NEW YORK, NY.- Even in the context of end-of-summer, back-to-school Septembers, this September is going to be a doozy. Not just a return to real life, but crammed with attention-demanding events: the U.S. Open finals, the Harris-Trump debate, the Emmys (which have turned into a mini-Oscars, thanks to streaming). How will fashion month, which begins in New York this week before moving on to London, Milan and Paris, ever compete?
By accessorizing with associated content. Here’s what to know about what may break through the noise.
Politics will make a model appearance.
New York Fashion Week officially begins Friday not with a glitzy kickoff cocktail or a news conference about the value of fashion to the municipal economy, but with … a march! Yes, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Vogue have teamed up with the nonprofit I Am a Voter to organize a nonpartisan procession conceived to suggest that voting is the best look of all. Michael Kors will be there; so will Thom Browne, Emily Bode and Tory Burch. Beginning at Herald Square and ending at Bryant Park, the former home of the fashion week tents, the event will culminate in a rally with some chic speechifying, as well as voter registration booths staffed by Voguettes.
Whether the gathering is a harbinger of more fashionable political statements will be one of the themes of the week. New York fashion stalwarts such as Vera Wang, Gabriela Hearst and Aurora James have contributed merch to the Harris-Walz store through Designers for Democracy. Will it make it to the runways? Watch and see.
So will fashiontainment.
The evolution of fashion into entertainment continues apace. First, Ralph Lauren is holding a show in the Hamptons, the latest in his series of this-is-my-life venues (he has a home in Montauk, New York). So for one night only, Khalily Stables won’t be in Bridgehampton, but in Ralphampton, a Hamptons of the mind. Still, the multihour drive there and back somewhat undermines the excitement about the affair. It is possible to take the whole “experience” concept a one-lane highway too far.
In a more accessible approach to the same idea (share the fun!), the CFDA is teaming up with Rockefeller Center to erect a 14-by-22-foot screen in the storied ice rink there that will show the … well, shows and be open to all. After the summer’s circus-themed KidSuper collection in Paris, Colm Dillane is inviting everyone to the Apollo Theater for a night of extremely well-dressed stand-up comedy. And finally, Coperni (you know, the French label that made Bella Hadid’s spray-on dress) will bring the whole shebang to a close on Oct. 1 with a show at Disneyland Paris. Expect Cinderella as a muse. And expect Olympians and other athletes as the hottest front-row celebrities.
There will be a city round robin …
The phenomenon of designers taking their shows on the road continues, with Pieter Mulier of Alaïa snagging the marquee slot on the first day of New York Fashion Week. Ibrahim Kamara of Off-White, normally based in Paris, is likewise heading to New York. Gabriela Hearst is going in the opposite direction and moving over to Paris. Ditto Ganni, which is stepping up from relatively quiet Copenhagen, Denmark, to the City of Light, a sign of its more global ambitions.
London Fashion Week is stepping into the spotlight with a celebration of its 40th birthday, complete with a retrospective exhibition, a bash at 10 Downing St. (the new British prime minister, Keir Starmer, may not be known for his snappy dress, but he recognizes the economic impact of the shows) and a finale blowout party called Icons that promises LFW names old and new, as well as archival looks from famous shows past.
And one big designer debut.
Despite all the designer openings at big fashion houses that have sent the rumor mill into overdrive, many houses are still without a chief designer. As a result, Chanel and Dries Van Noten are showing team collections; Givenchy and Tom Ford (which named Haider Ackermann the new creative director on Sept. 4) are sitting out the season. Also not showing: Maison Margiela, which has not held a runway event since the break-the-internet couture show in January. Still, that is not likely to quiet the speculation about where its designer John Galliano may go next.
It does mean, however, that all eyes will be on Alessandro Michele’s first show as the creative director of Valentino, judging whether the lightning he brought to Gucci can strike twice. Though Michele offered a sneak peek in the form of a precollection in June, this will be the real test of just how much of his maximalist aesthetic (he once sent models down the runway toting replicas of their own heads) will reappear at the house a red ruffle built.
Will it simply be Gucci 2.0, or does Michele have a big new idea to bring to the label? Will Michele BFFs, Jared Leto and Harry Styles, be in the audience? V-Day is Sept. 29.
This article originally appeared in
The New York Times.
