Oscar De La Renta closed day six of New York Fashion Week (NYFW) with a stunning display of timeless elegance that eclipsed the likes of Vera Wang, Tory Burch and Serena Williams. There were more than 70 events celebrating spring/summer 2016 on day six of the bi-annual style fest as New York sweltered in the September heat. Here are the highlights:
Oscar De La Renta
Oscar De La Renta unveiled its second collection since the death of its founder with another beautiful display of Spanish-inspired elegance by British creative director Peter Copping.
It was a masterclass in timeless, classical elegance with suits, breathtaking ball gowns, cocktail dresses, skirts and blouses crafted into a long, slender silhouette suitable for women young and old alike.
Copping made plentiful use of ruffles and lace. There were bold floral prints. Colours were crimson, black, white, green and splashes of orange.
Guests were each treated to a red carnation on their seats, reputedly a favourite of the late De La Renta, who died in October 2014.
Travelling with Tory into spring
Wanderlust has been good to Tory Burch: Her love of travel often inspires her work, with past collections imbued with flavours of London, Marrakesh, the American Southwest and points beyond.
For her latest collection, Burch dug a little deeper, unearthing textures and intricate details one might encounter in far-off lands.
“It’s a bit more conceptual from an inspiration standpoint,” Burch explained before presenting her collection on Tuesday. “I wanted to highlight the idea that beauty happens over time, and the patina that time creates.”
For an audience that included actresses Jessica Alba and Maggie Q and model Liya Kebede, Burch kicked off her presentation with kaftans and separates in cotton and linen, with fringe and frayed edges highlighting natural textures. More polished, office-appropriate pieces followed, including a knee-length linen jacquard tunic worn over cropped linen pants, a silhouette that has emerged as a spring trend. Handbags embellished with fringe or feathers likewise emphasised texture and movement, while the collection’s statement shoe featured a sculptured heel inspired by a sinuous piece of natural tree bark.
It’s a busy week for Burch: On Wednesday she debuts her Tory Sport activewear line in a New York pop-up shop. That collection is designed “with elegance of sport in mind”, Burch said, adding that she included “coming and going pieces, what you might wear to lunch after the gym, or what you’d wear to the airport.”
Perhaps Burch had her own travels in mind. “After this week I’m headed to Venice,” she said. “I’m excited, because I haven’t been on vacation in a long time.”
Gaga stylist Brandon Maxwell steps into the spotlight
Brandon Maxwell knows how to make a woman feel beautiful.
The stylist to superstar Lady Gaga debuted his own line of women’s ready-to-wear on Monday night, with his celebrity client there before, during and after the show. Wearing (what else) a Brandon Maxwell-designed black pants suit with a low V-neck, Lady Gaga said she was “beyond proud” of her stylist.
And Maxwell returned the love.
“It is such a special relationship, I think,” Maxwell said. “She really took a chance on me, in a lot of ways, not only as a creative collaborator, but also as a best friend. She has been there for me in times like this, but she has also been there for me at three o’clock in the morning when I am crying and couldn’t get through the day, so it was obviously a no-brainer that she was here. And she was here all week, she’s been in the hotel with my family, you know, helping and wrangling and dealing.”
His collection included impeccably tailored suits, jumpsuits and gowns, nearly all of them in black or white — a classic look Maxwell said was inspired by his mother. The collection featured deep B-necks, capes, layered waistbands and the show-stopper” a puffy, organza cage cape over a simple strapless black gown.
“I know everyone thinks their mom is the most beautiful, but I really felt like my mom was the most beautiful growing up,” he said. “And she always was very timeless and classic and polite and manners, and you know, she worked during the day and then she volunteered for hospice at night, and she always was sort of doing good for the world, and she always had taste and didn’t show too much, and wasn’t too over the top, and she is sort of my inspiration always.”
Darkly chic and easy at Zac Posen
The evening wear king has seen the light of day.
Posen put on a show dominated by looks for daytime in dark blacks, navy and bright whites with just a pop of red and sparkle, on Monday. And his models were treated to elegant flat shoes!
He has a shorthand for this spring mix: “maximal minimalism.”
There were structured shoulders, monastic architectural bodices and rounded skirts on dresses, but also roomy, flowing looks accented by open seams on deconstructed sleeves, jackets and other garments.
“It’s form,” he said in a backstage interview after the show put on under ornate chandeliers in a Grand Central Terminal hall. “The detail in the clothing is intense and the clothing is crafted, from articulated seams to embroideries on cottons. But the overall shapes have a sense of cleanliness and form to them, and a sense of ease.”
So why did the wunderkind take on so much daywear at this juncture in his career, 13 years after his first runway show?
“We’ve built so much evening wear and presented it. It’s important to me as I grew up to re-look at my woman and say, for the runway, you can propose options for day,” Posen said. “There were still gowns, but you have to keep it exciting on the runway. It’s important to surprise and to challenge yourself. I didn’t want any themes. I wanted to keep it contemporary and modern and refreshing.”
Looks were roomy, but retained shape through clever belting. A pair of split short pants in white were extra wide. He left backs open in silky satin and hinged the seams for an open effect on his sole red look, a strapless dress, and other outfits.
No worries, ladies looking for fresh Posens in a broader range of shades. He said he has plenty of other colours back at the showroom.
Rag & Bone mixes feminine with military
It was a mix of feminine, masculine and military — parachute dresses, pilot totes and field dresses -on the Rag & Bone runway on Monday night at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn.
Designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville presented updated takes on bright bomber jackets with sleeves inspired by the fabric of parachute pants from the 1980s and casual, but sexy jumpsuits with lots of zippers. It was like being in a fashionable “danger zone” a la Tom Cruise in Top Gun.
Drawing inspiration from feminine, military and English style and culture, Marcus Wainwright said the show was “an exploration of our roots” and all about the downtown Rag & Bone girl who takes great pride in her appearance, but isn’t concerned what others may think.
The models had a relaxed, languid gait, which paired well with the tuxedo jackets of varying lengths, silky camisole dresses, sweaters with large zippered pockets and racer-back tweed dresses in yellow and black and burnt orange and black. Bright colours were often paired with dark. And the shoes? Chunky white leather sneakers with thick laces and chunky sandals.
Not to be overlooked was the music, Villain, which was an original piece by frequent collaborator Thom Yorke, with live accompaniment by members of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
A fan of the brand and the shoe game on display, actress Kiernan Shipka, who sat front row with Hailey Baldwin and Leigh Lezark, said she “loved how they deployed the sneakers,” pairing something seemingly masculine shoes with ultra-feminine dresses.
Also making the trek to the Brooklyn performance space with Shipka were Anna Wintour, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, Atlanta de Cadenet, Camille Rowe, Lil Buck and Blake Griffin.
Vera Wang
Wang, perhaps best known for her red-carpet creations, offered the New York fashion crowd a meditation in black, unveiled on a mirrored set.
When asked about her inspiration, she immediately burst out: “Belle de Jour ... the film that [Yves] St Laurent did with Catherine Deneuve.”
There were micro-black shorts and bras under a large coat or a black, sleeveless men’s jacket, a transparent skirt with a crop top, or a short black pleated skirt with a sheer black shirt worn over a white bra.
For evening, gowns and micro-shorts were shiny and glittery, paired with feathers and strappy boots up to mid-thigh.
“It’s a little Las Vegas,” she finished.
Serena Williams
The tennis champ put a brave face on her shock US Open defeat, unveiling a capsule collection with Anna Wintour and rumoured boyfriend Drake in the front row.
The rumour mill went into overdrive over Drake and Williams’s relationship status after the Canadian rapper kissed her hand backstage, and the world number one used some of his music for the show.
All 23 looks for retailer HSN were practical, comfortable, affordable and infused with a relaxed, everyday casual vibe — and all immediately available for purchase online.
She made liberal use of fringing — a key look of the spring/summer 2016 season — with asymmetrical-tasselled skirts and tasselled suede jackets.
Poetry at Rodarte
Eccentric and gothic, but feminine, sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy at Rodarte said they were inspired by poets Emily Dickinson, novelist William Burroughs and Canadian singer Leonard Cohen.
Even in the heat of summer, the Rodarte woman will be wearing high lace Gothic-style collars, a large Mongolian lamb fur jacket, and tweed or velvet pants. Lightness came in the form of lace tops, ruffles and fringes.
Coach in colour
Best known for its handbags and leather goods, American house Coach presented a quirky collection full of colour and freshness that marked 75 years in business.
“I thought the most important way to honour that was to actually boldly look forward. What does the next generation care about?” British creative director Stuart Vevers said.
