New York Fashion Week Recap

By Daniela Sol

As New York Fashion Week unfolds, the question “has fashion become ugly?” resounds amongst fashion enthusiasts because of the design choices made by resent designers. It seems that women and men all over have given in to the bulky sweaters, long t-shirts, chunky shoes, and puffy jackets. Fashion designers all around have abandoned the elegance and beauty of high fashion as they re-invent their brands to a more youthful path.

Carolina Herrera just retired from acting designer and creative director of her fashion brand this year, assigning her job to the 33-year-old protégé Wes Gordon, making this week’s show her last one. According to the fashion website Who What Wear, Carolina Herrera believes fashion has drifted to a new path which she rather not take herself.

“Fashion has changed a lot,” she said. “What they like now is ugliness. Women dress in a very strange way. Like clowns. There is a lot of pressure to change all the time. But it’s better to wear what suits you.”

Although it’s true that fashion has taken a more practical path, one focused on comfort rather than high style, this winter’s New York Fashion Week presenting Fall 2018 does show the elegance Herrera disclaims. The runways are being filled with pastels and prominent colors like reds, yellows, greens, and blues showing an array of bold combinations that simply work.

Alexander Wang with his famous grey scale combos presented fluffy sweaters with checkered wool pants while Adidas showed pastel track suits. Trends like high boots mixed with long skirts dominated shows like, The Row and Kate Spade. millennial pink, which was and is a huge outbreak in previous season trends, has now morphed into a more fuchsia pink. Romantic ruffles and vintage flower fabrics dominated the runways as well in Tory Burch, Jason Wu and Brock. Oscar de la Renta also went along garden of eve theme, with feminine jackets and gowns that displayed embroidered sequence flowers, unicorns, and bright color contrasts.

It’s essential in the fashion world to have classics like Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera deliver timeless and elegant pieces yet the shift fashion is taking is inevitable. Woman are choosing chunky shoes, loose sweaters, baggy pants, and long skirts. Femininity has been redefined by the fashion industry. It is now defined by practicality and freedom of expression for the women of today rather than beauty and elegance.

Fashion has now become a way to declare who people are through what they wear. Individuality is now celebrated by the fashion industry as women mix and match whatever garments they believe express who they are as women.

As for Fall 2018, lots of color is expected to be seen in the streets from all ranges in the spectrum, to cute pastels to bold blues and yellows. Vintage flowers patterns and a variety of boots, ranging from cowboy to high-top scrunched boots are expected to be seen walking. Chunky sweaters are still a thing and adding a bulky coat is inspired. Get yourself some athleisure that will work both as Easter attire and for a quick trip to the market.