New York returns to its origins: the catwalk can also be spontaneous and realistic

It is curious to see how, in the era of interconnection and immediacy, the great fashion capitals continue condensing something like a national brand to export to the world in their respective weeks of fashion shows.

Although it has been a few years since new signature brands, Paris is still the cradle of luxury in its most traditional sense, London the incubator of avant-garde design, Milan the point where fashion and manufacturing converge and New York something like the center of what a century ago was called

, that is, garments in which comfort and realism prevailed;

an idea that, when well managed, raised names as diverse as Claire McCardell, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren or Diane von Furstenberg and that today, when the North American city tries to recover its relevance in the global fashion calendar, seems to have made a comeback .

Because in this week of fashion shows, which began last Friday and will end next Thursday, most of the firms involved have put aside the spectacular and their aspirations to be viral in networks to focus on collections designed to be worn and on garments. to be lived

Collina Strada, the firm that opened the calendar and that became famous in the midst of a pandemic for its colorful and naive designs, presented a collection entitled Don't eat

, a plea in favor of veganism in which friends of the designer of the ensign, Hillary Taymour, appeared decked out in pig noses and rabbit ears.

However, under the costumes, the garments were much more accessible than usual: basic satin dresses, wide-leg trousers, wool sweaters or checked jackets overlapped, evoking the apparent spontaneity of grunge, the great revival trend

of this year.

In fact, the kings of so-called “catwalk grunge”, Marc Jacobs and Anna Sui, returned to the New York catwalk after several seasons.

The first, with an off-schedule collection, on February 2, with a tribute collection to the recently deceased Vivienne Westwood, one of his greatest influences;

the second, literally rescuing from the closet some of her hits from the nineties, such as her

hats or the children's cut dresses and pastel colors that defined the image of stars like Courtney Love for so long.

More information

Paris haute couture seeks to remain relevant with viral images or appealing to realism

The closet, literal and metaphorical, was the

of Palomo Spain's proposal on his return to New York.

A magnificent collection entitled

that reflected on the emotional act of clothing, that moment when Alejandro Palomo, as a child, searched among silk scarves, towels, blankets to dress in an imaginary world in which gender clothing barriers do not they existed.

Three models with designs by Palomo Spain in New York, on February 13, 2023.ANDREA RENAULT (AFP)

His proposal, much less precious and more casual than usual, nevertheless has enormous symbolic and conceptual power;

it is, in short, something similar to the zero degree of fashion as an expressive motor, where spontaneity and the biography itself take precedence over any other element.

In a much more modest fashion but with a similar mission, Batsheva Hay, the designer who has made orthodox clothing modern, orchestrated a presentation in which randomly selected women tried on their designs for the first time and broadcast, for better or for better. for worse, what they saw in the mirror.

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Basically it is as realistic to base the speech on spontaneous and autobiographical combinations as it is to design basics designed to be worn on a daily basis.

's soundtrack.

, a kind of internal monologue written by Otessa Moshfegh.

That was, however, the only literal concession to its two decades of history.

Since the pandemic, Proenza Schouler, which has almost always been synonymous with easy-to-wear garments, has doubled its commitment to tailoring and even to the wardrobe: tailored suits, cashmere jumpers, black leather dresses with cuts designed to the millimeter. but without the games of color that elevated the duo a decade ago.

Chloë Sevigny opens the Proenza Schouler show in New York on February 11, 2023.Arturo Holmes (Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)

Dark and real are also the two words that define the proposal by Khaité, the luxury basics brand heir to Phoebe Philo's Celine that has held the place of cult signature for three years.

Catherine Holstein, its creator, decided to move her show to her first store, in the heart of Soho, with a discreet and reduced presentation in which she demonstrated that her talent lies in creating pieces with perfect patterns with exclusive materials for that small audience that can afford consume discreet luxury.

The Empress Sissi, that is to say, something in the antipodes of the discreet, was the starting point for Wes Gordon, artistic director of Carolina Herrera, who wanted to reflect on what opulence means today.

“Embracing beauty and drama without guilt”, comments the designer in the notes that preceded the

.

Opulence in volumes, fabrics, finishes and daring color schemes, but also in garments such as an apparently simple white shirt (perhaps the most emblematic piece of the house) or a hooded jacket that have been made almost entirely by hand after long workshop hours.

Gordon does not appeal to subtlety, but somehow to the emotional connection that is established with certain clothes and, above all, to the optimism that they instill in whoever wears them.

Various Wes Gordon designs at Carolina Herrera in New York on February 13, 2023. Bebeto Matthews (AP)

Another very different but very necessary emotion, that of female aggressiveness, gives meaning to the work of Milwaukee designer Elena Velez, who has just won the Council of American Designers (CFDA) award for best emerging designer.

The same prize that one of her models carried almost as a throwing weapon.

You just need to read between the lines.

Her frayed knitwear and faded cotton, her pieces inspired by vintage overalls, her carelessly corseted dresses... Everything at Velez is designed to bewilder, but also to wear, making her one of the most interesting designers. of the panorama.

Luar, the firm of Dominican Raúl López, who was an integral part of the Hood by Air collective, will surprisingly close fashion week tomorrow Wednesday, a place that has always been reserved for established designers: first, Marc Jacobs, who got off the calendar official before the pandemic;

and then Tom Ford, who sold his brand to cosmetic giant Estée Lauder a few months ago.

The fact that a designer of Latin descent is the new person in charge of doing it and that, in addition, he is the creator of a firm with affordable prices (his Ana bag, which costs between 200 and 300 euros, has become a viral sensation in the year) says a lot about the new paths that the Council of American Designers and Thom Browne, its new president, want to take:

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