What’s Hot (13.9.23)

September 13, 2023September 10, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Primal Instinct. Area AW23

September 12, 2023September 12, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

While other designers in New York get nostalgic about the 1990s, 70s, or 20s, Piotrek Panszczyk looked back a couple of thousand years, BC, for his latest Area ready-to-wear and couture collection. He’d been “thinking about prehistoric times and how pelts and bones were kind of the first things humans had to build an identity around. It started with this idea of the primal instinct that through the centuries morphed into desire, and then eventually a kind of excess and the life cycle of luxury.” The unsettling ambience of the fashion show, plus the inventive, at points bizarre “bone-y” silhouettes, eventually delivered one of the strongest and intriguing collections coming from the label in the last seasons. The idea was cleverly developed: there were “fur pelt” coats made from fur-printed denim in a variety of colors that delivered runway drama, fur-print, low-slung jeans, and a mini dress with bulbous little godets that spoke to Panszczyk’s commitment to offering real-world alternatives to fantasy. The collection’s highlight: models in big-shouldered jackets or slinky jersey pieces punctuated by beastly rips, the gold-embellished bones of their attackers still elegantly attached to their clothes.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Ferocious. Khaite SS24

September 12, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

At Khaite, yet again you could barely see the clothes, but could definitely get the vibes of a coherent vision of a contemporary New York woman. The lighting theatrics on the very darkened runway emphasized the sharp silhouettes Catherine Holstein has in offer for spring. She called them “ferocious“. “I think every woman in New York has to handle herself with a real fearlessness,” said Holstein, indicating that that’s what she had to do while operating as her label’s top creative and, until recently, CEO. “And that’s always something that I bring forth in the brand.” At this brand you won’t find novelty, but rather elevated wardrobe staples that never get out of style: exaggerated masculine coats, big-shouldered blazers, sensual silks, investment bags. The semisheer body-con knits were an understated answer to all the straightforward sexiness we see on the other runways. Holstein might be the contemporary Donna Karan of New York Fashion Week.

Sexy Utility. Dion Lee SS24

September 12, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

What I appreciate about Dion Lee‘s work is his consistency – a word that so many other New York Fashion Week designers should learn. His spring-summer 2024 is sexy and bold, and with wit. “This season was primarily about evolving the utility and construction language I’ve been playing with until now,” the designer said. What’s compelling about Lee as a designer is his ability to both fixate and expand on a specific theme while managing to keep his clothes distinctly true to his style. The Australian creative mentioned he started playing with power cords as a way to drape for his autumn offering, which carried over into this collection in the shape of shirring details by way of bungee cords. Particularly fun was a pair of trousers that had its back label replaced with an outlet; the model walked down the runway plugged in, carrying his coiled orange cord as a shoulder bag. Elsewhere, Lee laminated denim and introduced foiled leather for a sleek hint of texture. The latter was used in bubble-hem skirts and dresses, which added a welcome variation of shape. Also cool were his lace lingerie-like explorations; they felt freshest where they fell weightless around the body rather than constrict it.