Marking the official return of creative directors Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne since their DKNY exit, quintessential streetwear brand Public School made headlines, literally. Baseball caps and cropped jumpers were emblazoned with the words “Make America New York”—a not-so-subtle jab at Trump’s infamous slogan while political hoodies walked down the runway announcing “We need leaders.” The lineup alluded to a ’90s grunge in balmy America with tartans, khaki and a red blue and white thread running through its entirety.
Hints of Beckham’s heritage peeked through in tailored blazers reminiscent of British school boy garb that dominated most of the collection. Saving it from stuffiness however were graceful billowing skirts and roomy trousers cut from lightweight suiting. The relaxed vibe signals a shift for the Victoria Beckham label and heralds a new polished nonchalance.
It wasn’t that the show opened by Bella Hadid in a cream faux cable-knit parka with braided accents running down its front lacked character, it’s just difficult to discuss drapery, intarsia, and deconstructed seaming—even when they’re beautifully done by Prabal Gurung—when a show exemplifies ideas like diversity, inclusion and feminism. Models of a spectrum of sizes and ethnicities strutted down the runway in languid creations and then reprised their walk in slogan tees with powerful quotes: “I am an immigrant”, “Break down walls”, “Our minds, our bodies, our power”, and on Gurung’s own finale ensemble, “This is what a feminist looks like.”
Accessories stood out at Altuzarra. From the pearl encrusted combat footwear to black leather gloves cinched at intervals for a historical puffed sleeve effect, they provided a needed reprieve to the otherwise very regal collection of velvet and pieced fur, beautifully embellished—some dotted with beads and buttons, others trimmed in satin and finished with bows. Inspired by renaissance portraiture, the show was nothing short of a royal parade.
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New York Fashion Week AW17: Highlights of Day 3
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