Sophistication, not athleisure, dominates women’s wear at NYFW

New York – Athleisure has been dominating the fashion industry for the last year, and it
was a trend that was expected to continue through this Fashion Week. After
day 4 of NYFW, there appears to be as little trace of athleisure as
possible in these collections. This season, sophistication has returned in
traditional form to the runways, where even the designers that would be
expected to do athleisure have turned a new leaf.

Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow of Public School, who made their name off
streetwear inspired clothing, went for the glamour this season, as they
sent several looks down the runway that looked red carpet or corporate girl
worthy in comparison their usual aesthetic of casual American street style.
Never in the history of fashion has a design team managed to so
successfully transition to a more traditionally high-fashion aesthetic, but
for a duo who has a CFDA award under their belt, this should come as no
surprise. From their first look, a white crepe sachey long vest with white
crepe embroidered deblush pants, a new Public School was introduced, and
given the audience’s pleasant reaction, it was hopefully just a taste of
what’s to come moving forward.

Lie Sangbong stayed true to his classic refined aesthetic with one of his
signature looks being a black asymmetrical button-up dress, in addition to
having several printed silk pieces that were the pinnacle of chic edginess.
Metallic blues were also a major part of his collection, while metallic in
general seems to be a growing runway trend. Sangbong is one of those
designers who will always hold true to wanting to dress the highly
sophisticated woman, and would never stray into the realm of athleisure.

Classic sophistication returning to the runways

Also in the realm of chic edginess was Georgine. Designer Georgine
Ratebald, who dedicated her show to Argyrios Petkanas, one of the most
acclaimed furriers in New York, somehow managed to successfully integrate
fur into her spring/summer collection. It was a rare feat that very few
designers could accomplish as fur is usually restricted to fall/winter
collections, but between her dress with yellow fur sleeves, and her skirt
and blouse paired with a purple and pink fur trench there was virtually
nothing to complain about with this collection. Ratebald also went heavy on
the sequins and lace for this collection, proving she has an excellent eye
and skill for adding details.

The star of the night and the epitome of sophistication was easily Prabal
Gurung. The designer opened his show with a group of monks saying a prayer
to bless a show that was a blessing to the audience’s eyes. Gurung, whose
collection was dedicated to his homeland of Nepal which was devastated by
the earthquakes 2 years ago, wanted to do a collection that would combine
elements of Nepal with elements of his new home, New York.

The designer collaborated with India-based Nepalese artist Laxman Shrestha
to create a collection that fused the worlds of their Nepalese culture and
high fashion. The level of construction done on this collection was so
impressive, you would think it was something that was over three years in
the making. Take for example the porcelain silk organza coupe holi powder
brushstroke jacquard halter top and porcelain holi powder brushstroke print
silk charmeuse t-shirt dress with hand-tacked asymmetric draped hem.
Garments like these would take almost as long to make as a couture dress.

It was one of the most heavily detailed collections to go down the runway
at NYFW, and for a designer who described his collection as a “personal
gesture of gratitude”, we should be grateful to him for sending such
astoundingly incredible fashion pieces down the runway. If there was a
lesson in how to create a ready-to-wear collection with couture level
construction, Gurung would be the ultimate man to learn from.

So, while athleisure has seemed to be owning the fashion scene for quite
some time, classic sophistication is making its return to the runways. The
era of old school glamour is returning, and people will be dressing better
than ever. It might be time to hang up the joggers and make room for the
silk crepe dresses.

photo1:Public School via New York Magazine
photo2:Prabal Gurung via New York Times

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