February 11, 2020
by fashionpulse
I’m so grateful for being considered and interviewed in the recent Pittsburgh Post-Gazette feature, “Is the Fashion Week Model Broken?” by Sara Bauknecht .
I have been covering New York Fashion Week since 2003, so if that makes me somewhat of an expert on the history of fashion week, I will gladly take the title. Years ago, I had proposed a class at New York University that was, for the most part, just on fashion week. Needless to say, the course was never approved, but if we may look at it as a social barometer of change, there’s no denying that the concept of the traditional fashion show is changing and with it, almost every other aspect of fashion is on the table, rife for re-examination.
Personally, I’ve been rethinking my contributions to the industry; what I’ve done, what I like to do, and where I personally can make the most positive change. Since I’ve had to streamline my fashion life in order to expand my time to accommodate my young family, I have been focusing the efforts on my teaching, being more thoughtful in my approach to andragogy and carving out more time to help my students. Fashion week just doesn’t hold the same weight as it used to; not only am I personally less engaged with it because of other prioritized commitments, but the absolute need to be present is no longer as important as it once was, since social media can takw care of that for me.
Acknowledging that the times are changing is one thing, but to truly know what the future holds is another; I can’t say ultimately what will be the fate of fashion week, but the more I think about it, the less it seems to be in union with the new digital age we are living in. All I can hope for is to find my way among this sea of change, and continue to deliver a trusted, unique perspective to the conversation.
April 4, 2018
by Rachael Comeau
Now that New York Fashion Week for Fall 2018 has come to a close, the most prevalent trends from the runways have made themselves known. In terms of accessories, many designers opted out of the oversized silhouette that has been popular in past seasons. This is especially true for sunglasses, which appeared on many runways in a small, cat-eye style. Designers, like Anna Sui, Calvin Klein, and Calvin Luo all featured this style in their collections.
At Self-Portrait, masculine and feminine silhouettes were combined in the form of oversized outerwear and flowy dresses, accessorized with small, rounded sunglasses. Anna Sui’s latest collection, inspired by her love of the fashion world in New York City, featured slightly larger frames in a cat-eye style. At Adam Selman for Fall 2018, the designer debuted a bright and bold collection inspired by the 80’s, which included smaller, bright-colored cat-eye pieces.
Click through the slideshow above to see how other designers incorporated the cat-eye trend into their collections.
March 7, 2018
by Rachael Comeau
The 80’s trend continued throughout Milan Fashion Week, this time with a heavy focus on silhouette. Often accompanied by vibrant colors and voluminous shoulders, labels such as Jil Sander, Emilio Pucci, and Roberto Cavalli featured wide belts cinched at the waist in their most recent collections.
At Agnona, a show inspired by the 70’s and 80’s decades, featured wide leather belts worn at the waistline over relaxed, voluminous shapes. At Marni, designer Francesco Risso included wide leather belts with oversized buckles with brightly colored vinyl coats in his collection titled “Technoprimitivism.” Similar looks were featured at Fendi, with wide, checked belts on display over patent leather trench coats of the same pattern.
Click through the slideshow above to see how other designers incorporated this 80’s silhouette into their most recent collections.
March 6, 2018
by Rachael Comeau
At London Fashion Week, the oversized trend was going strong in both clothing and accessories. Among the most notable of pieces was the oversized tote, which was featured in collections like Ashish, Richard Malone, and Eudon Choi. Ashish was inspired in part by Indian street style, and featured models carrying brightly colored, grocery-worthy bags. At Rejina Pyo, the collection included modern style elements that were mixed with a touch of nostalgia, complete with oversized, leather totes in a muted color palette. At Richard Malone, the sustainable collection featured oversized, mesh tote bags, which were all hand-woven and made entirely from recycled plastic.
Click through the slideshow above to see how other designers incorporated the oversized tote into their most recent collections.
