NY FASHION WEEK’S BEST

BY: Andy Shoulders

This season’s New York Fashion Week played out unlike any other, with designers flexing their creative muscle to effectively, and most of all safely, unveil their Spring/Summer 2021 collections to eager audiences. While some designers were still able to wow viewers with beautifully and safely done in-person shows (looking at you, Jason Wu), many other designers chose to showcase new collections online. Let’s take a look at two of our favorite digital standouts.

RODARTE

Known for romanticism, ethereal beauty, kitsch, and slight winks towards darkness, Rodarte, designed by sister duo Kate and Laura Mulleavy, unveiled a slightly less fanciful collection for Spring/Summer 2021 than in previous seasons (though it was still undoubtedly gorgeous). It launched as a digital lookbook. The models were portrayed as fairies or nymphs in the California hills, complete with floral wreathed veils on their heads – arguably the best and most detailed pieces in the collection. Even some of the more commercially viable streetwear pieces appear in the presentation. Sweatsuits and sweatshirt dresses emblazoned with “J’AIME RODARTE” (“I love Rodarte”) will undoubtedly be hot commodities within the collection, albeit lacking the more fantastical elements that are Rodarte’s signature. While many people may miss the beautifully out-there collections that gave Rodarte its strong voice (2012’s Van Gogh collection and 2008’s Japanese Horror Film collection come to mind), this season’s collection is still absolutely beautiful. Perhaps more importantly, especially as fashion houses struggle to attract post-lockdown consumers, this collection is sellable, and that’s what will keep Rodarte around long enough to get back to the fantasy we know and love.

 

 

 

 

TOM FORD

Tom Ford has a knack for knowing what women want before they do. If you don’t believe us, look at his previous collection – full of gray sweats, and DIY’d jeans that ended up fitting perfectly into an approaching quarantine wardrobe. For his Spring/Summer 2021 collection, Ford’s goal was to make us do one thing: smile. And that he did. Inspired by a documentary about fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez and ’70s models Pat Cleveland and Donna Jordan (whom Lopez sketched), Ford harkened right back to his retro-influenced Gucci heyday, and who can blame him? As usual, these are not clothes for wallflowers, and this time around, plenty of skin peeks through the bold patterns and colors. Shirts are unbuttoned down to the navel, and there are pull-on pants with a logoed waistband (again conjuring Ford’s early Gucci days). As we made our way through the slinky dresses, bright caftans, bold floral blazers, and eye-catching colors, all we could do was smile. And that’s what we could use more of during a pandemic. Well played, Mr. Ford.