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.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram! By the way, did you know that I’ve started a newsletter called Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe!

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.

Understated. Proenza Schouler SS24

September 11, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

So far this New York Fashion Week, Proenza Schouler delivered the most convincing answer to the big question: how do we want – or aspire – to dress in 2023. Actually, this collection could be the contemporary equivalent of Helmut Lang (instead of what Peter Do delivered in his debut). “We finished the fall show and we knew right away that we really wanted to continue its spirit,” Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez said. “To have that board of women we pulled together last season be the starting point and just kind of riff off a lot of the same ideas in a spring context.” The two collections were very much in dialogue with each other. It started with the celebrity casting. Chloë Sevigny, who opened last season, was replaced by Natalie Laura Mering, who is known professionally as Weyes Blood and who wrote an original composition for the soundtrack. Her white single-breasted, three-button jacket and black trousers struck an understated, minimal note, save for her glossy red toe polish and sheer black stockings worn with strappy kitten heels. Other jackets were worn tucked into pants waistbands, a utility belt strung through the belt loops. The designers liked the ordinariness of showing bleached straight-leg jeans and a black leather coat with straps hanging below the hem (an equestrian reference) and a papery windbreaker-type jacket with a mesh tee. They answered those plainer looks with special pieces that showed off their interest in craft, like mesh dresses made from hand-tacked ribbon and gossamer separates with “broken glass” embroidery. The label’s newly designed initials appeared on the Proenza’s first handbag, the PS1 – back in squishy leather and leather-covered hardware. Its low-key cool jibed with the rest of the collection.

Remixing The Codes. Helmut Lang SS24

September 10, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Peter Do always had a Helmut Lang-like sensibility; I even hinted he could be a great choice for the brand exactly one year ago. Just like Lang did in the 1990s and early 2000s, Do creates at his eponymous label everyday uniforms for a hectic, urban life. He also has a similar take on minimalism, which he polished up under Phoebe Philo at Céline (who, by the way, often referenced Lang’s style-codes). Unexpectedly however, Do’s debut collection for the Fast Retailing-owned brand didn’t deliver. It was yet another remix of Helmut’s signatures, grit-free, nicely packed and smoothed up for a contemporary customer (who, if truly loves Helmut Lang, will simply buy the real deal on a resale platform). In Peter’s painfully straightforward spring-summer 2024, there were many references to the Austrian designer’s milestone moves. The yellow taxi cab print that appeared in many fabrications was a callback to Lang’s then-agenda setting move of advertising on the top of taxi cabs, a format once considered too pedestrian for high fashion by his designer peers. It eventually gave Do’s collaborator, the author Ocean Vuong, a theme for the poem that was printed on the concrete floor of the venue, calling back to the Jenny Holzer installation that was the centerpiece in the original Helmut Lang store at 80 Greene Street. There was also a take on Lang’s tailoring: the flat-front trousers, the androgynous, almost but not quite plain jackets, the crombie coats. The seat belt straps that criss cross the torso and pass through belt loops are straight out of the archive, a reference to the underground world of bondage clubs, but remove them and the suits will pass in the straight world. Helmut Lang’s style captured the essence of a specific time, it was an antidote for over-the-topness, a comfort-place for artists and people who were far-too-cool-for-fashion. Reviving the classics to death just makes no sense.

The American Classic. Ralph Lauren AW’2000

August 16, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

For some reason, every year, somewhere mid-August, I’m going through Ralph Lauren‘s 2000s collections. Maybe it’s the thought of September approaching; there’s an autumnal feel about Lauren’s runway collections. And they are very inspiring, styling-wise. In the autumn-winter 2000 fashion show, “there’s a new kind of glamour that’s polished, sleek and sexy,” said the designer about his offering of simple, elegant American classics. Suits played a key role for Lauren that season – black, fitted jackets and sharply detailed trousers and skirts were worn with casual cashmere crewnecks and ivory silk blouses. Fair Isle sweaters accompanied comfortable Donegal tweeds and steely leather pants. Striking crocodile car coats and broadtail trousers added a shot of opulence to the presentation, as did the evening dresses: there were body-conscious satin and jersey gowns, as well as Persian-motif embroidered gowns. Honestly, if I saw this collection during a 2023 New York Fashion Week, I would be very pleased.

Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram! By the way, did you know that I’ve started a newsletter called Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe!