From recycled cashmere and protective
clothing for uncertain times to singer Debbie Harry and tennis star Maria
Sharapova, AFP takes a look at the latest highlights from New York Fashion
Week.
Dressing responsibly
Gabriela Hearst cemented her reputation as the flag-bearer of high-end
responsible fashion with a stunning fall-winter collection that focused on
sustainability at New York Fashion week Tuesday.
Hearst’s designs were all made from natural fibers, including recycled
cashmere and remnants of antique Turkish rugs that were pieced together to
form long coats.
Many of the sweaters, cardigans, shawls and dresses had been handknitted by
Manos del Uruguay, a non-profit cooperative of female artisans from Hearst’s
home country.
The collection had a distinctly 1970s vibe with hand-painted leather coats
and designs chosen from mandalas or abstract shapes associated with dreams.
Any carbon footprint from the show will be offset via a donation to a
project that aims to save the Cardamom forest in Cambodia.
“True luxury is knowing where everything comes from and how it is made,”
said Hearst, who grew up on a sheep farm in Uruguay.
Vera Wang’s ace
Tennis star Maria Sharapova served up a celebrity appearance in all black
at Vera Wang’s show held in a plush Upper East Side mansion just off Central
Park Tuesday.
The multiple grand slam winner sat front row alongside Vogue
editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and English fashion journalist Hamish Bowles.
Models glanced at themselves in the grand residence’s elaborate mirrors as
they walked through the house’s various rooms wearing black silk chiffon
paired with thick platform heels.
Seventy-year-old Wang’s evening wear also included a neon yellow French
tulle corset and a green floral featherweight stretch long sleeve bodysuit.
“I wanted to bring a kind of importance but a lack of formality, a kind of
ease, youth, charm and delicacy to the evening,” Wang told AFP.
Debbie Harry in NY tribute
Rocker Debbie Harry rolled back the years as Coach 1941 paid tribute to New
York’s past, present and future Tuesday.
The Blondie lead singer, 74, performed alongside Atlanta band The
Coathangers as they added a 1970s touch to a collection that celebrated “New
York’s unique creative energy.”
More than six years after taking over as creative director, British
designer Stuart Vevers continues to evolve Coach, which will notch its 80th
anniversary next year.
After shifting to a more urban collection last season, Vevers accelerated
that movement with a distinctly vintage streetwear look this time around.
The flat sneakers, large socks and hipster hats were straight from the
streets of Brooklyn while several designs were inspired by the paintings of
local artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
“New York was the ultimate muse for this collection,” Vevers told AFP.
Gigi Hadid
If jury selection had gone differently then US model Gigi Hadid would have
been in court for Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial instead of walking the runway
for Proenza Schouler Monday.
Hadid, 24, was last month excused from serving as one of the jurors in the
high-profile case owing to her fame after appearing for the first round of
pre-screening.
On Monday, she lined up for Proenza Schouler’s 2020 fall-winter collection,
which, after a spring show that evoked the 1980s, approached the present and
near future head-on.
The New York duo of Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough showcased a series
of large, thick coats complemented by big shawls, designed to provide
protection in an “unpredictable decade.”
“For us it’s always a mood, an attitude. We just take it from the world
around us,” Hernandez told AFP, following the late Monday show.
“Things are falling off, falling apart, unraveling but then held together.
It’s just like how people feel right now,” he added.
New York Fashion Week ends Wednesday.(AFP)
Photo: Gabriela Hearst FW20, Catwalkpictures
