The Rosegold Magazine . You own your FASHION
NYFW SS20: top 10 shows
13th September 2019 - Aina Matamoros
NYFW ended last Wednesday night and it was one of the best fashion weeks that New York City has had lately. It was the first event with Tom Ford as CFDA’s chairman, who decided to shorten the week to only 6 days, which was very appreciated especially by editors/journalists and models.
The SS20 shows were pretty awesome. I like more Spring-Summer season because I love good weather and the kind of clothes you can wear when it’s warm: you look so much better and prettier with the sun shining.
I had not been a huge fan of NYFW lately since the shows were a little dull and kind of the same each year. However and fortunately for me, us and all the fashion industry, this season was amazing. I liked a lot of shows (I couldn’t decide on only 10 to include in this post) and I think designers got back the hope and positive mood towards NYC and its fashion. I mean, come on, NYC is THE CITY OF FASHION, where everything begins, happens and ends, where you can do anything, where everybody has its own place.
Here are the top 10 shows for this NYFW SS20 season. It was hard for me to only choose 10 because there were a lot of collections that I liked, and also a lot of brands/designers that had something to tell the world through their clothes and shows. Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger were also big and beautiful shows, as well as Rihanna's Savage Fenty fashion show, which took place last Tuesday but will air on Amazon Prime on September 20th (and we have to be ready for it because it is going to be shocking).
My lovely friend Núria Pujol (@nuriarandomthings) picked two of my favorite looks from Carolina Herrera (left) and one from Marc Jacobs (right) and made this beautiful drawings. Thank you :)
1. Tom Ford
We have to begin with the man behind it all, Tom Ford. Always one of my favorites, he decided to show his collection in a subway station in downtown NYC and in front of only 180 guests. His collection was, as always, elegant, slick and daring. Some of the first looks did quite surprise me because models were wearing wide t-shirts and skirts when normally Ford’s silhouettes are thin and stuck to the body. Also some of the female models wore wide shorts (very short or lower to the knees, like basketball shorts) paired with blazers and two looks were made by only black cutout bodysuits, which did not fit in the standards of Tom Ford’s chic and gracious designs, but it did fit with the subway setting and the current mood of NYC’s fashion; so it was a good different.
The rest of the collection was full of his signature tailored blazers and suits, both for men and women, and total black outfits mixing different types of clothes in leather and satin. The final looks were bold: for men, models wore neon animal print blazers paired with all-white shirt and trousers; and women wore molded plastic crop tops in shiny colors together with wide-leg fluid high waisted pants in the same color.
2. Jeremy Scott
Jeremy Scott is also one of the regular big names in NYFW, known for its colorful, shiny, fun and pretty crazy aesthetic. He described this collection as a “neon rock opera”, which says it all. Models wore big pastel and electric colored wigs to highlight the 80’s inspiration for the whole collection. The looks were very detailed and crafted. Neon psychedelic prints, animal prints and bold colorful abstract prints and metallic colors were present in every single look, both for women and men and even in the shoes, which were boots and over the knee boots for the girls. Bodysuits, short dresses, and coordinated two-piece looks were the stars of the collection.
3. Brandon Maxwell
Two things were new at this show: a lot of day looks with jeans for the girls and the introduction of menswear. That said, Maxwell’s characteristic and impeccable evening wear was also present at the end of the show and it was great, as always.
For the day looks, models wore skinny jeans paired with oversized blazers, elegant shirts or layered sweaters. There were also looks with no jeans: formal yet relaxed dresses and short pantsuits in colors like red, green, blue and beige. The 8 male looks combined also daytime and nighttime styles, with suits as the main outfit option and also a couple of casual combinations with jeans. The evening wear section included some silver sequined pieces, timeless black and white looks, elegant red and pink combinations, sexy all-black tight long dresses and daring outfits that paired a super small crop top (aka a bra) with long skirts, the last one being the Maxwell’s signature big puffy long skirt.
4. Carolina Herrera
Carolina Herrera was a perfect elegant dream as always. Celebrated in a see-through tent in a beautiful garden in the middle of NYC, the show presented Wes Gordon’s third collection for the brand, being one of the most faithful to Carolina Herrera’s legacy so far.
The first look the iconic combination of the house: voluminous white shirt with a long floral printed skirt. Floral prints and details were very present throughout the whole collection, which also included other prints like plaid patterns used for formal coats and dresses and black and white big and small polka dots used in fun short pantsuits and dresses, too. The last section of the show blossomed again with flowers for the most elegant dresses: floral appliques and prints in yellow, pink, blue, and green decorated a series of perfectly tailored and gorgeous dresses that made everyone fall in love with them.
5. Jonathan Simkhai
This collection is the definition of spring made in clothes. Simkhai is always better for SS season and this show proves it. Fluid slip dresses and off duty suits led a collection that makes you feel like you are in a dreamy endless summer. The color palette was made only by white and pastels like green, blue, orange and yellow. Also, a special mention to my favorite look, the opening one: a pastel pistachio green blazer short dress, wrapped with a ribbon and with lace details at the bottom and the detail of ruffled cuffs. Beautiful.
6. Prabal Gurung
To celebrate his 10th anniversary in fashion, Prabal Gurung showed a flowery and colorful collection that went from casual to formal throughout 57 beautiful looks. The first looks combined white shirts with dark denim, which then was paired with plain red pieces and also with rose floral prints and tie-dye. The floral print dresses started to descend in bold colors such as blue, green and purple, which then turned into pastel color looks. For some non-printed looks, models carried big flower bouquets. There were also some men looks that followed the same patterns.
The final section presented the eveningwear: fantasy looks made of feathers in pink, black and white and turquoise. For the finale, models wore silk sashes were you could read: “Who gets to be American?” as if they were Miss America contestants. A message to protest for the immigrants’ situation in the US that was supported also by the diverse cast he selected for the show.
7. Proenza Schouler
After changing NYC for Paris to show their collections, a year ago the designer couple decided to return to the NYFW calendar and they nailed it. The collection was inspired by working women, more specifically, by the women in the brand’s office, who started having children and had to learn how to balance work and life. And that attitude is what the looks reflect. Black, white, beige and grey colors lead the collection, which includes only some bold yellow or orange fabrics in a couple of looks. The perfectly tailored suit is the star (shout out to the white and black one), accompanied by a structured trench and some more relaxed dresses and outfits that look comfy and elegant and formal at the same time.
8. Tomo Koizumi
In what has been only his second show in NYFW, the young designer Tomo Koizumi, discovered by Katie Grand on Instagram only 6 months ago, did it again: he broke with all American fashion trends and standards to present his signature colorful tulle dresses, which are more “couture” than ready-to-wear.
His show, held at the Marc Jacob’s store at Madison Avenue, was a one-woman show. He cast trans model Ariel Nicholson to wear the 7 different looks while she twirled and danced and screamed in front of the audience in the middle of the store. She was amazing, but the dresses were already amazing by themselves: the construction of the ruffled voluminous tulle dresses is wonderful. Each “gown” used a one-color palette with different tones of that color: blue, green, yellow, purple/bold pink, orange/soft pink and one all-black dress and another one all white. The only thing used to decorate them were bows spread throughout the tulles in a matching color. “I just want to bring joy,” Koizumi declared, and that is what he really does. These dresses make you happy just by looking at them.
9. Oscar de la Renta
The designers Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia presented a collection inspired by the native Dominican Republic of Oscar de la Renta as a state of mind. There was a mix of daytime and nighttime looks and a mix of bright and soft colors. Something that may seem too much to handle, but they did it with the most perfect grace.
The opening look (one of my favorites of the show) was a simple yet perfect see-through chiffon super short dress paired with a structured pink blazer, leading the daytime section. Fluid dresses, caftans, and wide pants presented different kinds of prints in colors such as yellow, brown, blue, orange and olive green, showing looks that could be worn from work to casual gatherings and formal daytime events. This section ended with a series of crafted raffia dresses, perfect for a stylish beach day. For the nighttime section, the designers presented some of their signature gowns, mixing fluid see-through tulle dresses with elegant gowns with asymmetric ruffled skirts (short at the front and very long at the back).
10. Marc Jacobs
Fun and colorful, that sums up the whole Marc Jacob’s collection for SS20. The last (but obviously not least) show of NYFW started with the finale: all the models walked down the place in their looks at the beginning, and that was a whole statement to just show how cheerful and amazing the collection was.
Bright colors, sequins, plaid patterns, and floral prints decorated the 60 looks that formed the collection, with dresses and suits as the main characters. Also, hats of all kinds and colors (even top hats!) were the star accessorize that accompanied almost every look. It was inspired by the NYC 20’s looks and you could also clearly see a reference to Chanel’s tweed pantsuits (an ode to Karl Lagerfeld). It was the best end to a wonderful NYFW.