New York Fashion Week has come to an end, and editors, buyers, celebrities, and the rest of the fashion elite are already in attendance at London Fashion Week. But, as the London fashion scene plays host to people from around the world to celebrate the beauty of Britain's fashion scene, let's take a quick look at the top five trends from NYFW fall/winter 2016.
First off, this season was all about the sleeves. Brands ranging from Runa Ray to The Row gave more attention to the construction of their sleeves this season than ever before. At Runa Ray's presentation, pleated sleeves, cap sleeves, and trumpet sleeves displayed the brand's knack for skillfully creating a variety of sleeve details. Oversized sleeves ruled the runways this season as well, with brands like Michael Kors and Proenza Schouler designing sleeves that were longer than the average woman's arm. Designers were going for a more statement effect with the arm details this season.
Embroidery was also very popular this season, and helped create beautiful details in the collections of designers Naeem Khan, Reem Acra, and Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig for Marchesa. The detailed embroidery on the dresses of these aforementioned designers created a beautiful princess effect in their collections, which is only fitting for these red carpet favorites. Embroidery appears to be the new signature detail among luxury dress collections, allowing for original details that aren't easily replicated.
Extra stylish sleeves, embroidery, East Asian influences, fur, and a diverse cast of models wowed the runways at this season's New York Fashion Week
East Asian influences also permeated through collections this season. While many East Asian designers like Demi Park of Demoo Parkchoonmoo and Minsoo Chung of O'2nd were drawing from their heritage, Indian designers like Bibhu Mohapatra also found their inspiration in East Asian art and culture. Mohapatra's collection was inspired by the image of the Chinese Empress Dowager Cixi. This resulted in looks like an imperial red crepe dress and details like leather and sequin dragonflies adorning chic dresses.
Fur was also back in full force this season, being one of the most luxurious materials that designers used. Creative directors like Dennis Basso and Son Jung Wan incorporated fine furs from fox to raccoon in their collections, presenting the most expensive and sophisticated looks possible. Fur is definitely making a statement in a major way, but perhaps we owe Karl Lagerfeld for that trickle down affect since he is such a major proponent of fur.
One of the major trends that stuck out at the runways this season went beyond the clothes, but instead, was about who was walking the runways. The increase in the number of Black and Asian models walking the runways was noticeable in shows like Hiromi Asai, who sent an entire kimono collection down the runway, and Zac Posen who used more black models for his collection than ever before. While the runways still aren't as diverse as they could be, progress is slowly being made, and designers are taking notice to who is being casting for their runway shows. It's time the runways start looking like the rest of the world, and it is also time they start representing the diverse array of customers who purchase these luxury items.