NEW YORK WEEK Fall 2022: The Mid-Week Report
Mermaids or Milkmaids? Mid-week at NEW YORK FASHION WEEK produced some Shapely & Shimmery Offerings and some Deliciously Demure Dresses for Damsels too.
All Image Credit NEW YORK Fashion Week
Image Credit Area
Molded molten metallic curvaciousness -at Area
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK is well underway, the city is in the middle of six days of back-to-back, unadulterated, heavenly fashion. It’s happening from Manhattan to Brooklyn, from the Agger Fish Building to the Box Factory, from the One world Observatory to the Shed further up the West Side Highway. And the city streets are abundantly awash with fashion-adoring folks, parading their own frocks, New York-style.
Indoor mask mandates have conveniently been lifted just in time (phew!) for fashionistas to reveal their fashion-keen faces at the shows for the first time in two years (crowd sizes are still a tad restricted for safety), and fear not, for those still a little wary about venturing into the crowds there are many digital presentations scheduled to be enjoyed from the confines of one’s own home.
New York Fashion Week is a trendsetting platform for global fashion and this Fall 2022 has been no exception. We’ve spotted many a cute trend in amongst the midweek shows, trends that now doubt will be echoed across our very own high streets in no time. Without any further ado, let’s take a sneak peek at the marvels that New York Fashion Week has produced mid-week. Come on, join us and indulge in all this deliciousness!
1. Making Waves like a Mermaid
Dramatic, Theatrical, shapely (and a little reminiscent of 1980’s Thierry Mugler in its extreme curves) Area has embraced the mermaid trend, with its iridescent rainbow hues and glitter, diamonte, sequins, rhinestones and exaggerated curvy and molded shapes. Some design houses (Frederick Anderson and Batsheva, for example) opted for exploiting the azure and turquoise shimmery fabrics that reminds us of the inimitable mermaid, and others (Sergio Hudson and Carolina Herrera) played on the bias cut, body-hugging shapes with its characteristic ‘tail’ flair or exaggerated hip. Altuzarra opted for full-on ‘fish scales’ in their gorgeous oversized metallic sequin creations.
Image Credit Area
Rainbow mermaid magic – at Area
Image Credit Frederick Anderson
Mermaid sequins – at Frederic Anderson
Image Credit Sergio Hudson
A fishtail beauty – at Sergio Hudson
Image Credit Area
A mother-of-pearl scalloped mermaid – at Area
Image Credit Carolina Herrera
Just add the fish tail! – at Carolina Herrera
Image Credit Area
A butterfly-style mermaid – at Area
Image Credit Altuzarra
Oversized ‘fish scales’ – at Altuzarra
Image Credit Sergio Hudson
Shapely swishy pastel fish-tail dresses – at Sergio Hudson
Image Credit Area
Shapely curves – at Area
Image Credit Area
A curvacious black mermaid dress with gold embellishments – at Area
Image Credit Batsheva
Shimmery mermaid – at Batsheva
Image Credit Altuzarra
Gold ‘fish scales’ at Altuzarra
2. The Sleeve is the Thing
The gigot or leg o’ mutton sleeve has been the Fall 2022 arm adornment of choice mid-week at New York fashion Week. Exaggerated and prominent, prim-and-proper (at Batsheva, for example) or seductively off-the-shoulder (LaQuan Smith), the sleeve has been the thing. Many other designers, most notably so the inimitable Carolina Herrera and Ulla Johnson have made the voluminous sleeve one of the most characterful features of their collections for Fall.
Image Credit Batsheva
A theatrical leg o’ mutton sleeve – at Batsheva
Image Credit LaQuan Smith
Off-the-shoulder seductiveness – at LaQuan Smith
Image Credit Batsheva
A ‘Biggie Best’ prairie dress and Ikea headdress in this puff sleeve creation -at Batsheva
Image Credit LaQuan Smith
Sexy zebra with voluminous sleeves – at LaQuan Smith
Image Credit Carolina Herrera
The sky blue sleeves are the thing! – at Carolina Herrera
Image Credit Ulla Johnson
The ruched sleeves compliment this ochre dress no end – at Ulla Johnson
Image Credit Batsheva
Leg o’ mutton par excellence! – at Batsheva
Image Credit Ulla Johnson
The sleeves are the key feature in this tiered gold ensemble – at Ulla Johnson
Image Credit Carolina Herrera
A classic trench gets the sleeve treatment – at Carolina Herrera
3. Little House on the Prairy
Every now and again fashion has a love affair with the American pioneering spirit, the last time we saw the revival of the prairie dress in its demure and humble floral beauty was in 2015. This season designers have rallied around this trend of ‘sense and sensibility’ and in various midweek collections we’ve spotted the ‘modernized’ prairie dress – long, short, frilled, flaired, shaped or loose. We love Ulla Johnson’s versions – from shapely and ruched to frilled and generously sleeved, and similarly adored Markarian’s somewhat modest floral fairy dress, Batsheva’s ‘70s Elizabethan’-style versions as well as Adeam’s frilly babydol creation.
Image Credit Ulla Johnson
A modern prairie dress with ruched front and puff sleeves – at Ulla Johnson
Image Credit Ulla Johnson
An ochre prairie dress with frilled bib and full sleeves – at Ulla Johnson
Image Credit Markarian
A fairy prairie ballgown – at Markarian
Image Credit Batsheva
Elizabethan bliss – at Batsheva
Image Credit Adeam
A babydoll prairie dress – at Adeam
Image Credit Ulla Johnson
A puff sleeve midi dress – at Ulla Johnson
Image Credit Batsheva
A baby doll prairie dress – at Batsheva
4. Crochet me an American Quilt
The film How to Make an American Quilt starts with the words, “For as long as I can remember …” and indeed, crafty crochet, patchwork and knitting have been part of fashion’s rich tapestry for as long as we can remember! This season various designers utilised age-old traditional crafty methods of creating surface patterns and textures and the offerings were spectacular. We adore Batsheva’s striking dress with its crocheted patches as well as Altazurra’s knitted and overdyed yarn creations and Frederick Anderson’s fully crocheted dresses and Fairisle-type sweaters. The extraordinary dress by Ulla Johnson with its leather patches crocheted and interlocked with muddy nude and turquoise hues and voluminous sleeves took our breath away!
Image Credit Batsheva
A crochet palette – at Batsheva
Image Credit Altuzarra
Tie-dye knits – at Altuzarra
Image Credit Frederick Anderson
Crocheted from head to thigh to voluminous sleeve! – at Frederick Anderson
Image Credit Ulla Johnson
A striking crocheted dress with leather inlays – at Ulla Johnson
Image Credit Frederick Anderson
An ochre Fairisle-style crocheted sweater – at Frederick Anderson
Image Credit Batsheba
A patchwork dress with hand-sewn edge on the coat – at Batsheva
5. The Call of the Wild
We dare you to name a season in the history of fashion where animal prints have not been part of the mix! New York Fashion Week designers rallied around this tried-and-tested trend, one that will indeed forever stand the test of time and created fresh-looking offerings that lured us straight into the wild. LaQuan Smith based an entire collection on animal prints: leopard, zebra, python… and joining them were the likes of Et Ochs with their dramatic large size black and white zebra dresses, Sergio Hudson with their oversized and sizzlingly glamourous leopard print dresses and Ulla Johnson with elegant stylized tiger print coats and skirts.
Image Credit LaQuan Smith
‘Wild thing, you make my heart sing…!’ – at LaQuan Smith
Image Credit Sergio Hudson
Oversized leopard spots – at Sergio Hudson
Image Credit LaQuan Smith
Super sexy zebra dress – at LaQuan Smith
Image Credit Sergio Hudson
Sleek leopard – at Sergio Hudson
Image Credit Et Ochs
A striking two-tone jersey dress – at Et Ochs
Image Credit Sergio Hudson
Elegance comes in large spots – at Sergio Hudson
Image Credit Ulla Johnson
A stylised tiger print coat with belt – at Ulla Johnson
6. Déjà vu, Darling?
That feeling that you’ve experienced something before? Well, this season many designers looked back into the vintage archives for inspiration, and inevitable the chinzy Eighties and Nineties in all their ballroom glory featured hugely, albeit this time looking decidedly updated and ‘now’. Designers like Markarian and Carolina Herrera created off-the-shoulder, sleeveless or balconette-style corseted ballgowns that transported us straight back to a bygone era. We love Carolina Herrera’s tributes to Christian LaCroix of the late Eighties, embroidered ‘crosses’ & all!
Image Credit Markarian
An Eighties-style ballgown with its chinzy train -at Markarian
Image Credit Carolina Herrera
Eighties colour-blocking and shape – at Carolina Herrera
Image Credit Markarian
Hee-ha! Cowboy boots & all – at Markarian
Image Credit Markarian
A balconette-style chinzy ballgown with satin shorts – at Markarian
Image Credit Carolina Herrera
A throwback to late Eighties Lacroix – at Carolina Herrera
7. Lace Me Up, Lace Me Down
Romantic, seductive and mysterious lace has always been a firm favourite with many designers, and this season the trend was visible across many brands, most notably so at Frederick Anderson and Dion Lee. We adore the ‘lacy’ gladiator boot trend that’s been sneaking back into fashion after a few years’ absence!
Image Credit Frederick Anderson
Seductively transparent – at Frederick Anderson
Image Credit Frederick Anderson
Romantic and serene – at Frederick Anderson
Image Credit Dion Lee
Lacy gladiator boots – at Dion Lee
Image Credit Dion Lee
Futuristic blue lace ensembles – at Dion Lee
Image Credit Dion Lee
Theatrical lace – at Dion Lee
8. Optical Illusions (Better Known as Clever Colour Blocking)
What better way to say good-bye from New York Fashion Week Fall 2022 than by highlighting some of the most exquisite pieces we’ve seen this week, by one of New York’s very own: stalwart designer Tory Burch? We absolutely adore these stretchy, new-age shaped jersey dresses created by the queen of colour-blocking. The colour combinations are out of this world, the style-lines with their curves and scallops are inspired and the clever shapely leather belts that cinch the waists are simply the cherry on top of the most delicious cake! To say that we’re in optical illusion heaven is an understatement!
Image Credit Tory Burch
Bordeaux, sage green and bison in this slashed skirt ensemble – at Tory Burch
Image Credit Tory Burch
Sky blue and tomato red in this futuristic dress – at Tory Burch
Image Credit Tory Burch
Lemon and mocha in this scalloped style-line jersey dress – at Tory Burch
Image Credit Tory Burch
Mint, caramel and charcoal work wonderfully well together – at Tory Burch
Image Credit Tory Burch
Mocha, midnight blue, cerise and bitter chocolate – a cocktail made in heaven! – at Tory Burch
Image Credit Tory Burch
Tomato red, shocking pink, cerise, mocha and charcoal work a treat – at Tory Burch
