The runway shows at New York Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2020 were an array of several identities – each designer injecting their personal DNA onto the looks and trends that will ultimately rule the streets as soon as the Summer 2020 sunrays hit the sidewalks. Take a look at our highlights from our favorite shows below.
MARC JACOBS
For Spring 2020, the Marc Jacobs’ girl is an extravagant hippie living in the Victorian era – with an occasional penchant for the late 80s. Lightly touching on the 90s, Jacobs included references to his 1993 Perry Ellis collection that got him fired from the Ellis house: grunge mini dresses in striped knits (one worn on the runway by a barefoot Gigi Hadid), and oversized striped t-shirts that could’ve come from your boyfriend’s closet. The Victorian reference comes in peasant dresses with appliquéd collars and bibs. In a modern take, Jacobs made one of them in a punchy orange hue. There were dapper suits in zesty colors, and lots of florals. We know. Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.
JEREMY SCOTT
The Jetsons meet The Flinstones and take a trip to the moon is how we would describe Jeremy Scott’s latest collection. The intergalactic feeling comes from the metallic space-inspired boots that came with every look, as well as from the color clashings and eerie cutouts that came in the mini-fied dresses. There wasn’t a look that didn’t grab your attention – whether it was the fabric or the print, everything was over-the-top colorful, shimmery, and otherworldly. Always bringing in the fun, Scott chose different fantasy-color wigs for his models hairdos. Scott’s 2020 collection looks like a cartoon character’s closet, one we highly revere.
CHRISTIAN SIRIANO
Christian Siriano’s show for Spring 2020 was a color wheel in itself: he started with aquamarine blues, progressed to black, then pink, then yellow, and then came the rainbow colored looks: a jumpsuit with a ruffled neck, a black dress with a rainbow cape, a plus sized full a-line skirt, and a cinched trench robe- all of these in a rainbow gradient. His collection was gala inspired, sending down two-piece suits, taffeta bright mini dresses, and glistening canary yellow slips, (with a couple of casual denim looks) meant to be worn by every body shape. Siriano is known for inclusivity in fashion, so it was no surprise his show included pieces for plus-sized women.
TOMMY x ZENDAYA
Tommy Hilfiger and Zendaya are on their second runway show as a design team, and the Zendaya effect is discernible. The looks are thoroughly injected with the actresses personal fashion idiosyncrasies: high-waisted bell bottoms, floppy felt halts and androgynous blazer suits in velvets and metallics; without losing the American dose that Hilfiger’s heritage carries in his lifelong design career. More Tommy x Zendaya to come, please!
SAVAGE X FENTY
SAVAGExFENTY, Rihanna’s lingerie collection, is causing all the fashion conversation as of now. Held at Barclays Center, Rihanna’s SavagexFenty fashion show was a visual stimulation full with performances (Normani, 21 Savage and more), visuals, and utopian stage designs. As guests walked in they were given a phone lockbox; recording/photographing was off-limits. Rihanna sure knows how to make her fans live in the moment.
MICHAEL KORS
Preppy work girl on the go was Michael Kors idea for his Spring 2020 woman. Most models walked in sneakers (for once they didn’t have the agonizing thought of tripping over 6 inch stilettos) and almost every look was topped off with a blazer or trenchcoat, making it a powerful women summit (on the runway). The menswear pants we saw were paired with V neck sweaters over button-downs, some with a silk scarf as an accessory (hence the preppy adjective). The Michael Kors 2020 collection was an assortment of looks with personality: his muse puts an outfit together in five minutes, prints and fabrics clashing and all, but somehow manages to look chic, composed and ready to lead a corporate meeting.
THOM BROWNE
“I’m really approaching this more as an art installation than a performance or a fashion moment,” Browne said the morning of his collection parade in the Plaza Hotel’s plaza in New York City. After moving to Paris Fashion week for two seasons, Thom Browne came back to NYC with an open-for-all performance (if you were at the right place and time). The installation, titled “Officepeople” had a progression through midtown Manhattan, where models walked, took a bus, and crossed the streets – just like locals.
JONATHAN SIMKHAI
Johnathan Simkhai knows what women need for the hotter summer days that await us in 2020. His Spring collection was a pastel party; pistacchio greens, turquoise baby blues, and creamy whites made up the maxi button-down dresses and silk nightgowns he sent down the runway. Sleepwear as ready-to-wear is a trend that dates back to the 90s, but Simkhai left the grunge where it belongs. His silk slips came in lavenders, see-through whites (paired with pants), and blush pinks. There were several pieces in crochet, some airy jumpsuits, and lots of peekaboo bras. Simkhai says: let your clothes be breezy and fresh for Summer 2020.
ALICE + OLIVIA
The Alice + Olivia Summer 2020 presentation was a mental trip to color-town. From the clothes to the venue, everything was magically painted in bright and pastel shades of oranges, yellows, and fuchsias. 2-piece ensembles clashed in different zesty shades against pastels in lavenders and off-whites. The collection was made for every feminine girl’s separates dream: pastel crop tops, yellow wide-leg pants, blue slip dresses, fuchsia voluminous floor-sweeping skirts, off-the-shoulder sleeves, colored headbands, and tulle layers. Shall we keep going?
PYER MOSS
Held at the King’s Theatre in Brooklyn, Pyer Moss’ Spring/Summer 2020 collection was titled “Sister” and gave ode to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the widely-considered godmother of Rock n’ Roll. Designer Jean-Raymond made sure his clothes were fun and rock-star worthy, but he also made political statements and hidden references: one look’s shirt read “Vote or Die” and this collection is the last installment of a three-series fashion show, which addresses the erased African-American narratives in pop culture.
TOM FORD
Tom Ford concocted easy, classic separates in neutrals and blacks for Spring 2020, with the exception of several bright-hued statement pieces in orange, purple, and lime green. Tom Ford is the master of classic black; for 2020 his favorite color comes in satin pants and briefs, button-down long-sleeve shirts, leather jackets and shorts, one-piece bodysuits, halter tops and neoprene bras. Gigi Hadid sported a metallic purple sculpt-like top towards the end of the show, which gave way to other several colored classics.
BRANDON MAXWELL
For Spring 2020 Brandon Maxwell’s gowns took a break from the runways. This season, he presented a more casual girl, one that loves denim in every form: jumpsuits, tops, and pants. Brandon Maxwell’s Spring woman is so enamored with denim that she also pairs it with gala gowns and going out tops; and in the day, with blazers and string sandals. The Maxwell woman can go from day to night in a whim – mixing daywear and evening-wear impeccably.
OSCAR DE LA RENTA
The designers at Oscar de La Renta have a European summer vacation on their mind. For Spring/Summer 2020, they brought out the crochet, see-through mesh, and breezy jersey knits in muted earth tones and classic pastels. The show started with a beach-y party blush pink look composed of a mini-dress and same-length blazer. The show slowly transitioned onto more earthy tones, and by the end, gala gowns had taken the stage: an identity aspect of the Oscar de la Renta fashion house.