Over the past few days in New York City — and a little further afield, on Long Island — mainstay brands like Ralph Lauren, Coach, Tommy Hilfiger and Tory Burch looked to reinvigorate or redefine the classics, while labels including Alaïa and Off-White, who typically show in Paris, crossed the pond to define what American fashion means to them.
New York Fashion Week, which formally kicks off fashion month, has found itself at a crossroads in recent seasons as its counterparts in Milan and Paris have maintained dominance on the industry’s schedule with sought-after shows and splashy celebrity guest lists. But that doesn’t mean the city has been without its A-listers — especially since the weeklong event has coincided with the US Open, bringing out plenty of stars to sit both by the court and the catwalk.
Ralph Lauren got things started with an off-schedule Hamptons fête on Thursday, recreating its iconic Polo Bar for guests including First Lady Jill Biden, singer Usher, and actors Jude Law, Tom Hiddleston and Naomi Watts. At the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum the following night, Alaïa reunited supermodels Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Amber Valletta and Stephanie Seymour in the audience while Kendall Jenner led the models’ procession around the art museum’s famed spiraling architecture — though Rihanna’s glittering appearance in a crystal mesh ensemble by the French luxury house was the biggest surprise of the evening.
Later in the week, Tory Burch drew an enviable front row that included Elizabeth Olsen, Michelle Williams, Jodie Turner-Smith, Mindy Kaling and Ella Emhoff, who watched on as aughts icon Alexa Chung walked the runway. And for the Brooklyn-based label Luar, who staged the final evening show, a surprise appearance by Madonna in latex gloves and a wide camel coat set off a frenzy of camera flashes. (Next to her, a final empty seat remained a mystery until the rapper Ice Spice arrived to claim it).
Celebrities also turned out in droves for Off-White as creative director Ib Kamara headed the label’s first-ever New York runway on Sunday. Singers Zayn Malik, Mary J. Blige, Tinashe, Victoria Monét and Camila Cabello, supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio, and actors Issa Rae and Lena Waithe arrived at basketball courts along the Brooklyn waterfront to see the collection, “Duty Free,” which took inspiration from the late founder Virgil Abloh’s Ghanaian heritage. Also in attendance was US Olympic water poloist Ashleigh Johnson — with rapper Flavor Flav, of course, who became a sponsor of her team this year — and 2024 Olympic all-around gymnastics gold medalist Sunisa Lee.
But Olympians haven’t just been on the guest list this week — they’ve made surprise runway debuts as well. Another one of the gymnastics “Golden Girls,” Jordan Chiles, traded the balance beam for the catwalk at Kim Shui, wearing a floral silk leotard-style outfit, finished with a fluttering cape, while sprinter Noah Lyles embraced a more leisurely pace at Willy Chavarria’s show in white athletic shorts and armbands emblazoned with “América,” the name the designer chose for a show about the immigrant perspective of the American Dream.
Chavarria’s latest collection — which featured baggy, belted khakis; crisp ties and lapels; and utility menswear skirts, followed by a separate, new sportswear line with Adidas — was set against the backdrop of the American flag and began with a performance of the classic Spanish love song “Querida.” (Guests also received small booklets from the American Civil Liberties Union printed with the full US Constitution, a reminder of the country’s founding ideals.)
It was far from the only show that expressed a sense of political urgency ahead of the 2024 election.
Galvanized by Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, the Nepali American designer Prabal Gurung wrote in the show notes that he wanted create a collection that reflects “a powerful affirmation of matriarchy, femininity and the future.” Gurung’s collection of trailing neck scarves, sheer bustiers and hand-draped sari pants was full of movement on a breezy day near City Hall — and included a seemingly tongue-in-cheek reference to Harris with an embroidered coconut tree mini dress.
“I’ve always believed in power of women, of feminine-leaning ideas,” Gurung told CNN just before the show. “I’ve always believed that they saved me… and I know they can save the world.”
The surrealist label Area, celebrating its 10th anniversary, had a pointed message as well. Partnering with the dating app Tinder to promote (and donate to) the national abortion rights campaign Bans Off Our Bodies, Areashowing a collection of handprints and fingerprints printed, stitched and etched on the garments.
“We really think about and reflect on what is going on in the world and put that back into our clothes,” creative director Piotrek Panszczyk told CNN backstage.
Their lineup included a Tinder logo T-shirt, one of several highly visible partnerships of the week as companies jockeyed for branding within the collections. Designer Elena Velez was sponsored by the online platform OnlyFans for her show of reimagined mythologized heroes setting out for battle in platform boots, leather and pageantry sashes. Sandy Liang, collaborating with Android, sent out a Samsung Galaxy Z flip phone enclosed in a case with her signature star motif. (Pornhub also sponsored a show by the label Private Policy, though its logo did not appear in the line).
The biggest collaborations, however, were the ones that produced a second collection. Like Chavarria with Adidas, designer Naeem Khan did double duty with a second line of looks. For Khan, his partner was Universal Pictures for the upcoming musical adaptation of “Wicked,” leading to glittering gowns in pink, green and black that models showcased to the film’s score. Kahn told CNN that he strove for cohesion between the two sets of intricate evening wear.
“How do I say ‘Wicked’ in the chicest way possible? Because I cannot make it into costumes from the movie,” he said of the prompt. “It has to have my DNA.”
Scroll down to see this season’s runway highlights, updated throughout the week.
