Making the Grade: DKNY Gets a ‘B+’ For Spring 2016
Max Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow — the cute boys behind Public School — made their debut as the head designers at DKNY today. It’s an appointment that seems to make perfect sense: Both guys grew up in New York and have always looked to the street for inspiration. But, as it turns out, it is not an easy role to fill. Donna Karan may not be in charge anymore, but she is a legend, full stop. Shown in what looked like an airport hangar at 1 World Trade, the stark white setting was quite somber, whereas Karan always made her shows feel like one big party. On the one hand, this is the yin and yang of fashion; reshaping a fashion house certainly takes time. On the other, expectations were high.
Inspiration: New York City baby! Karan created DKNY 26 years ago as an homage to the city that she loves. Both Osborne and Chow share her enthusiasm, and even wrote in their show notes that “growing up in New York left an indelible impression on us.” As a fellow New Yorker (does 15 years count as “official?”), there is no arguing that. Grade: A
Ready-to-Wear: The designers were intent on putting their own imprint on the label, telling WWD earlier this month that the line is “this ever-evolving journey for this woman.” Their focus was tailoring blended with classic American sportswear. They started with a long, pinstripe blazer worn with a short jumpsuit and then worked in shades of black, white, navy, and a quick flash of cobalt as the palette for oversized coats, tailored blazers, long shirt dresses that peeked out from underneath skirts, and a trio of lace dresses at the end. It was definitely cool, but not exactly the shot-out-of-the-cannon effect the audience may have been hoping for. Grade: B+
A look from DKNY’s Spring 2016 collection. Photo: Getty Images
Bags: There weren’t many to admire. Actually we counted four total throughout the whole show. Rectangular clutches mainly. They came in the same color palettes as the clothes. Perhaps it was just a pared down moment for the show? Grade: B
Shoes: The designers stayed to true to their vision of accommodating the young urban professional by creating shoes are easy to zip around in. Strappy booties with a small heel, black oxfords, and white pointy-toed slip on booties were the main offerings. Grade: B
Attendance: Sure there were some celebs like Kate Mara, Jennifer Hudson, and Santigold in the house, but this show was more about the editors who needed to see it for the first time — and they were all there. Also, importantly, Karan herself who personally escorted Hudson back to meet the designers. Too many celebs would have made this more hyped than it needed to be. Slow and steady wins the race. Grade: A
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