new york fashion week spring 2020 trends

New York Fashion Week this season was truncated to five days instead of the usual full week (or more) but despite a really packed schedule, what we’re feeling from the shows is instead a force of optimism and a certain can-do spirit. Here, we single out the trends that caught our eye:

An uplifting sense of optimism and ownership

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NYFW this season feels almost like London instead – with a well of promising young designers springing up, ardently advocating for different causes (Pyer Moss‘ Kerby Jean-Raymond for example, re-examined American culture tropes through the eyes of African Americans) and it’s given NYFW a sense of excitement that hasn’t been around in recent years.

The most exuberant of all was probably Marc Jacobs, who has been on an effusive streak in recent seasons. The MJ girl for SS20 all seem to be powerful characters in their own colourful stories – fairy dolls, ’70s working girls, flower childs and uber glamour pusses that you couldn’t help but smile at.

A sculpted torso

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LOOK 01: @1marisha_

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Welp. The body-conscious, early ’00s-ish corset tops Bella Hadid has been pushing for in her daily outfits are finding its way onto the runways, most notably at Eckhaus Latta and Priscavera. For those seeking something a little more cerebral, you can’t miss on Tom Ford‘s molded plastic tops that were an homage to the original ones made by sculptor Claude Lalanne for the late Yves Saint Laurent in 1969.

Bling is in

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From Memory. KHAITE RUNWAY SPRING 2020

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It’s hard to pin down the Area aesthetic but it tends to be loud, fun and never predictable. For SS20, they committed fully an explosion of crystals that bedecked the models’ faces and torsos expansively.

If Area’s take was too OTT, consider Khaite‘s rhinestone headpieces instead. The designer behind Khaite, Catherine Holstein, has quickly become a go-to for uber-luxe wardobe staples such as knitwear and jeans. This was her first runway show and the headpieces were a tribute to childhood memories of wearing her grandmother’s jewellery in her hair.

Back to (very elevated) basics

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Modernity with a twist of classic #TIBISS20

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Skillfully constructed and oversized shirts were our key takeaway from The Row‘s latest collection – the lilac number in particular, will likely be a hotseller. The shirt is such a basic staple but leave it to The Row to make it look instantly desirable and offhandedly chic without being painfully trendy (such as shirts with ostentatiously long sleeves that have been trending for the past couple of years). Here is something you’ll wear for years to come and the collection a reference to return to over and over again.

Not your garden variety

Kate Spade S/S’20

Balancing playfulness with sophistication is a fine line but we think Kate Spade‘s creative director Nicola Glass manages it skillfully without alienating the brand’s core costumers. For SS20, she staged a show in a Soho garden themed around the idea of an urban safari that saw a diverse cast of personalities walking, often with a plant in hand, clad in cute clogs and slippers. Hippie favourite  Collina Strada on the other hand, sent out a collection that was almost entirely made using upcycled fabrics that felt like the perfect updated uniform for the peace-loving children of the ’60s.