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It's a wrap! New York Fashion Week has drawn to a close with last night's stark, militaristic Marc Jacobs show. The big takeaway from the week is... that there is no one big takeaway. No single show, model, FROW celebrity, street style star, afterparty, nor trend stole the spotlight this time around. That isn't to say there wasn't plenty of buzz and good clothes (we'll dive into all of that), but it is important to note that this was a rather tame NYFW.
But, oh, how they tried! Opening Ceremony commissioned a play, Polo held a four-dimensional show, Miley Cyrus made her debut as accessory designer (that's what that was, right?). The stunts, the news, the celebs, and the trends you need to know are below, in bite size form.
The trend of shows-within-a-show continued:
· Opening Ceremony asked Spike Jonze and Jonah Hill to produce a play in lieu of a fashion show, titled 100% Lost Cotton. Dree Hemingway, Elle Fanning, and Rashida Jones all played parts; Karlie Kloss played herself. The fashion industry satire storyline failed to impress The Times' Vanessa Friedman, who said: "I think Opening Ceremony might as well have taken the idea to its natural conclusion and forgotten about showing the collection altogether."
· Gap Inc.-owned activewear line Athleta made its fashion week debut with a splashy performance, showing 42 looks on models performing yoga, ballet, breakdancing, and Parkour routines.
· Tommy Hilfiger had a duo of live drummers in line with his rock'n'roll-themed show
· Public School employed Twin Shadow for a live performance during their runway show
· Rebecca Minkoff's live band of choice was Little Daylight and her final five runway looks required the donning of provided 3D glasses
· Ralph Lauren's youth-oriented Polo upped the dimensional ante with a 4D show in the middle of Central Park
Boss showed on the 54th floor of 4 World Trade Center. The show was so high above ground it had its own wifi network (called #thisisboss, suggestively), lest any 'grams get lost in the cloud(s).
Everyone was so pregnant. Well, three major street style stars were, anyway: Lucky EIC Eva Chen, fashion consultant Miroslava Duma, and stylist and designer Natasha Goldenberg. See their crazy chic looks in the gallery above (more street style shots are here, featuring plenty of not-pregnant people).
Miley Cyrus designed accessories for Jeremy Scott's show. They're neon, they're cluttered, and we're pretty sure she's calling the line "Dirty Hippie." Sigh.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen showed The Row without a design director for the first time. The woman who previously held the role left in March for a gig at Hermès (her work for them won't hit the runway until fall 2015). The gals did a great job on their own, offering a beautiful palette of unexpected jewel tones like ochre and maple alongside spring staples of white, mint, and straw, all in their favored tent-like silhouette. These tiny people make the very biggest clothes, but at least they do it well.
Photo by Driely S. for Racked
Rodarte made the beauty statement of the week with full brow piercings.
Versatile Rihanna continued her reign as fashion's favorite music human, making time to catch the Versus Versace, Edun, Alexander Wang, Altuzarra, and Adam Selman shows. She also hit the street in a look from Alexander Wang for H&M (paired with a Gucci bag, weirdly, and a body chain, less weirdly), giving one of the first glimpses of the collection, which hits stores November 6th.
Oh, and Kendall? She walked an easy four shows for American heavyweights Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, and Diane von Furstenberg (which was closed by no less than Naomi Campbell).
Oh yeah, the clothes! Influences ran the gamut from ancient Asian garb to classic military styles, with stops in Latin America, the safari, and the 1970s along the way. Of note was the influx of shiny fabrics across the board like glossy duchesse and high-sheen organzas. Silhouettes are continuing on the oversize track for spring, with terms like "slouch" and "ease" being thrown around a lot. Meanwhile, sporty looks, crop tops, and black and white aren't going anywhere. Take a quick scroll through key examples here:
Photos: IMaxTree
Tibi basically showed a cheat sheet to the season's palette. Blush pink, off-white, and mellow aqua hang out with colors you normally don't think of for spring, like hunter and jade greens, ochre yellow, and purple-tinted grey. Somehow the '70s living room colors all come together in a way we can definitely get behind.
Alexander Wang referenced sneaker culture. The highlight was definitely the bags, which looked like Jordans.
Proenza Schouler showed a few terrifically fringed skirts. Expect to see these mimicked at Zara fast.
And last but not least, Pharrell hats happened in a real way.
· This is How Fashion Talks About War [Racked]
· Fashion Week Street Style, Day Eight: That's All, Folks [Racked]
· When Anna Wintour Tells You to Get a Haircut, You Get a Haircut [Racked]