway.

The looks kept to the basic black, white and gold colors, all while employing a wide range of silhouettes. From breezy dresses in elegant black and white floral prints to a stunning gold dress modeled by Bella Hadid featuring a midi-hem and a pleated skirt, this collection emphasized glamour and elegance. I personally loved it because of the simple colors Ralph Lauren chose in conjunction with the interesting range of styles employed.

Another noteworthy collection was designed by “Project Runway” winner Christian Siriano and featured a more couture tone. The collection, like many others by Siriano, featured fairytale silhouettes in bright plum and blue shades. Siriano also chose to dress supermodel Ashley Graham in crystals from head to toe — literally.

As an avid “Project Runway” fan, I have always enjoyed following Siriano and his career. While his collections may not be as relatable to my everyday wardrobe, I find them inspiring and thought-provoking. I love how his looks always allow for a moment of fashion escape and inspiration.

While there were many other amazing designers featured, another part of Fashion Week that I always look forward to is scouring street-style websites like StyleDuMonde and CollageVintage to see what members in the fashion industry are wearing between shows. One major trend I noticed was oversized puffer jackets. Originally from the East Coast, I am a huge fan of the puffer jacket, and I was excited to see that so many fashion insiders have the same affinity for the warm yet stylish piece of outerwear.

The inspiration from New York Fashion Week tends to provide me with different outfit combinations for months to come. While I still don’t feel completely caught up with all of the amazing displays that occurred last week, I am excited about the range of styles displayed by the different designers that I did manage to see.

I loved the ability designers like Lauren and Siriano have to provide a clear and unique insight into the world of fashion through their shows. After last week, I am more excited than ever about the outfits that will begin to emerge from the trends that appeared at NYFW.

Lilly Howell is a sophomore writing about fashion. Her column, “Birkenstocks are the New Black,” runs every other Friday.