The New York Fashion Week Preview—From a Shortened Schedule to Rihanna’s Blockbuster Show

New York Fashion Week officially starts tomorrow, and so far the biggest news has been new CFDA chairman Tom Ford’s slashed and condensed schedule. It’s shorter and more efficient than ever before—if you’re looking at the “official” dates, that is, which are Friday, September 6th through Wednesday, September 11th. We’re already in NYFW mode here at Vogue Runway, though, with dozens of appointments, presentations, and shows lined up today and tomorrow. But there’s lots more to talk about than the schedule this season, like the designers we’re most looking forward to seeing, the ones you won’t find anywhere on the schedule, and the themes that will likely emerge throughout the week (and the rest of the month). Below, our primer on the most important news and talking points to anticipate.

A shorter schedule means the days are busier than ever.

Even on this writer’s XXL desktop, there are days on the Vogue Runway fashion show calendar that are so jam-packed, you would have to zoom way out to see the complete list of events. (Tuesday has 33 shows planned so far.) New York has always been a busy fashion week, but this year’s condensed schedule masterminded by Ford has resulted in more back-to-back scheduling, zig-zagging across boroughs, and 9:00 p.m. shows. On Sunday, we’ll be putting the MTA and ride-sharing apps to the test when we’re rushing from Tommy Hilfiger’s 8:30 p.m. show at the Apollo Theater in Harlem to Pyer Moss’s 9:30 p.m. event at Kings Theater in Flatbush, Brooklyn—a 15-mile journey.

The edited schedule has also moved a few brands “off calendar,” like Vfiles and Kith, who are both staging their runway shows Thursday evening. There is also a slate of smaller shows happening tomorrow afternoon at Spring Studios, and it’s safe to say we’ll be attending more presentations and appointments long after Marc Jacobs’s show on Wednesday evening, traditionally considered the “end” of NYFW.

Still, there are several brands missing from the calendar, which has freed up some space.

Alexander Wang and Monse presented their shows earlier this summer, and a few classic New York names are missing, like Calvin Klein, which staged its final runway show last year, and Derek Lam, who announced the closure of his main line in July. (His contemporary label Derek Lam 10 Crosby is still on the schedule.) Other designers are trading runway shows for appointments, or they’re hosting a different kind of event entirely: Diane Von Furstenberg is planning a lunch, and Telfar is hosting a film screening ahead of his formal show in Paris.

That has ostensibly opened things up for the new guard. Among the piles of invitations we’ve received from emerging labels, a few stand out: 85 Eldridge, the new project by artist Doug Abraham (who owned the legendary shop Bess in the early 2000s) and Lana Jay Lackey; Puppets and Puppets by Carly Mark; Swimming in the Room; and Max Hosa, who is presenting his collection in tomorrow’s Made in Africa show at Spring Studios. Those should all be on your list—though a common complaint among editors is that the schedule is so packed, they don’t even have time to check out new designers. One way to fix that could be to establish a new, highly curated “emerging designer” collective or show space where you could see multiple collections at once.

On that note, the most inventive use of the limited calendar space goes to Vaquera, CDLM, and Section 8, who are teaming up for a group show on Monday. Three birds, one stone!

Which begs the question: Do we really need this many fashion shows?

Despite the condensed schedule and a number of absent brands, Vogue Runway still has more than 200 collections on our New York calendar—and there are dozens more shows we aren’t covering. Some would argue that is simply too many, particularly if you consider the environmental toll of a typical fashion event. As we reported earlier this week, some brands are beginning to pay attention to the impact of their shows—they’re using efficient lighting and energy, rented furniture, recyclable decor, et cetera—but many others aren’t. There’s still the issue of volume, too: No matter how you spin it, hundreds of fashion shows with thousands of guests simply can’t be easy on the planet, even if the best ones are relatively low-impact.

The fact that three of NYFW’s coolest young brands don’t even have their own time slots suggests the solo runway-centric model could use some shaking up. By seeing Vaquera, Section 8, and CDLM all in one place, we’ll save hours of time we’d typically spend on the subway or in a taxi getting to and from each of those shows—not to mention the dollars and gas required for those modes of transportation. Climate change is going to be a huge topic of conversation this season—it just got another boost from President Emanuel Macron, whose sustainability-focused Fashion Pact was signed by brands including Chanel, Gucci, Stella McCartney, and Hermès—and these designers are already addressing it confidently.

As for the week’s biggest shows, they’re just that: big!

Hilfiger’s show marks his second collaboration with Zendaya and is bound to be one of the week’s buzziest events. This one is right on the heels of her turn in HBO’s Euphoria, so we’re crossing our fingers that her castmates Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, and Barbie Ferreira are in the front row (wearing incredible makeup, obviously). The second event that’s expected to draw a celebrity crowd is Savage X Fenty, slated for Tuesday, September 10th in Brooklyn. Rihanna will be there, naturally, and it’s fair to assume there will be major models on the runway; Bella and Gigi Hadid both walked last year, as did a pregnant Slick Woods, who went into labor right after the show. If you can’t make it, Amazon Prime will be there to film a documentary of the show, which will air on the streaming service on September 20th. Fashion shows are already optimized to view on a screen, whether it’s via Instagram, YouTube, or the Vogue Runway app, but this will push the concept of the fashion show “experience” even further—and cement Rihanna as an even greater force of fashion.

It should also get other designers thinking about how they can push the envelope. Many can’t compete with Rihanna, and more don’t have the budgets to stage this kind of mega-production. But when celebrity-fronted shows like this are taking place, a straightforward catwalk in a white room can feel pretty stale in comparison. Designers large and small should think about interesting ways they can tweak the fashion show concept entirely; consider Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mulleavy, who cast a few of their Hollywood friends—among them January Jones, Kiernan Shipka, Gabrielle Union, Kirsten Dunst, and the Haim sisters—in a stunning, Botticelli-esque lookbook in lieu of a runway show. “As we’ve become more confident and comfortable in our design voice and really seeing what our personality is within the design world, it’s been really nice to think artistically about creating a world behind each collection,” Laura told Vogue’s Steff Yotka. It’s not only a beautiful reflection of Rodarte’s mission, but it goes without saying that each photo feels a lot more memorable than a standard runway shot.

Aside from the schedule and celebrities, what else will everyone be talking about at the shows?

Let’s get this out of the way: No one wants to see another collection that doesn’t stand for something. With climate change, immigration, the U.S. election, and Brexit dominating headlines, a pretty dress won’t cut it anymore. Fashion is meant to reflect the world around us and tell us where it’s headed, so we’re hoping designers open up the channels of communication this season. They should be addressing the social and environmental impact of their clothes, and they should use their platforms to take a stand on gender equality, Trump, immigration reform, and the other issues we spend most of our days thinking about.

We’re also hoping New York designers in particular are thinking about next presidential election—and possibly dressing the next woman president. The last day of New York Fashion Week is the same day as the next Democratic debate; other than a pantsuit, what should a female candidate like Kamala Harris wear? What projects strength, confidence, courage, and optimism? Here’s hoping we see a few compelling ideas this week.

Originally Appeared on Vogue