While models are not riding the slopes or performing acrobatic aerial tricks on the halfpipe in Sochi, the fashion world brought its take on the Olympics to New York. Beginning last Thursday, Feb. 6, leading innovators of style and beauty, supermodels and celebrities came together to decide which trends and collections would win the gold, silver and bronze medals during the 2014 New York Fashion Week.
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week takes place twice a year in February and September at the Lincoln Center and surrounding venues in the area. The event provides top designers an international platform to present their collections to more than 100,000 industry professionals. Showcasing more than 80 designers’ shows in only eight days, it is New York City’s largest media event.
It should have been difficult to top the 2013 Opening Ceremony, when models zipped down the pier-side catwalk in muscle cars, but Sunday night tied for aesthetics. It was definitely more crave-worthy, with 2,000 pounds of chocolate melting down the large white runway walls halfway through the show.
As guests entered Spring Studios Sunday night, they received playing card-size boxes of Belgian chocolate. Inspired by a trip to Antwerp, designers Humberto Leon and Carol Lim wanted their Fall/Winter 2014 collection of complicated, stiff silhouettes and chunky winter knits to be accompanied by a thrill for the senses.
With an endless list of major American designers, veterans to NYFW and other popular name-brand designers, it is hard to put a finger on the best shows from the past six days. However, Sunday marked a day of extravagance despite the dreary snowstorms circling New York City.
Sunday night, Diane von Furstenberg celebrated the 40th anniversary of her wrap dress by creating a show, called “Bohemian Wrapsody,” that put the spotlight on her iconic creation. In 1974, Furstenberg designed the wrap dress, which came to symbolize power and independence for an entire generation of women, and in 1997, she relaunched the dress to reestablish her company as the global luxury lifestyle brand it is today.
To top off the pun-worthy title, the show was a hit, or in the case of Sochi ratings, a promising gold medal. Karen Elson kicked off the show in a classic wrap with a gold knotted pattern and ended with a (literal) bang when Karlie Kloss led a supermodel dance party down the runway showered by gold confetti and accompanied by a live performance by St. Vincent. The models sported the glistening gold wrap dresses, wrap sweaters, wrap minis and wrap cardigans, truly embodying the show’s symbolism.
For the designers, Sunday was about standing out to the crowd. For Victoria Beckham, her signature was a gold chain—and if that wasn’t enough of a callout, her fashion family five-pack was sitting front row! All key pieces of her collection included a gold chain detail, such as long and lean coats, long, black pleated skirts and a black modern gown with a white inset at the neckline.
As for other designers that day, DKNY, Thakoon, Delpozo and Derek Lam focused their attention on bold, boxy shapes—a possible trend for fall. Sweaters are oversized, tops are bulky and pants are wide-legged. Pieces hung by the body instead of hugging it and embodied a very structural look.
