NYFW 2022: Proenza Schouler, Tory Burch, Altuzarra

Proenza Schouler

return to formality

“We want fashion, we’re tired of streetwear”

— Lazaro Hernandez

In the striking main exhibition space of the Brant Foundation, with a violin quintet performing an original composition by Eartheater, Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough embraced a new formality. A true New Look return to formality by experimenting with such feminine tropes as peplums, corsets, drop-waist silk dresses, lady coats and brooches. But make no mistake, it was through an American lens, playing with the throwback hourglass silhouette but with knitwear, soft construction and ballet flats instead.

What was striking about the collection was how it deftly carried over ideas from the last two Proenza collections, in particular simple dresses with a lot of flow, pantsuits with a sharp waist, and fresh colors (this time, a gorgeous inky purple and a violet for a long silk shirt-dress). Those looks conveyed “the new formality” the designers sought, but with modern ease.

The collection was a repudiation of the homewear and other forms of wardrobe indolence brought about by two-plus years of the pandemic. With Omicron fading, they’re looking forward to a fall season of strong tailoring and soft dresses whose sophistication is matched by a body-conscious sensuality.

Tory Burch

Layers of new York history

“We explored this through the lens of shape, geometry, color and convertibility”

— Tory Burch

After the months we’ve had, cooped up in these apartments, I cannot think of anything more beautiful than being out in New York City — it’s true what they say, the city has an energy. Tapping into the city’s 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s history for inspiration, brings to life the idea that the energy in New York City will come. The collection debuted at the historic New Yorker Hotel, representing the … “The more I see how women are dressed around New York, the more they feel free.”

With graphic colors, sharp cuts, utility and convertibility vibes, the collection’s scene debuted a mixture of layers and patterns, almost influencing women to put it all on and have fun.

The brand’s staples, accessories, complete each look with a variety of shapes with a focus on a cinched with wide belt, iconic oversized bags, and boots perched atop geometric heels. This season brought us into a realm of energetic, confident, liberated dressing.

Altuzarra

mermaids for luck, renewal, and good times

While it’s an unrivaled privilege to attend a fashion show in any format, it’s the ones that are fully committed to a story that feel like the greatest honor to witness in person. For Fall, Joseph Altuzarra knew his moodboard inside and out, and it was evident from the moment guests took their seats at the elegant (if slightly imposing) Woolworth Building to find a copy of Moby Dick filled with fabric swatches and a polaroid. The designer had the ocean, its creatures and the humans who devote their lives to it, as well as the myths that surround the eco-system, on the brain. A sense of an epic journey across seas and terrains came to mind as models teetered past in gigantic platforms. Beyond the shearling-trimmed outerwear, textured knits, Shibori prints, pleated kilts in vegan leather, and hooded dresses which spoke to a woman who was ready to trek far and wide, it was the styling by Gabriella Karefa-Johnson (multiple bags worn at once; outfits completed with swashbuckler chain, coin, braided, or beaded belts) that drove home the sense of adventure. To close the show, there was a sombre mermaid parade of sorts, with fish scale-esque coins cut from aluminum and hand-tarnished for an aged look seen on coats, knit dresses, and in floor-sweeping gold gowns. By in large, mermaids symbolize good luck, renewal, and good times ahead—and now Altuzarra has given us the powerful outfits we need to go get ’em.

Nora GharibFebruary 16, 2022Fashion