Something fab for everyone
Fashion Week designers put focus on diversity, female empowerment
As New York Fashion Week Spring 2019 wraps, the forwardthinking themes that resonated through so many of the shows — inclusion and activism, in particular — showed through in the clothes themselves.
Take the spectacular show that Tome rolled out: duo Ryan Lobo and Ramon Martin took female empowerment as their inspiration, and continued their ode to female form and comfort with a flowing collection that flatters nearly every body shape. With a nod to two of the only female Impressionist painters in history, Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot, they played with slouchy trousers and vests — playing off the idea of the two women working in a men's world. And all of it was manifested in sustainable fabrics like organic hemp and cotton, flourished with details like tassels made by a group of refugee women now living in America.
The Olsen sisters have always loved to play with proportions and details in
their collections, and their creations for spring were no different. Blousons with elongated sleeves and dresses featured commanding widths and asymmetrical overlays. What was a departure, though: their increased emphasis on longevity. With minimalist, almost completely solid-color clothes that were clearly intended to be bought and worn as investment pieces over many years, they won the day with an argument for timelessness over trends.
And then there was Proenza Schouler, who truly brought the keep-it-real attitude and message of diversity home. In a collection meant to be worn everyday, they presented clothes made almost completely of cotton and denim (with slices and splashes of leather here and there). The design duo got clever with touches of tie dye and acid washing, but kept things mostly simple with solid neutrals. Meanwhile, the cast of models they chose made the diversity theme genuine; they asked people ranging from older supermodels (like Amber Valletta) and young newcomers, New York artists and even their friends to walk in the show — underscoring that fashion should be for everyday and for everyone.
And from Carolina Herrera to Michael Kors, Naeem Khan, Calvin Klein and Rodarte, the Spring 2019 runways were a riot of color and form.