As London Fashion Week ends and Milan’s begins, New York’s Autumn/Winter’15 showcase may feel a bit of a blur, but lingering alongside our true ‘love of fashion,’ there are a few of the many collections that were presented which we’ll be keen to recall once Fall arrives.
Below we run through 10 of our favourite collections from NYFW – take a peek at our Runway Rundown and tell us in the comments box if they’ll be on your radar too;
1. Suno
The New York-based team at Suno, made up of designer duo Erin Beatty and Max Osterweis, were inspired by novels Jane Eyre and Wide Sargassa Sea to create their version of Autumn/Winter’15, presenting properly prim looks that pushed away from the laid back, easy-breezy things belonging to the brand’s previous collections.
Sure, there were still prints (stripes and flowers we doubt will ever escape the team, with powerful patterns oft decorating the fabrics made in the countries Suno sources from: Kenya, India and Peru) but, taking in some of the style the books of their inspiration were steeped in, things for Fall got tighter, resulting in slim-fit polo necks, knitted dresses and skirts that almost met the shoes and socks they were worn with.
At least one can say they’ll be warm in whatever they brave the weather with from Suno – and if it’s modern matronly-wear made sexy that you’ll be looking for, this collection might leave you hot and bothered.
2. Mara Hoffman
Also inspired by a book, Mara Hoffman looked to a tome by Charles Fréger for ideas for her Autumn/Winter’15 lineup – that and the movie Star Wars, which we must say, we’d not seen coming.
Ms Hoffman explained;
“When I was putting the palette together with all of these creams, whites, and camels, I thought, This is completely Luke Skywalker.
I fell in love with the landscapes on his planet, Tatooine, and I wanted to modernize and feminize the 1977 film.”
Said inspiration saw a little move away from Hoffman’s signature exotic prints, which usually have us in the mood for tropical climes. For Fall though, imagined on the ramp with high collars, polo necks and cosy shawls, there wasn’t a total eclipse from all the colours under the sun, as with Mara’s models in bright, multi-hued stripes bound to hemlines, cup details and down the front of dresses, plus there were trippy star-print jumpsuits and floor-sweeping maxi gowns.
Seems even when Mara’s looking to Space for inspiration, she’s peering through a kaleidoscope.
3. Prabal Gurung
Unsatisfied by already having beauty giants MAC and The First Lady, Michelle Obama as fans of his work, Prabal Gurung is after your own heart now, with a Fall collection of fabulous things that’ll blow your next season wardrobe’s mind.
Ever-inspired by places – his previous collection bringing memories of his native Nepal’s mountainscape, and this one inspired by his trip to Up State New York – graphic patterns (seen on Native American designs from NY’s Up State history) punctuated the runway, as well as little journeys between form-fitting and loosely-flowing silhouettes.
The designer told Style.com backstage;
“A lot of my friends are having babies. Their bodies change. I’ve realized a dress can still be sexy without being skintight.”
As the seasons change and we move into the milder months later this year, you bet you’ll be seeing our bodies in one of those spaghetti-strapped, slip dresses. And obviously – simply because it’ll be Fall – we’ll be taking one or two of those perfect, fur-lined parkers, too.
4. DKNY
Donna Karen – a designer whose name is synonymous with the city of New York – pins some of the success of her company, founded in 1984, to being female, citing the fact that;
“…I’m a woman makes me want to nurture others, fulfill needs and solve problems.”
Which problem has her Autumn/Winter’15 collection solved? The riddle of what to wear when at the back end of this year, when the weather’s looking grey and you don’t want your wardrobe to suffer a similar fate.
Hence, for the upcoming Fall season Ms Karen has recreated the urban city-dweller’s uniform of smart separates, like suits, skirts and slim-line coats, to appear in pop bright hues of loud, electric blue, aqua and red-orange – perfect for adding drama to the daily commute and building the blocks of your best new season wardrobe.
We have to say though, that the DKNY designer may’ve failed to fulfil a need here – rather, it looks more this Autumn/Winter’15 collection’s created a whole new one: the need to buy it all.
5. Karen Walker
Karen Walker’s showcase brought fashion’s new favourite era to the fore in fun prints and potently-packed colour. Yes, the ’70s seemed to rule the New Zealand-based designer’s Autumn/Winter runway, just as it did a few others’, but more brilliantly so here with her special touch, which lead nostalgia for the decade into a cool-yet-sassy sort of overdrive.
Inspired by the cult British TV show Sapphire and Steel, Ms Walker steered the lead character’s wardrobe down the ramp, which included skirts of all lengths, suede with shearling, pvc and centre-fastened jackets – all impossibly chic and the stuff of any trend-follower’s dreams.
Jumping on the ’70s band wagon might well have seemed off-putting to some (that sort that lead, not follow), but since the most stylish hippie trails are leading towards Karen Walker’s new collection, it’s clearly the right way to go.
6. Lacoste
Over at Lacoste, chief designer, Felipe Oliveira Baptista gave a nod in the direction of René Lacoste – the French tennis star that founded the brand in the 1930s – by updating classic Lacoste staples with the slogan “Rene Did It First”, spread across on sweaters and cable knit jumpers that will also help keep Autumn’s chill at bay.
There was a contrast at play here too with the collection both inspired by Winter tennis, and bringing sporty Lacoste favourites like tennis dresses and tracksuits to be paired with fur and tweed coats, and suit wear.
It seems whether you’re bound for the tennis court or the court house, Lacoste’ll kit you out – and if you’re the type to appreciate a bit of juxtaposition, we’re sure we’ll see you sporting the look when Fall finally arrives.
7. Di$count Univer$e
Seen at Vfiles’ showcase, Di$count Univer$e – an Australian label that has proved to be popular among musicians – chose to bring a bit of punch to Autumn/Winter’15, with patch-working and colour in the loudest of dials.
A customised vibe flashed through the the lineup of bold looks, with biker jackets, sequin dresses and denim all included and bound for the streets, the club or a concert during the milder months ahead.
Just bring your bravest attitude and any fluffy poodles you might have to the party, and you’ll have accessorised whichever piece of the collection you’ve chosen to perfection.
8. Altuzarra
Alutzarra’s models stomped down the ramp in ’70s and ’80s-inspired looks that we at SPICE have been tripping over since the first of the fur-collared ensembles made its way from backstage. That’ll be from look numero one, then.
With collars as high as the splits he set into the skirts for Autumn/Winter’15, designer Joseph Altuzarra created an army of babes dressed for business to wow the crowds, all clutching the expansion of his brand’s business – the new line of bags created with the financial backing of Kering, which are also for adding to the lust list for Fall.
Whether you’re in need of a new slouchy handbag or something more robust and satchel-like with a side tassel to the left and right, you’ll probably find it at Altuzarra. However, if you’re headed somewhere chilly for end of this year, be sure to cop the whole ensemble, as without those long wool coats clad with a shaggy collar, you might feel some breeze, because the eye-catching looks here came in sheer, sparse lace, used on dresses and on knee high boots, too. Brr.
9. Marc by Marc Jacobs
The team at Marc by Marc Jacobs – lead by co-designers Luella Bartley and Katie Hillier – had modern military on the mind, with clothes brandishing words like “Suffragette,” “Solidarity,” and “Unite” walking the runway.
There were nods a-plenty to the goings-on of the world outside of fashion (where youths are being drawn to terrorist groups like ISIS) with models seen in studded boots and leafed camo print – plus there were berets all round, in case you didn’t get the sartorial message.
But while the collection came out to make a political stand, it also came out swinging with things you’ll love to see barricaded in your wardrobe. Team SPICE favourites include accessories like the belted bag (dare we call them ‘bumbags’), which will be pretty key during stylish missions like using public transport in the Fall – plus, the new ‘it’ item, the neck scarf, which will be keeping our necks slightly warmer while we’re looking hot, cool and on-trend.
March any of Marc by Marc Jacobs’ ideas for next season into your life and you’ll have joined one very well dressed army of fashion lovers, indeed.
10. Narciso Rodriguez
And, last but not least, from Narciso Rodriguez came a range of Fall wear that was both elegant and lavish-looking yet completely minimal; clean and somehow bursting with energy, whether it was that of the collection’s inspirations (which hailed from the colourful culture of India) or our sheer excitement for every streamlined look, bouncing off the paper-smooth ensembles that walked the ramp and hitting us back in the brain with a simple message, saying “Want!”
The straight forward idea that every look was what’s right for next season could be down to the optical illusion presented on each model – a long, lean set of limbs lengthened further by long, slim-fit clothes, which seemed masterful when there wasn’t a skin-tight hem on trouser leg or a skirt on sight; instead, we saw wide leg trousers neatly surround platforms, following a sky-high waist, and widely-set skirts making bodies seem the good sort of slender.
But best still and by no type of trickery, we fell completely for the jackets – light-looking and hanging well below the knee – and especially the sleeveless ones that sold whatever they had under them, too.
Take a look at the effortlessly crisp collection again but beware, it’ll likely lead to you spending huge amounts of what you’d be fooled to think it was made from: paper.
Image source: Style.com
