Nataal’s round up of some of the most intriguing moments of NYFW from designers both emerging and major

Area
It's difficult to be both high concept and completely self-aware. Area has mastered the art. Straddling the line between masculine and feminine, the digitally-driven womenswear line draped gold nameplate necklaces over carefully cut suits, offered shirts that could double as jewellery and included pieces that were so delicate and unwearable that designers Beckett Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk recently told reporters they had to be constructed by furniture makers in New Jersey. Known for their love of crystals, the pair introduced new face jewellery and floor-length belts that pushed the collection closer to the absurd. Standouts included cropped shirts with gravity-defying tendrils and open-toed heels with straps made to look like letters.

Christopher John Rogers
It's hard to believe that last year, 2019 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist Christopher John Rogers was presenting his collection at a gallery space in Chinatown. One year, and a nod of approval from the likes of Michelle Obama, Lizzo and Tracee Ellis Ross later, he has emerged as a serious contender with a unique ability to mix whimsy, old school glamour and fine tailoring. His SS20 collection offered an elevated response to the 1970s-influenced, evening gown-forward collection of last year. Electric greens, pinks, blues and jewel tones captivate the eye, but the exaggerated silhouettes make it impossible to look away. His inspiration? Pierrots, the clowns of old cinema and other humourists. His achievement? Making the critics take him seriously.

Collina Strada
When a model with the words "waste not want not" written across her chest tore off her garment, stole a gourd from a nearby table and took off running, it was clear designer Hillary Taymour had something to say. Held on a city street between a park and a mossy church, with tables of fruits and vegetables as decoration, the show was a love letter to the environmental movement. Picking up where the AW19 collection left off, psychedelic prints in sherbert shades and swampy hues, neon silk sets, loose fitting dresses and cut out bodysuits with silky oversized shoes made up the new collection.

Models of different ages and body types walked the show with autonomy, each deciding how long they would stay on the catwalk - one model stopped to eat fruit for ten minutes and another made out with an audience member. The inability to predict what would happen next, and live singers emphasising lyrics such as "silence is criminal", drove home the idea that the fashion world may need to do more to support the movement.

Proenza Schouler
It’s the beginning of a new era at Proenza Schouler, one where 1980s sensibilities, angular shoulder pads, careful draping and boxy trench coats rule. Slightly referencing the palette of the SS19 collection, this season’s show took on a much more confident, minimal approach to women’s suiting and separates. The colour palette - cool greys, sandy browns and infrequent pops of marigold - further highlighted the brand’s new direction, one where the working woman can easily transition from day to night without sacrificing style or comfort.

Perhaps a ploy to court the elusive Philo-era Celine crowd, the line felt suitable for a slightly older, more decided woman than collections past. In a recent interview, designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez noted that the collection was inspired by the women who balance careers and their personal lives with grace. Only their second year back NYFW, the pair has successfully channelled the essence of this city’s woman into new must-have looks.

Sally LaPointe
Clean and straightforward, the Sally LaPointe show offered a citrusy take on power dressing. Inspired by the colour orange, which LaPointe said “represents determination, success, and freedom,” the show featured a mix of bold silhouettes, flowing capes and soft dramatic layering in punchy hues. From cognac leather to green silk and mandarin crepe, the line felt suited for both Rihanna and Megan Markle types - women who hold their own regardless of the way of life.

For the first time, the designer experimented with bold prints, revealing a zebra sequined coat that stole the show and colour blocking that felt fresh. If LaPointe’s own designs weren’t enough, a striking sea of velour hats by Esenshel pushed the question about power forward. Seemingly covering each model’s eyes, viewers were forced to ask if a clear inability to see and be seen reflected LaPointe’s own opinions on women’s strength in the world.

Barragán
With one of the most youthful presentations of the week, Mexico City native Victor Barragán presented a collection that felt like both a bygone club era and a future yet to be experienced. Standout pieces like the knit dress that (if you didn’t look closely) could be 3D printed received audible gasps, mixed with patchwork denim pants on the verge of falling off and see-through knit dresses.

Unassuming, Barragán has always stood out for its technical approach to leisurewear - a keen sense of how low waist trousers should fall and how thick the straps of an impossibly sized bag should be. Highly Instagrammable, the zesty colour palette brought a signature South American flair to proceedings. Elevating his profile with each show, Barragán’s fresh interpretation of modern-day Mexico was significant in a country that continues to have contentious relationships to the land just south of it.

Maryam Nassir Zadeh
Maryam Nassir Zadeh attracted crowds to Sara D. Roosevelt Park, a well-known strip on the Lower East Side in a hood that serves as a home for independent designer showrooms (including MNZ’s), skateboarders and Chinese immigrant communities alike. The atmosphere felt quintessentially New York as busy basketball courts, everyday onlookers and the sound of children playing impacted the senses. Known for an impassioned use of colour and bold accessories, this season was bookended by layered garments in muted white, black and grey. Bikinis, jumpsuits tucked into boots, a gingham bra with matching pants, bags meant to be worn around the neck and a bright pink flamenco-like ruffled skirts reminded everyone that no matter what palette MNZ chooses, its true strength is in the ability to construct garments that are at all times sophisticated and whimsical.

Prabal Gurung
Never one to shy away from politics, this season Nepalese-American designer Prabal Gurung posed the question “Who Gets to be American?” Holding the first-ever fashion show at New York’s contentious new Vessel at Hudson Yards, the designer spot lit the question onto the runway and presented a collection that honoured America’s contributions to fashion. Moving beyond the clichéd jeans and sneakers, models of all backgrounds in rose prints, tie-dye, citrusy colours, prairie-style dresses with voluminous shoulders, denim dresses and reimagined wife beaters walked through the questions and down the runway.

Model Paloma Elsesser stole the show with an easy red, white and blue tie-dye dress and fringed pointed sandals. Elsewhere in the collection, billowy frocks, showgirl feathering, plastic trenches and berry-toned suits pointed to America’s infatuation with entertainment and its immigrant stories. More vocal about his views following the 2016 election, Gurung once again brought the country’s growing tensions around race and migration to an audience that, at times, can think itself divorced from politics.

Self Portrait
Self-Portrait's SS20 line felt like the slightly younger, more relaxed sister to last season with cool purples, bright pinks and festive oranges anchoring the collection. The show opened with a model in a black mini dress reminiscent of an unbuttoned shirt falling off at the shoulder and curious architectural sleeves. Whether intentional or not, the stark contrast between the AW19 and SS20 shows raised questions that remained relevant throughout the presentation: Who is the Self-Portrait woman? Asymmetrical bikini tops, knit patterned dresses, pastel shirt dresses, belted rompers and layered knit dresses continued to beg the question while a show-stopping pink lace gown built a bridge. Seeing designer Han Chong move between moments of haute sophistication and breezy comfort was a reminder that, as we open a new decade, women are more versatile than ever.

Sies Marjan
Sies Marjan gave us a new word for our vocabulary this season: Crocdillian glamour. In sparkling eggplant, oxblood and marigold hues, designer Sander Lak presented faux animal prints embossed onto satin and silk and fashioned into long trench coats, flowy dresses and quirky separates. These were worn with matching long boots and kitten heels. This season saw a more buttoned-up label than previous outings with interest in practicality and a vintage sense of allure, as evidenced by its breezy dresses, draped denim and layered dresses. The palette was inspired by high sheen nail polish, expressed as super glossy candy-like finishes that made even the most mundane pieces somehow playful.

Marc Jacobs
The Marc Jacobs show made a statement before it began. Always the designer to close out the week, his event happened to fall on the 18th anniversary of September 11th. The devastating attack happened only hours after the designer’s SS01 show so in response, Jacobs put on a spectacle to rival all others by reimagining the looks that have awakened fashion’s imagination throughout history.

Models filed out all at once in an explosion of colour, experimental detailing and homages to Yves Saint Laurent, Shelly Duval, Anita Pallenberg and other mid-century style icons. Mod looks including a scene stealing red and white embroidered dress on a model who channelled Twiggy brought pizazz to the bare Park Avenue Armory. The collection was a departure from the minimalism that otherwise ruled the week - a reminder that Jacobs has and always will exist in his own magic-filled world where the cure for human tragedy is to live life (and dress) like there’s no tomorrow.