New York Fashion Week 2018: Out with the old and in with the new

By  Luis De La Torre

The 2018 New York Fashion Week showed major signs of faltering by some of the most respected fashion designers. Across many lines, there was a clash of different eras and a confusion of focus.

Michael Kors had an odd array of different plaid mixtures with hints of unnecessary leopard print accents. A few trendy flower patterned items were also part of his sad attempt to mesh with current popular design.

Marc Jacobs showcased designs that seemed to have an essence of the 1980’s with broad shouldered coats, bright colors, and large bows. He also included top hats and hats with large brims that made the collection that much more confusing. Rather than innovating, he seemed just to borrow from the past.

Alexander Wang’s line was a monochromatic semi-formal collection that was quite revealing. According to Lauren Alexis Fisher from Harper’s Bazar, he is guilty of “Merging together some major ’80s Working Girl vibes with the ’90s Matrix look.”

One of the more successful lines, Calvin Klein worked with Raf Simons for a third collaboration. Their show contained large barns around the runway with artwork by Andy Warhol. Models came out holding buckets of popcorn and wearing clothing from different aspects of American culture. Some of the outfits were reminiscent of the Great Depression with small plaid prints and large farm dresses. Other models wore tight fitting caps and reflective jumpsuits that resembled hazmat suits. The whole collection was meant to be a reflection of the self-destruction of American culture.

While Calvin Klein and Raf Simons’ combination of decades made a successful statement, maybe it’s time for the rest of the fashion industry to realize they need to move away from old designs. What we need is a breath of fresh fashion air and take a step into the future.

For instance, eschewing the old trends, Oscar de la Renta premiered stunning sheer dresses with elegant sparkling floral designs and large sweeping knits with elegant touches of sewn embroidery.

The Row took a simplistic approach with very neutral colors that looked clean and professional. They had many flowy designs for dresses and high waisted pants. They took a new approach to the trench coat to make it into different clothing items.

While Rosie Assoulin did not have a clear focus, many of her designs were innovative. The designs were all colorful and have a sort of modern 1970’s look.

Fashion should be moving away from the old combinations of different generations to completely new designs that have different cuts and prints than before.