When New York Fashion Week wrapped up after six days of some great collections but not-so-great logistics and scheduling issues that forced some buyers, press and assorted guests to choose between two shows. For many consecutive programs, moving from one to the other was impossible. Audience complaints were many, but the governing bodies feel that the times and locations are out of their reach. While navigating shows is tricky anywhere, New York is particularly challenging because of its fascination with the outer boroughs of late and, perhaps, because the offerings are considered almost as exciting. Two collections on Wednesday constitute a strong argument against that notion.
Thom Browne
Wednesday's 5pm time slot may have been the swan song for NYFW, but Thom Browne had another bird in mind for his Fall 2024/2025 men's and women's collection: “The Raven.”
As guests entered the vast exhibition space at The Shed, they discovered a barren tree and snow scene flanked by a centerpiece of a 30-foot-tall Chesterfield-style puffer coat display staffed by a model. A giant, filthy window, broken at one point, allowed the models to enter the runway.
Edgar Allen Poe's poem read aloud by The golden age actress carrie coon It was enough for the soundtrack that Browne's main character, the Raven, appeared in a torn tuxedo stole made of strips of black mohair and silk, canvas, lining, grosgrain and labels; Beneath his trompe l'oeil bodice in white silk twill, spirals of hand-embroidered feather-like ribbons wind a crepe wool skirt, according to a press release, but it perfectly sums up the intricacies of Browne's creations. On his head was a mess of blackbirds and tulle over a top hat.
Backstage, Browne spoke to FashionNetwork.com about the collection, which seemed more sinister than some of her previous themes, usually drawn from American iconography and a style so extreme that it becomes couture, especially because of the high level of craftsmanship and imagination found in their clothes. .
“This is dark, but romantically dark. It feels true to the story, so it's not so happy but romantically beautiful and charming,” he said, adding: “I'm an American designer; I like people to see that I'm American and the sensibilities with which I play and a lot of iconography. [I reference]. Edgar Allen Poe is a very important American author. I thought it was important to use a poem of his that felt like the environment he wanted to create,” he explained.
One thing that helped keep it light were the four children who appeared one by one beneath the tepee created by the looming statue, with moving arms. Children joined the Crow and sprinkled “birdseed” confetti around the set parameters cordoned off by partitioned fences; their sheer curiosity and wonder was a joyous sight.
Backstage Browne referenced French cartoon illustrator Georges Goursat, also known as SEM, whose drawings of insects dressed in formal attire such as tailcoats, which featured braids protruding from models' heads imitating antennae; The braids often continued like streamers that hung from the garments they manipulated and extended the pieces that make up traditional custom-made clothing in inconceivable ways. Browne cemented his design DNA in this feat, and yet it continues to amaze.
“I've been playing with deconstruction for a while and I love playing with the idea of all the elements of jacket, pants, skirt and coat and mixing them in a way that makes tailoring more interesting to people,” she explained. Therefore, a traditional black suit jacket and white shirt combination was restyled to fit like a shawl on the shoulder and to be cinched and exaggerated in the midsection to resemble Victorian waistcoats. One particularly striking style used different iterations of black and white checks. In some cases, a hump gave volume to the upper back. In others, the shoulders were heavily padded and extremely wide to imitate the blackbird.
“The two shapes of the towering shoulder details almost feel like a swooping crow,” Browne said.
The poem repeats several words such as “never again,” which was splashed across tweed jackets that seemed to be half-coated in random tar and whose sleeves dripped with ribbons; crows and flowers appeared as black velvet intarsia silhouettes on white fabrics; The deconstructed tuxedos featured transformable strap details, bolero-style jackets topped with wide waistbands, and slim skirt styles that Browne said she lifted from the 1910s. According to the brand, clever accessories like platform ankle boots, men's brogues, and a variety of bag designs were covered in plastic, much like grandma's living room furniture. The staffs were naturally topped with golden crow heads.
A group of cocoon cape-style dresses introduced a final look in gold, primarily the only color in the collection. “The vibe of the collection lent itself to a black and white collection, but I also challenged myself by taking the two colors and making sure there was a lot of depth to each,” he explained, offering this up for a final metallic look. bright. .
“That was the end of this season's episode of Thom Browne's story time; maybe next time I'll explore another Poe poem, 'The Golden Bug,' maybe, we'll see.”
Brandon Maxwell
In a bold move, Brandon Maxwell chose one of the secluded locations that, until now, was strictly Gabriela Hearst's territory, the Brooklyn Navy Yard. It has recently been repurposed as a film and television production center and is like a small town. Backstage, Maxwell explained that the move, which swayed on a white carpet with more than 40-foot-high white panels flanking the top of the catwalk, possibly created a dramatic performance space, rather than the Agger Fish space. , and it was largely about creating a Thread from the previous collection.
“For my spring collection in September, it was a very small, white box with about 93 people, so this space is the largest version of the idea in terms of space. I started each collection at the same time,” he told Fashion Network. com after the show.
Maxwell maintained that the similarities ended there despite the gentler moods that prevailed. “For Spring, I was in an angry place, going through some things like you do when you're 39. And there were hard knots with the jewelry, but they were also soft and drapey. I've been exploring that space between hard and soft. “When the brand started, it was very structured, rigid,” he reflects, noting that toughness gave way to personal strength and a gentler approach.
The layered hem of the white opening dress floated down the runway like waves crashing on the shore (punctuated by fire engine red pumps that punctuated many of the looks and was a nod to Maxwell's childhood obsession with Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz). Oz). The bodice of the dress featured raw edges that created a smooth lapel while also conforming to the shape of the upper body, demonstrating tension.
The two prints in the collection were drawn from images Maxwell took on a trip to the southwest, where the designer had a moment of finding beauty in the destruction of nature, one of which was that of mountains. This clarity has filtered into the approach: a tight exhibition program of 53 to 35 looks and a showroom full of ancillary pieces to launch a strong sales market. “An exploration of the hard and the soft; that's where I am. I'm focused on my life post-pandemic and post-other things, and I have a renewed focus on this brand that bears my name,” he added.
Pablo Andres
New York has never been known as a city of luxury accessories; that honor goes to Milan and Paris. However, it is the city where Paul Andrew founded his eponymous shoe brand before taking the position of creative director at Ferragamo. He has returned to his adopted city and is in the fifth season of the relaunch of his brand. He's also the one carrying the torch, admirably, in making accessories a part of NYFW. He followed his spring 2024 preview at Rockefeller Center with his fall 2024 collection at the newly opened New York branch of Italian gallery Artemest, known for showcasing Italian-made crafts. Considering Andrew's connection to the country that makes his shoes, it was appropriate.
While the new Paul Andrew has been characterized by shoes for a Roaring '20s party girl, this season, Andrew has dialed down the frivolity for shoes that are practical for city life but have a level of uniqueness. Namely, shearling boots with lugged soles, loafers with zipper details, cushioned insoles on flip-flops and sandals were the style of those seeking comfort. Flip-flops and clogs offered another approach to comfort. Andrew knows, however, that sometimes he needs a flashy shoe. The designer drew on Jean Arp, glass artist Jochen Holz, and the seductive architecture of Frank Gehry to create a new lacquered and plexiglass heel called the Glass Heel. A feminine expression comes to the Bow series in case the Paul Andrew girl decides to party again.
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