8 Insider Talking Points For This New York Fashion Week
- 1/8
THE INFLUENCER PARADOX
Since the dawn of #omg, Instagram celebs have jammed the front rows, sometimes by force. (You know who you are, blondie…) Their purpose: to “influence” fans and wannabes, and increase both brand awareness and sales. But now that Rebecca Minkoff and Burberry are switching to a buy-now-wear-now schedule, it’s time to see if there’s a real-time connection between liking and, you know, buying. Will Insta stars be able to sell purses and trench coats like their Hollywood counterparts… or will the selling powers of Lupita, Beyoncé, and Drake remain untouched? #StayTuned.
- 2/8
WHERE’S KENDALL KAIA?
When Lily-Rose Depp appeared at Chanel last season, the paparazzi swarm was so intense that her mother, Vanessa Paradis, rushed the 16-year-old backstage. Meanwhile, Jaden Smith, Hailey Baldwin, Zoe Kravitz, and Eliot Sumner have all booked fall fashion campaigns. Up next in the land of celebuspawn: Kaia Gerber, daughter of Cindy Crawford. She’s stunning, signed with IMG Models, and 14-years-old: too young for CFDA model guidelines, but—let’s be real—not for Alexander Wang’s Spring 2016 campaign. Also keep your eyes peeled for Lottie Moss, teen sister of Kate, who’s walked Sonia Rykiel in Paris but nothing in New York… yet.
- 3/8
BLACK MODELS MATTER
Another fashion week, another chance to prove the industry isn’t clueless, boring, or just plain racist. Last season, Dominican beauty Lineisy Montero booked more runway shows than anyone else… though 79% of the runways were still super pale. So let’s be clear: there’s no excuse for all-white runways anymore, especially with talent like Maria Borges (Angola), Bhumika Arora (India), Aya Jones (France), Neelam Gill (UK), Fernanda Ly (Australia), and Aqua Parios (USA!) on the rise.
- 4/8
CALIFORNIA GIRL, INTERRUPTED
If you want to sound like a real fashion insider, complain to someone—anyone—about how Hedi Slimane “stole” your favorite model. Thanks to Saint Laurent’s show this Wednesday in Los Angeles, several fashion favorites (The Hemingway sisters among them) have reportedly decamped for the West Coast, leaving New York designers with earlier events missing their favorite It Girls. But hey, it’s below-freezing in Manhattan right now. Who can blame anyone for trading their puffer coat for an achingly cool leather jacket and some ripped tights?
- 5/8
THE RETURN OF STATEMENT BEAUTY
What do Pat McGrath, Drake, and Kylie Jenner have in common? They’ve all made bold lip color into this season’s status accessory. (Ok, technically Tom Ford made the Drake lipstick, but you get what we mean.) Expect to see more wild lip hues—and eye hues, and hair hues—this season, and not just on reliably colorful runways like Jeremy Scott and V Files. The shoppers have spoken, and they want more (especially if it’s fashion-world approved).
- 6/8
ALL DENIM EVERYTHING
Fun fact: this season in New York, a dozen denim-heavy brands are holding shows and presentations, including all-American newbies R13, Lyz Olko, and Sixty Nine USA. Is there anything more American than a great pair of jeans? Yes—a small business getting huge. Let’s shop local and make it happen!
- 7/8
GOT MILK (STUDIOS)?
On Monday, New York Fashion Week’s emerging designer hub launches Milk Makeup—their first direct-to-consumer product line. It’s already been featured on Vogue, worn by major models, and blasted to the production company’s Instagram followers. But will it become a suburban kid’s new gateway drug to the fashion world? And if it succeeds, what does it mean for NYFW as not just a brand, but a cultural phenomenon? (And wait, why doesn’t Coachella have a haircare line?! Those braid crowns are hard to untangle without a deep conditioner.)
- 8/8
KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE SCHUYLER SISTERS!
Like the rest of New York City, the fashion world is obsessed with Hamilton. From its jaw-dropping performances to its astonishing music and lyrics, the show is a lot like a cronut or a Céline jacket—it’s actually worthy of its hype. It’s also got some super-sharp military jackets and corset-pantsuit combos in its costume arsenal….and we wouldn’t be surprised if a few designers name-checked the show or its heroines, the dynamic Schuyler sisters, as runway influences this season. (Hopefully, a few of the show’s stars will sit front-row, too—after all, Tony season is around the corner, and Lin-Manuel Miranda would look major in Calvin Klein.)
Fashion’s become such a spectator sport that even your mom can pronounce Rodarte. How to sound like a style insider without seeming basic—or falling prey to a Jimmy Kimmel prank? We have some suggestions. Click through for your cheat sheet to NYFW, and even without a Yeezy 3 ticket, you’ll seem enviously in-the-know.
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