Running from 7-13 September, New York Fashion Week 2017 has displayed some of fashion’s biggest names, including Dion Lee, Jeremy Scott and Calvin Klein. This year, the Park Avenue Armory hosted two of the most anticipated shows of the spring-summer collections: Tom Ford, and Rihanna’s latest collaboration for Fenty x Puma.
Ford kicked off the fashion season in spectacular style a day ahead of its official start date with his womenswear collection. Alongside the recent launch of his new limited-edition fragrance ‘F***ing Fabulous’ (a bottle of which was included with each invitation), the mood for the collection was clear. Ford revamped the exhibition space into a seductive all-pink lounge, with mirrors lining the walls, reflecting the glint of a dance floor poised for an all-out after-party for guests, who included Suki Waterhouse, Kim Kardashian, Chaka Khan and Anna Wintour. The set-up was in stark contrast to the unveil of the designer’s autumn-winter 2017 collection, which cast away the runway completely and was seen strictly by private appointment.
The show recalled vintage Tom Ford, particularly his early success as creative director at Gucci. The collection perfectly encompasses the key elements for which Ford has become known as it walks the line between sex and glamour, while still retaining its wearability. Clean-cut, easy-to-read garments coordinated with cropped hairstyles and slightly smudged winged eyeliner gave each model an effortlessly cool look. Flashes of skin were prominent as low-rise trousers matched with body suits playfully exposed the top of the thigh, while micro-mini sequinned jumper dresses flaunted the full length of the models’ legs. The largely subdued colour palette of neutrals was punctuated by the bright hues of an orange trench coat, structured cobalt mini dress and lavender trousers. Footwear in the form of cap-toed stiletto pumps in candy colours of scarlet, fuchsia, cobalt and yellow added a fresh pop of colour, helping to keep the outfits modern.
This season, Ford brought some of his most desired menswear details to his women’s collection as masculine cuts were brilliantly mixed with ladylike sophistication. Broad-shouldered suit jackets with sharply-cut lapels, reminiscent of the 1980s, were paired with plunging necklines or bralettes, some cut from a bright fuchsia fabric, to emphasis the play between the sexes. Gigi Hadid led the series of figure-hugging finale dresses which closed the show. The ruched, floor-length gowns boasted armour-like sequinned sleeves which dazzled in the lights of the runway but were themselves slightly sheer to reveal the feminine figure underneath.
The Park Avenue Armory was again dramatically transformed around the midpoint of fashion week as Rihanna launched her new Fenty x Puma collection on Sunday night. Featuring a mix of men and womenswear, the singer-turned-designer brought the fun to New York with her motocross-inspired clothing. A trio of bikers opened the show in jaw-dropping style as they flipped their motorcycles over mounds of bright pink sand which then acted as the backdrop for the circular runway of the show.
Rihanna crowned the athleisure trend, creating a wardrobe of separates which can be easily matched together or stand strong on their own. Masculine, over-sized jackets and cargo pants contrasted against sleek swimwear and skin-tight lycra bodysuits. Vivid shades of electric blue, lime and yellow were at times daringly paired together in entire outfits, but most often detailed with muted colours to create a striking contrast. Two of these combinations were at the forefront of the collection. Navy blue with pink opened the show in the form of an oversized navy windbreaker paired with tight cycling shorts with pink side panels. Later, opposing orange and black appeared in a number of outfits such as a loosely fitting, matching black tracksuit with thick orange stripes running down the arms and legs.
Footwear saw a mixture of flats and heels, the pinnacle of which was the combination of the classic flip-flop with a stiletto-style heel, but also featured a range of ankle boots, trainers and thigh-highs. Matrix-inspired sunglasses with the same brightly-coloured detailing added a sense of modern cool to the collection. It was left in the safe hands of Brazilian supermodel and close friend of Rihanna, Adrianna Lima, to close the show, wearing the stand-out finale piece: a zip-up biker suit in cobalt and lime, with the Puma logo featured across the bust.
In the battle between classic elegance and sex appeal versus new age athleisure, a surprising set of similarities appeared. Both played with the relationship between masculinity and femininity, while bright pops of colour were used to punctuate a more muted background. While evidently targeted to vastly different audiences, both collections are also commercial in their ready-to-wear aesthetic. At first glance of each, my heart lay with Rihanna, whose laid back pieces I could find a number of spaces for in my wardrobe. However, after I found myself numerously replaying Tom Ford’s updated twist on classic cool, the collection ekes by to win my five stars.
