New York Fashion Week

Twice annually a plethora of designers gather in four fashion Mecca’s to present their collections. The first of these stops is New York City; subsequent being Milan, London, and Paris. While a few notable designers bowed out from the normal hubbub of the Bryant Park tents, but many still returned.

This year each collection seemed to have a very similar theme: simplicity. Though spring/summer runway shows have never been a time for overly complicated designs, the recent state of the economy could have played a role in each designer’s composition. Many designers choose to discard the rich colors and kitschy prints normally seen on a spring runway in favor of more muted palettes. As with any other spring/summer show the floral pattern was common. Even the more exuberant designers, such as Christian Siriano of Project Runway fame, opted for a collection of less structured pieces.

One of the only fashion houses to step close to detail work was Preen (see pic below), designed by Thornton Bregazzi. Many of the dresses looked to be painstakingly hand sewn; a work often only seen in the haute couture houses of France. The work was shown to be rather different from any other collection shown during the first fashion week. This handcrafted work offered a variance on the windswept, easy-going feel that assailed the runway.

However, there are a variety of other shows to be seen during the coming weeks. With Paris Fashion week not beginning until late September, it will be interesting to view the route more exuberant designers will choose. Perhaps simplicity is going to make the rounds once again in the fashion world.



Image source: wwd.com