Image via Complex Original
When it comes to New York Fashion Week, it has often taken a backseat to its overseas counterparts in Paris and Milan. This is largely due to the absence of many of the biggest luxury brands that exclusively show in Europe. And while New York may not be able to promise a presentation from Louis Vuitton or Dior in the near future, it has become a great destination to get a glimpse at the designers who will be shaping the fashion industry for years to come.
There were plenty of noteworthy presentations this year: Heron Preston delivered a love letter to the hustle and bustle of New York City. Who Decides War fittingly highlighted some of the city’s iconic hip-hop groups, the Ruff Ryders and Diplomats, as the genre celebrates its 50th anniversary. Collina Strada crafted a zoo-like experience that transformed models into various animals. Taofeek Abijako’s Head of State told us a thoughtful story about his upbringing in Lagos. And Raul Lopez proved once again why Luar is worthy of closing out New York Fashion Week with a show honoring the powerful women he grew up observing.
Check out more on our favorite presentations from New York Fashion Week Fall 2023 below.
Heron Preston
Inside a gutted-out lobby on Sixth Avenue, Heron Preston kicked off his first official New York Fashion Week presentation by spray-painting blue, red, white, and orange lines on a concrete floor with a crew of safety vest-clad road markers. The spray-painted lines almost resembled the look of a New York City subway map. An apt image to reference, considering that Preston told Complex shortly before the show that “the MTA and taking the train” was one of his biggest inspirations as a designer. As models weaved past each other while following their respective spray-painted paths, it became apparent that Preston had magically re-created the hustle and bustle of New York City’s mass transit hubs. The subway has always been the most democratic runway in New York City and Preston’s garments dressed all of its characters. The blue collar construction workers walked in with their denim carpenter pants and heavy canvas jackets. Meanwhile security guards clocking out after an overnight shift were still dressed in their branded utility vests and caps. Chainmail-like bras and leather barbed wire chokers worn by models dressed as downtown club girls would have fit perfectly in Trash and Vaudeville’s stockroom. Naturally, a walk through New York’s subterranean ecosystem wouldn’t be complete without someone stepping out of a train with an oversized ski jacket and ski goggles to boot. Overall, Preston’s latest celebrated the eclectic eccentricity New York’s day-to-day street style is known for. And while his latest doesn’t feel as closely aligned to the city’s heartbeast as his revered collaboration with the Department of Sanitation, it managed to capture the stylish spontaneity we all love about New York. That particularly arrived when the New York-based videographer Justin Mariano, who recently filmed Preston upcycling garbage for show invites, appeared as a mask clad man meandering around the runway with an old VHS camera before suddenly walking in the show. “Did that random kid just crash the show?” someone next to me asked. No, but honestly, I wasn’t so sure myself. But who’s sure about anything in New York?—Lei Takanashi
Who Decides War
Church was in session at Who Decides War’s Fall 2023 presentation, which was held inside a synagogue that was over 170 years old in the Lower East Side. It was clear that the label’s most devout followers arrived for Ev Bravado and Téla D’Amore’s seasonal congregation. Cars were barely able to exit Norfolk Street after dozens of disciples dressed top to bottom in Who Decides War’s denim crowded the entrance to the show. Attendees included local celebs like the Brooklyn rap star Jay Critch, who sat directly in front of an icy sculpture of New York’s skyline melting in the middle of the room. Titled “Politics as Usual,” Who Decides War’s Fall 2023 collection served as an ode to New York City and its music icons. The show properly kicked it off with a look that spotlighted the label’s distressed denim alongside an aged leather jacket that was paired with a graphic T-shirt and belt made in collaboration with the Diplomats. Naturally, Dipset members Jim Jones and Juelz Santana looked ecstatic while seeing this look in the front row. But aside from a T-shirt commemorating the Ruff Ryders, the collection leaned less on collaborations and more on the label’s divine motifs. Embroideries inspired by stained glass windows covered both denim jackets and down jackets made by the Italian outerwear label Add. And different iterations of lancet church windows appeared as 3D pockets on parachute leather skirts, nylon puffer pullovers, and as cutout patterns on a Victorian-era inspired hoop skirt that closed out the show. Each season, Bravado and D’Amore have continued to build on a label that’s inspired by contemporary New York while also creating garments that offer a youthful take on American couture.—Lei Takanashi
Head of State
Taofeek Abijako started Head of State in his New York City bedroom when he was just 17 years old. But for his latest collection, the now 24-year-old decided to take things back even further to his upbringing in Nigeria. More specifically, the collection titled “Memories of Home” harkened back to a journey his father took from Lagos to Spain before he was granted a U.S. visa. The looks took cues from memories his father shared with him about the journey. Certain silhouettes channeled the traditional Nigerian wardrobe, but were given a modern twist. An orange suit with an asymmetrical lapel was a nod to West African soil. Pants were given a crackled finish to reference architecture in Lagos. Other looks included white dresses with sheer sleeves and structured skirts that almost resembled flower petals. Boxy button-up shirts were given an iguana-like scaly texture. The color blue was meant to evoke water and used to color cropped suits with corset-like tailoring. Other button-ups featured abstract imagery by artist Ambrose Rhapsody Murray that gave viewers a more concrete representation of the story Abijako aimed to tell. The show’s most memorable moment came toward the finale as a model in a white dress stepped into a glass box. It disintegrated to reveal a swimsuit as water doused her. Head of State’s latest collection proves that sometimes you don’t need to look too far for inspiration. You can always find comfort going back home. –Mike DeStefano
Sandy Liang
In the Reading Room of the New York Academy of Medicine, Sandy Liang presented a masterful display of coquettish uniforms fit for everyday wear. Building upon the ballet-core foundation she introduced last fall, Liang’s hyper-feminine vision was accentuated by eyelet trims, sheer lace, and ample amounts of glossy satin. Models walked through the bookshelf-lined room in mini dresses adorned with puff sleeves, satin sashes, and playful mesh veils. Others wore Liang’s Sailor Moon-esque regalia: a black mini skirt and turtleneck, decorated with a large white bow and the brand’s now-signature corsage flower. Bows were featured throughout the collection (even in the models’ hair!), but perhaps most notably on a standout red puffer jacket and pants set, styled with the slip on sneakers Liang created in collaboration with Salomon. And of course, cutesy anime eyes made an appearance embellished on black mesh tops and dresses. The collection was darker and more notably unisex than previous seasons without surrendering the delicate romanticism Liang so artfully creates. —Alessandra Maldonado
Willy Chavarria
Willy Chavarria’s clothes dare you to look at them and not call them beautiful. A puff sleeve here, a jolt of sheer flounce there, it’s an easy challenge to accept. But if you don’t accept, there are other details that ask if you’re so sure of that: the leather opera glove is fingerless, with “Beat It” cutouts that allow the knuckles to flex; a trucker jacket has a long, sharp, and foreboding tuck; a militant v-neck sweater bears robust ribbing. In either case, there was so much satin and so much drama—on peak lapels out to here!—that it doesn’t matter which way you’re leaning. Willy Chavarria’s clothes are beautiful, and that’s a fact. — Melvin Backman
LaQuan Smith
These are clothes for grown-ups. That’s not to say fusty, but simply mature. Older LaQuan Smith collections have often channeled a youthful energy with sky-high hemlines and tight tight-cuts to match. Some of that was here, but this presentation, staged at the Rainbow Room—paps screaming for your picture; elevators this way, sir; drinks, ma’am?—had a little more seasoning on it. These were the adornments of party people with a fair number of seasons under their belts. (The DJ Sliink mix that accompanied the show laid Lil Uzi Vert’s “Just Wanna Rock” vocals over Cherelle’s “Saturday Love” to give you a taste.) Tuxedo detailing on cropped jackets for women and cutout suits for me gave classy. Overwhelming furs, thrown open, demanded experienced vigor. A sage-green, buttery soft, belly-baring catsuit suggested a luxurious ease. These looks slipped a crisp $50 into my palm and called me their favorite nephew in warm, dulcet tones. You’d see them and know you’re in for a well-appointed spot of fun. — Melvin Backman
Eckhaus Latta
Fashion shows always have these little exercises of status. Who gets to skip the line and head straight for their seat? Who’s sitting in the front row? Whose view imbibes the vibes with the most precision? At Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta’s most recent presentation, some people got to sit and others stood. And then, in the great black room, there were glowing phones, and an open door, and then everyone started taking pictures of the expected Eckhaus Latta knits and cool haircuts. But there was some other stuff happening, too. Sweaters and sweater jackets had slashes that let underlying skin play peekaboo. A couple looks featured see-through, copper-toned fabric with little ruches and cinches exposed. A bunch of seams, especially in the back of a couple overcoats, puckered outward instead of inward. The models showed this by clomping up and down (with some neat-looking clogs) a bunch of stair sets strewn in a serpentine runway for everyone to see, even if they weren’t in the higher-status sections. The biggest question we should be asking ourselves these days is, what do we do with these structures when we’re not sure how or even if they serve us anymore? Expose them, I guess. But then what? Maybe we can explore this further when the clothes hit the stores in the fall. — Melvin Backman
Luar
It’s clear that Raul Lopez, the designer behind Luar, has a thing with power. But not the toxic, oppressive power that permeates society. He’s inspired by women who exert power, even when the world doesn’t want them to. Titled “Calle Pero Elegante,” which means “street elegance” in Spanish, his Fall 2023 show was an ode to women in his neighborhood, “mafiosas” he calls them, who commanded respect. You can tell Lopez has studied these women and knows them well. He’s dissected every element of what they wear and how they adorn themselves and spun those references into his own exciting creations. We saw that with his opening looks: tailored, double breasted gowns and coats with pronounced shoulder details and exaggerated lapels. Lopez is a fan of tailoring and this added a new element to his repertoire that felt commercial but special at the same time. Lopez also likes volume and extravagance, and that came through with a sumptuous, black mink coat that skimmed the ground (it featured his signature leather belt closure), and the hooded dresses worn over a Luar logo belt that covered the chest. But he always infuses these looks with his take on sportswear staples, like the nylon coats inspired by Spyder jackets, hoodies with billowing sleeves, along with denim jackets and shirts that looked as if they were worn over football shoulder pads. Remember: volume, extravagance. And we can’t forget about the bags. Lopez designed a hit with his Ana bag (a framed handbag with a circular strap), and he presented new iterations of that style, including a version covered in rhinestones and a new wavy print. With each season we see Lopez developing and refining his house codes, while still offering something unexpected. He’s building his own institution in real time, and the industry is thankfully taking notice. A few days after his show it was announced that he was one of the 22 semifinalists for the LVMH Prize, an annual award that grants the winner a 300,000 euro endowment and a yearlong mentorship from the LVMH team. Let’s hope Lopez, a true designer with something to say, being in the LVMH pipeline can yield more collaborations, partnerships, and investments in the future.—Aria Hughes
Collina Strada
Sustainability has always been at the forefront of Hillary Taymour’s vision for Collina Strada. But for the brand’s fall 2023 presentation, the creative director took a more literal approach. With the help of makeup guru Isamaya Ffrench, many of the models embodied the characteristics of different animals, from lizards and capybaras to bunnies and roosters. Not only did they look like these animals, they walked like them, too! It was an immersive experience that lent itself to the world of Collina Strada—a quirky, eclectic, and at times, wild place. The collection was a whimsical exhibition of childlike wonder. Models wore strapless shirts, pants, and mesh sets in an all-over fur print. A vest emblazoned with the face of Taymour’s dog was layered over a sheer top with puffed sleeves. Billowing silk gowns were adorned with horns on the shoulder straps. A model in a reptilian mask and lip ring wore a spiked necklace and long plaid overcoat paired with an animal-printed silk cami and skirt set. In short, there was no lack of the eccentricism that makes Collina Strada a cult favorite.—Alessandra Maldonado
Thom Browne
Browne’s first show in New York City since 2021 aptly fell on Valentine’s Day. Romance was certainly in the air during Browne’s science-fiction inspired presentation inside the The Shed at Hudson Yards. Set on a runway that resembled a plane crash in the desert, Browne’s Fall 2023 collection was deeply inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince. Nearly 30 minutes long, Browne’s show was split into five different acts, centered on a marooned pilot dressed in an astronaut-esque flight suit and a “Prince” who appeared with spiky hair and a gray flannel tweed jacket. This season, Browne’s uniform juxtaposed an adult’s overly serious vision of the world against a child’s whimsical interpretation of it. After seven models (representing the seven planets in The Little Prince) arrived gesticulating their fingers like extraterrestrial beings in silk maxi dresses bearing child-like collage appliques, the adults arrived. Each wore luxurious tweed garments with boxy silhouettes, exaggerated shoulders, and holding accessories decorated with clocks slowly ticking away—an apt metaphor for how we preciously hold on to what little time we have left as we age. Then came the playful, yet distorted interpretation of these uniforms under a child’s gaze, which blended tweed tartan fabrics with pinstripe suiting, ties, rugby shirts, skirts, and more. Admittingly, while The Little Prince-inspired looks and plot points flew over this attendee’s head, (sorry, but I never read the book) one couldn’t help but feel captivated by this dream Browne sent us on. And as models strutted in pairs, hand in hand, while Rodgers and Hammerstein showtune “You’ll Never Walk Alone” blasted on the speakers during the finale, it reminded us all that love is what unites us all. —Lei Takanashi