ALEXANDER-Motherfreakin-WANG
A moment to just appreciate Wang in all his glory. If any collection stole the show this NYFW, it was his. Where do I even begin. It featured futuristic matrix inspired designs with a touch of athleisure in grey and black, which is always a necessity for Wang. Sunglasses seemed to be a major staple, whilst "WANG" embroidered tights also seemed to be a feature. Also, Anna Winter was seated next to Cardi B, which isn't a regular occurrence so Wang truly did THAT.
Brandon MAXWELL
Maxwell, Maxwell, Maxwell. What did we do to deserve you? The collection was simply stunning. The only downside was that there wasn't enough looks. The pure elegance and the set design; it was everything. He continues to showcase a diverse range of models in his collection, which is very much needed within the fashion industry.
DION Lee
You could very clearly see two major inspirations for his F/W 2018 collection: Lingerie and Military. Many didn't seem a fan of the frilly skirts and dresses, the frills being attached by rings to the hems of the skirt but it was new and a fresh idea brought to the runway. Overall, I'd say it was a success. You could compile the ultimate F/W wardrobe from most of the collection.
The ROW
Do the Olsen twins ever disappoint? Of course not. They always keep it very classic and feminine, which strangely makes us want to be a full time lawyer, living on the Upper East side but thats another story. The colour palette is everything we need for F/W this year.
CUSHNIE et OCHS
I love it when collections are colour co-ordinated, so this was definitely one for my books. The runway was long and the show began with models standing behind white screens like a gallery exhibition. They marched out one by one wearing tight dresses, pencil skirts, and bodysuits in a neutral palette of white, black, nude, gray, and silver, with a few pops of hot pink thrown in for effect.
Tom FORD
I have mixed feelings for his latest collection. I'm on the fence about the "been there-done that"concept. Should we occasionally give tribute to the past decades? Yes. Can Tom Ford bring back leopard and tiger prints back into style? No. It's tragic. However, his use of structured silhouettes and statement accessories make up for it. 2018 is the year of minimalism and the modern women, so lets put the tiger print leggings to one side and focus on more tailored looks.
DEREK Lam
Now you already know, if you colour co-ordinate teal with mustard yellow it is a YES from me. His theme for his Fall collection was equestrianism, which isn't a first for designers. I loved the mix of fabrics from velvet to quilting (I mean, who wants to see a whole collection of cotton?) If I visited the stables on a Sunday morning in the South of England, I could most definitely see myself wearing these looks.
Victoria BECKHAM
It was 10 years ago that Victoria Beckham invited curious editors and buyers to a suite in the Waldorf Towers to see her debut collection, and here we are now. She doesn't seem to stray too far from her usual tailored feminine silhouettes and tends to stick to the same colour palette, but we continue to love it. Bags were super-oversized, asymmetric dresses were pleated and coats were sometimes doubled. Lets hope for another 10 more years, at least.
MANSUR Gavriel
Mansur and Gavriel seemed to make their mark on the industry with their famous leather bucket bag, which at the time, was almost always sold out. Their F/W collection was a mixture of sheer tunics, linen pants and silky button-down blouses. Minimalism at its finest.
Tibi
Tibi still seems to be a very much slept on brand, though having been around for nearly a decade. Their collection was kept very simple, no logos and hardly any prints (plaid is an exception). The colour palette contrasts were a favourite of mine; pink and red, camel and neon orange.
Brock COLLECTION
If you had to choose one word to describe Brock Collection, it would be romantic. It reminded me very much of Old English countryside, mixed with mid century but then also youthful. Their signature ruffled frocks once again made an appearance, but we aren't complaining.
CINQ à Sept
Beautiful colour palette and use of various materials. Groundbreaking? No. Visually appealing? Yes. You see, I can say things like this because my audience is very small now so I might as well make the most of it before I have to start giving false opinions of collections just to make sure I get invited back next season. On another note, the venue was beautiful which contrasted nicely with the collection.
Phillip PLEIN
Let's just briefly say... The set design = everything. However, the Plein has already been accused of copying Moncler designs (called out by @diet_prada) and had 6ix9ine performing at the show [TW: RAPE], who pleaded guilty to felony accounts of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. So, not to be a party-pooper, but it was a no from me.
Adeam
A brand I haven't really paid attention to in the past, and are still fairly new to the game. Truly beautiful. The use of layers, uneven hems and ruffles all tied in together for an effortless finish. The collection overall is what I could imagine my wardrobe to look like come winter this year; Maeda truly hit the nail on the head with this collection.
Jonathan SIMKHAI
For the last few seasons, I have been a fan of Simkhai's collections. His inspiration seemed to be a mix of suffragettes and Gibson Girls from the 19th century. Nonetheless, it was a beautifully-accumulated F/W 2018 collection, with each look flowing on from each other.
Area
The set design... YES AREA, YES. The collection was a perfect mix of prints, with bold colours and tailored silhouettes. It almost felt like 26 looks weren't enough... With reference to Tom Ford, I still am not impressed with the animal prints and I would most definitely not like a comeback of them this year so please, please, please stop it. Get some help.
Oscar DE LA Renta
Beautiful collection. Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia still seem to keep De La Renta's style of work very much alive. Overall, I felt a more S/S vibe if it weren't for the oversized coats, as there were floral and leaf prints left-right-and-centre. Nonetheless, it was played safe.
Zimmerman
The brand always fulfils the need for frocks-and-frills with their collections. There was less of that action in their F/W 2018 collection, which seemed to pleased the majority of people (not me, I aim to look like a sugar plum fairy, ok?). The collection eased romance if it was alive in the Victorian era, and kept a very neutral colour palette.
Self-PORTRAIT
I'll admit, at first I believed Self-Portrait only made dresses as that seemed to be the item bought by nearly every fashion blogger in the UK for spring/summer weddings. Turns out, they also make killer outerwear items. The whole collection wasn't like "wow" but it definitely changed my view of them. Also, that baby blue silk evening dress worn by model McKenna Hellam was everything!
TORY Burch
Set design = Everything. There was an oasis of pink carnations and mossy turf, which perfectly contrasted with the fall collection. Shearling jackets, patchwork dresses and neck scarves; we liked the show a lot.
Jason WU
Wu kept the collection very minimal and simple... but wait a second, are those... Swarovski crystals? Swarovksi crystals were stitched to skirts, sweaters, dresses and dangled from the belts wrapped around the waists of tailored jackets. To complement the mini jewels, Wu used a lot of vibrant jewel colours.
ULLA Johnson
Her collection featured desert tons, with pops of hot pink (which isn't our go-to colour for Fall/Winter) and punched velvet. The bright colours and bold prints really makes up a stunning collection. Some covetable treasures that we will continue to lust over.
Christian SIRIANO
Siriano shows always tend to be most talked about, not for the collection itself, but for the model cast. Should this be the case? No. At the end of the day, the model should be the hanger for the clothes and shouldn't outshine what is being showcased, otherwise whats the point. However, the diverse model cast deserves to be applauded. Not just models of all skin colour, but of different sizes (meaning either size 0 or plus size). The outerwear seemed to be a hit, the rest of the collection... erm. Very couture as opposed to RTW.
Thanks for reading!
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