As New York Fashion Week slowly regains its star-studded, pre-pandemic luster with a packed schedule of in-person runway shows and events, designers balanced aspirational fashion with clothes that simply make the wearer feel good.
Color, sex appeal and comfort played a role in both sides of Fall/Winter 22-23 collections. Here’s a closer look at the five trends that swept fashion week.
Orange
Pantone crushed it with its forecast for New York Fashion Week. Gregarious Orange Tiger, a color the color experts described as a whimsical “high vis” orange, was the jolt designers needed to break up their dense use of black and brown.
The color added a youthful glow to minimalist Michael Kors tailoring, strapless Victor Glemaud column dresses and Carolina Herrera’s contemporary take on Old Hollywood gowns. Orange took on a retro vibe in Anna Sui’s collection of furry jackets and bold prints, while Dur Doux and Monse applied it to pieces with a streetwear edge.
The color was also a popular companion to Pantone’s other predicted color: Rose Violet. Both Tanya Taylor and Staud presented the duo in color blocked looks, providing an update to last fall’s red and pink combinations.
Bondage
The ongoing trend for cutouts took on a more subversive tone as designers combined skin-baring silhouettes with black, leather and latex. Straps and lacing mirrored the signature designs of Thierry Mugler, whose recent death and new celebrity fans have put the aesthetic back in the spotlight.
LaQuan Smith, who tapped recent Ye muse Julia Fox to open the show, experimented with positive and negative. Dresses featured cutouts across the chest, sides and hips. Norma Kamali presented a bodycon dress with three cutouts that wrapped around the model’s torso. Prabal Gurung added beading to his cutout gown.
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Ahead of the release of “The Batman,” starring Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Bronx Banco offered catsuits covered in black sequins. PatBo showed` a version made with sparkly fabric.
Batsheva kept dress silhouettes modest but seductive with black PVC. Coach tapped into its leather roots with men’s black leather vests and trousers styled shirtless with armbands and chokers. Eckhaus Latte delivered chaps and exaggerated zipper closures. Michael Kors kept it simple yet effective with a one-shoulder black leather cocktail dress.
Gloves
Opera-length gloves have been worn by women since the 17th century, but it took a highly contagious coronavirus to highlight the protective benefits of the accessory and a Kardashian dressed in Balenciaga to render it stylish for everyone else in 2022.
In general, gloves add drama to the macro glam theme that designers have been hoping would catch on like wildfire after 2020. Navy latex gloves were a key piece inn Christian Siriano’s “Victorian Matrix” collection. A. Potts paired free-flowing dresses with long black leather gloves. Third Crown opted for tulle gloves to dress with slinky column gowns. The accessory added to Herve Leger and Tanya Taylor’s cozy color blocked and monochromatic separates.
Like Balenciaga’s all-on-one approach, Arias’ gloves almost seamlessly disappeared into the sleeves of tops.
Fringe
Another element of the glam revival, fringe made an appearance on the runway in expected and unexpected ways.
The flapper-era embellishment was a natural choice for PatBo’s range of cutout crystal frocks. Norma Kamali’s approach to fringe on cropped tops and skirts mirrored professional dance costumes. Long fringe decorated the hems of Baja East’s hoodies.
Paired with the season’s ‘It’ pop color orange, fringe took on a tropical feel in Dur Doux’s collection. The resort vibe was echoed in Herve Leger’s long cutout dress with a fringed skirt.
The trim took a professional turn in Jason Wu’s range of black-and-white tweed pieces. It also decorated Christian Cowan’s tweed sets cut with much shorter hems, however.
Duvet Dressing
Designers are incorporating the comforts of home into their collections. While puffer coats are a mainstay—Staud received the memo for bright and cropped renditions of the winter staple—untraditional takes on quilting blanketed New York Fashion Week.
Dion Lee enveloped a model in a long black puffer skirt with zipper details. Jason Wu updated the classic circle skirt with filled puffer material. Overcoat applied Statue of Liberty-inspired crowns into the designs of puffer ponchos and wraps.
Tufted and crystal details added a luxe look to PatBo’s velvet smoking jacket. Oversized puffer scarves with diagonal quilting doubled as dramatic shawls in Et Ochs’ elegant collection.