NYFW: Unfolding Fashion’s Ubiquity

When the world came to a halt, fashion strode forward and thrived through the chaos. It is to no surprise that fashion naturally powered its way against shifting normalities, especially for an industry that feeds on uncertainty and adversity – it adds to the theatrics, and positively empowers brevity and command. As a platform of international influence, it has a prerogative to impose strength, awareness, and righteousness during critical times. Its mere size alone as a multi-billion dollar industry, actually leaves it bound by the duty to continue, progress, evolve, and adapt to maintain livelihoods and keep itself intact as a whole. No other options are laid out, the fashion industry must step up and board in. New beginnings must be started. Like a true trouper, fashion resumed its calendar. Show schedules were put back to motion, and fashion month restarted. First stop, New York!

Jason Wu Spring/Summer 2021 Collection | Photos from Vogue.com

Waking fashion’s slumber, Jason Wu opened the week and emancipated the confining glooms of the pandemic and showed a collection that dreams of sunnier days and island dressing. Explosion of rich colors, abstracted prints, and casual fabrics graced the wood boarded runway that was engulfed in foliage. Bronx & Banco also seared through the sands with a collection fit for the French Riviera, airy dresses, turbans, and ombre feathers livened up the concrete-floored rooftop venue – perfect for an all night yacht party. Rebecca Minkoff also partied with her Fall/Winter 2020 collection that boasted of the chic glamour of rock-n-roll, complete with leather jackets, animal prints, and wear-and-tear party bags. 

Rebecca Minkoss Fall 2020 Presentation | Photos from rebeccaminkoff.com

Lil Nas X Christian Cowan Spring/Summer 2021 Presentation

Red velvet curtains and transcendental doors served as a playground for fashion brand AMEN for their collection. Models in chunky vintage-looking accessories, and tweed and floral applique ensembles went through and fro the set like Alice lost in Wonderland, but with hipper background music. Christian Cowan also had the same fun and vibe in his fashion week presentation that featured Marc Jacobs, Lil Nas, Chella Man, Heidi Klum, Helen Christensen, and other personalities and artists in outrageous hairs and outfits, dancing through the show like creatures of the 80’s night scene. 

Oqliq, on the other hand, downplayed their presentation by opting for a more subdued and artistic setting. Utilitarian clothes echoed through a pitch black room grounded by sand covered floors, dramatic lighting, and contemporary art, where models sat, stared, posed, and tastefully lounged on white pedestals, and chairs – artfully apocalyptic in essence.

Marina Moscone Spring/Summer 2021 Presentation | Photos from Vogue.com

The same sentiments resonated with Marina Moscone’s story, minimalist, structured, and artisanal clothes were beautifully highlighted with words from Moscone herself in a video presentation set in her atelier. Her emphasis was towards the shifting times that amplified craftsmanship and artistry which she was always inspired with. It was about finding and creating art in tribulation.

Badgeley Mischka, Tomo Koizumi, Marchesa Spring/Summer 2021 Collection | Photos from Vogue.com

Walking into their own gardens, Badgley Mischka, Tomo Koizumi and Marchesa pruned their collections with enchanting gowns, floral knee-length dresses, and ruffled ensembles that radiated fanciful fantasies and pollinated dreams. In the same spectrum of flora and fauna and beyond, Concept Korea bewildered into a brutalist structure, kaleidoscopic backdrops, and  pink psychedelic forests spellbound by models in sheer hoods, graphic skirts,  baggy t-shirts and elevated sportswear couture that was hypnotizing and trippy to say the least.

Christian Siriano Spring/Summer 2021 Collection

Christian Siriano went all out for his show, chroma colored looks in signature Christian Siriano volumes transcended over the designer’s backyard speckled with flowing floral arrangements by the pool. Long trains, Sunday dresses, and over display of colorful tulle graced the green scenery of Siriano’s backyard, topped off with a model jumping into the pool. 

Tom Ford Spring/Summer 2021 Collection | Photos from Vogue.com

Closing New York Fashion Week, Tom Ford brought sexy back to the Big Apple with a collection that inevitably manifested the “Tom Ford” DNA. Escaping from the trenches of isolation, Ford produced an outstandingly cheery collection that brought about smiles and attuned to the needed elation of people. Tie-dyed caftans in acidic colors, silk monochrome suits, leopard cover-ups and blazing black dresses swayed all over the provocative studio-shot lookbook. No in depth concepts were imbued into the whole production; only fun, energy,  and life were brought about to commemorate the return of fashion into the city that never sleeps.

The restart of fashion month only proves that, although the world might be in turmoil, its perseverance to create and reimagine the environment we live in uplifts and upholds  hope where other industries fail to burgeon. These present times may be excruciatingly tough and tumultuous for many and it may even have shut us out from the world, but in fashion the show goes on. 

Cover Images from Vogue.com courtesy of Christian Cowan

Jegs Santos is an engineer by profession whose wide interest in fashion, interiors, and design lead him to take a detour in life to follow his passion. He is currently an interior design student at the Philippine School of Interior Design, juggling it with work, both as a freelancer and a Senior editor for ACIIID. Outside work, you’ll find him out and about, looking for inspiration, nourishing his knowledge and conceiving fresh new ideas to inject into his work. Clearly, his life is fueled by his job.

ACIIID is your digital platform for trends, news, and inspirations on design, fashion, arts, & a whole lot more.

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