In Her Feelings. Khaite AW24

February 12, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Another season, another Khaite fashion show presented in total darkness. I understand Catherine Holstein likes a mysterious mood, but again, the clothes are barely visible, and the models looked, as Rachel Tashjian wrote in her on-point review, disempowered. The collection had two main running themes: the leathers and the billow-y silhouettes. The bulky shapes of Khaite coats and jackets, with their exaggerated Claude Montana-ish shoulders, generous cowl necklines, and full sleeves evoked the late ’80s and early ’90s, when Holstein would’ve been a young child playing in her mom’s closet. However it was the designer’s newly-found obsession of draping silk gazar the ultimate highlight of this collection. One sculptural top was originally meant to be a dress, but as the model slid into it at the fitting and lifted its hem to put on shoes, Holstein preferred the curving volumes of it bunched up at her hips, and it was reworked at the last minute. “I want women to feel exhilarated when they put on my clothes,” she said. If only that exhilaration was more perceivable in the dead-serious format the Khaite shows are taking.

Now here’s a couple of my Khaite favourites you can scoop…

ED’s SELECTION:

Marcy Crystal-embellished Satin Ballet Flats

Luphia Cashmere T-shirt

Maeve Weekender Large Textured-leather Tote

Romee Open-back Draped Merino Wool Maxi Dress

Maiden Crocheted Flats

Lago Cotton-poplin Shirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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What’s Hot (12.2.24)

February 12, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

True To Yourself. Eckhaus Latta AW24

February 11, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

“We’ve been doing this for 13 years now: what does an Eckhaus Latta show mean for us?” Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta wondered. “Quiet luxury is a term that’s used a lot – and that’s so not what we are – but I like this idea of paring things back towards an idea of minimalism, which for us was just more about, ‘How do we make clothes and work that are concise?’” For autumn-winter 2024, that meant a runway show inside an empty industrial office in Hudson Square, and a sparse musical performance by Loren Kramar, which began with a cover of Lana Del Rey’s “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it.” The first look was a cropped jacket made from laminated felt with an oversized faux-fur collar and cuffs worn with a pencil skirt with spiral seams and cutouts that revealed a little bit of leg. A shaggy coat in a shade of cardboard beige was paired with an easy semi-sheer cotton ribbed tank, and straight leg slouchy jeans in an earthy acid wash. Really, that’s a distinct Eckhaus Latta look in a nutshell. The collection was also sexy without trying very hard – just look at all the sheer dresses and body-wrapping knits, for both women and men. The last three looks featured black organza embroidered with elastic and printed with vintage photos found on eBay, layered over simple white slip dresses. By now the singer had moved on from Lana Del Rey and into a cover of “New York, New York.” The choice of songs felt like a message. While so many people love to declare that New York fashion is over, Eckhaus Latta believe in the city and in the community that has nurtured them throughout the years.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Nothing Superfluous. Proenza Schouler AW24

February 11, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Proenza Schouler delivered a very proper collection; a reasonable proposition of a contemporary wardrobe. For autumn-winter 2024, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez finessed outerwear essentials, took tailoring cues from 90s New York’s finest Helmut Lang (in a definitely more convincing way than Peter Do), and stripped away anything superfluous. “The noise,” McCollough said. “It made us want to focus inward, focus on something a little intimate.” The tailoring was clean and sharp, but not severe. The parkas looked cool. The temptation to cocoon in cozy shearling vests and coats, of which there were many here, is highly relatable, and the Proenza Schouler designers can’t go wrong leaning into that instinct – we all want to feel good in these increasingly weary times.

A couple of my favorite Proenza Schouler pieces to add to your wardrobe right now…

ED’s SELECTION:

Strapless Paneled Twill Bustier Top

Leather Slingback Sandals

Strapless Paneled Ribbed-knit And Crepe Midi Dress

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Safe From Harm. Willy Chavarría AW24

February 11, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Willy Chavarría‘s fashion show was so far the strongest moment of this New York Fashion Week. It started with a film, titled Safe from Harm, played on a screen behind a long table covered in a white lace tablecloth and filled with altar and votive candles like an offering. Directed by Chavarría, the film told a story of support and safety. As a diverse array of characters moved from space to space in an old house, working out, cooking, dressing up, letting emotions out, and comforting one another, it was a family affair. As the film came to a close, models emerged on the runway, seemingly stepping straight off the screen. This was a much-needed moment of action amidst all the overly minimalist, dead-serious shows in New York. For autumn-winter 2024, Chavarría expanded his sartorial vocabulary, borrowing from the particular glamour of the 1980s British upper crust, especially through his use of luxe plaid and houndstooth wools which he contrasted with leather jackets and biker details. The way the designer executed his signature jacket with an extra-wide shoulder worn with a houndstooth pussy bow blouse is just sublime. Highlights of the collection: black and white lace veils worn under caps and styled with either a black, over-sized coat or an all-white tracksuit. Chavarría subverts the codes of Catholic imagination like no other contemporary designer. As the models reached the end of the runway, they arranged themselves behind the aforementioned table, like an updated version of The Last Supper, with Chavarría himself taking the final position in the middle after the finale bow. After the applause died down and the models exited the runway, there was a sudden silence, and everyone remained in their seats, as if expecting an encore. Then, a second round of rapturous applause erupted. The reign of Willy Chavarría is really just getting started.