NYFW: Fall Winter 2021 Review
Source: Town and Country Magazine
As with snow and Valentine’s Day, NYFW is yet another inevitability that pops up during the trenches of frigid February. Despite the one-year anniversary of New York declaring a state of emergency because of the pandemic, nothing stops fashion—whether for better or worse is yet to be seen. To kick off a month of fashion collections, Tom Ford, chairman of the CFDA, reconfigured the entire calendar in some truly bizarre ways. The American Collections Calendar, as we are told to call it, had the bulk of the shows jam-packed from February 14th - 18th. However, the calendar continues onwards until March 9th, with the official end on April 15th, even as the world looks on to London, Milan, and Paris. The once orderly week allotted for each of the four fashion capitals each reigns no more.
Maybe it is of little consequence, but the more noteworthy shows don’t fall under the main portion of the calendar. And it cannot be a coincidence that the best and brightest to come out of New York—Pyer Moss, Christopher John Rogers, and Marc Jacobs—are nowhere to be found. For years, NYFW has been called irrelevant, wasteful, and disorganized. As of late, no one can deny such declarations. Despite the CFDA’s newest attempt at reinvigoration, this year’s NYFW has fallen face forward into the foot of snow lingering around the city. In the wake of the new recalibrations set forth by Ford, it’s not a good look.
Very few designers of consequence are worth mentioning this season; others are notable for their grim foreshadowing of the future of the industry. Stan Clothing, for example, has found itself at the center of praise by The New York Times. However, its founder’s explicit assertion that his creations are original is nothing short of undercutting his women predecessors: Emily Bode, Gee’s Bend Quilters, and Alabama Chanin, to name just a few. Nevertheless, no longer can we hold on to the notion that NYFW is what it used to be, nor will it ever be the same moving forward. Here are the four fashion designers that shone this fashion week.
Source: Vogue Runway
Black beauty has always been Tia Adeola’s ethos, but it could not be more poignant after the summer’s protests. Adeola says she “wanted to put out something beautiful, and show Black bodies from a lens of luxury and fantasy.” Who could blame her after the carnage that continues to grace our phones? And who else could Adeola turn to but Marie Antionette, the historical embodiment of luxury and fantasy? Adeola took the cake-loving queen’s fondness for pastels and modernized its silhouettes. With just 12 looks and a year of designing, Adeola makes the case for “less is more”—something a slew of other designers can learn from. A pearl-strung corset, Toile-hued blue silk, snowy white-feathered frocks, and peach florals make it Adeola’s best collection yet. If the Bridgerton cast ever needs a Zoom awards look, Adeola should be the first one they call.
Christian Cowan
Source: Vogue Runway
With Swarovski crystals covering every inch of attire, it can only ever be a Christian Cowan collection—subtly is not his strong suit. But he's appealing to his customer base, who predictably asked for stretchy yet glitzy night-on-the-town clothes but with a stay-at-home life. Cowan mostly did away with his outerwear—“people don’t wear coats in selfies inside!”Any number of his outfits could be the perfect look for an at-home or over Zoom date. Tapping Saturday Night Live’s comedians Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman to don his clothing, peek-a-boo dresses and bodysuits smartly offer zippers for ease of crawling back into the grape purple pajama party look. His creations of martinis, pizza, popcorn, and 80s telephone handbags are very on-brand for our lives today. Cowan is continuing his partnership with The Loveland Foundation to donate a portion of proceeds to the organization that offers Black women therapy.
Gabriela Hearst
Source: Vogue Runway
With a new creative director position as Chloé, Gabriela Hearst definitely has a lot on her plate. But that certainly didn’t stop her from putting out a formidable collection. Hand-knitted sweaters and tailored pantsuits, while polar opposites, merge well together as a look towards a reimagining of tailoring, post-COVID. In a balancing act, the earthy tones make for a very predictably colored Fall collection: neutrals, blacks, and burnt-orange browns make their way down the catwalk. Stiff trenches were softened up with big bows knotted at the shoulders while noir macramé lace hemmed from the thigh down another coat. Fluidity and ease of function for skirts and dresses are the answer to the digital-era we find ourselves living in.
Prabal Gurung
Source: Vogue Runway
After a year away from showcasing clothing, Prabal Gurung has found himself back in the swing of things. Presenting his Pre-Fall and Fall collection for all genders, he took inspiration from seeing trans and drag artists Vogueing in 80s prom dresses last summer as he rode his bike from the Upper West Side to Sheridan Square. Even though liberties of a pandemic online life were taken, the collection is an ode to this past summer. Separates, cotton, and tea length skirts take precedent. Ripe reds and pretty pinks juxtapose with black and white polka dots. Florals find their way into the collection as an upbeat nod to the nature witnessed from our windows. Betsey Johnson-approved poofy shoulders, lace, lace, and more lace, and tweed round out the collection. If you thought Gurung was going to tone down his staple draping, glitz, and glamour because of the pandemic, you thought wrong.