New York Fashion Week was an abbreviated fantasy. Impacted by the supply chain bottlenecks and reduced staffing caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, what has traditionally been a ceaseless spectacle of shows and parties in Manhattan's lower belly, was reduced to a bite-sized version of itself, consumed mainly by fashion insiders seated at home. With uncertainty looming in the backdrop, organisers adapted with socially-distanced outdoor events, immersive live streams, and downloadable lookbooks. Unspoken yet universally adopted, the event skewed optimistic, ripe with bold, whimsical dressing tailor-made for the new normal. Here’s Nataal’s top five SS21 moments.

Maxhosa Africa

Last season, Maxhosa Africa made its second NYFW appearance with a regal collection of bouffant dresses and elegantly draped scarves, receiving a string of endorsements from Beyoncé and Black Panther costumer Ruth E. Carter among others. For its newest range, the South African knitwear brand opted for subtlety. "We have to be hopeful about reaching the light at the end of the tunnel because we have realised that happiness is a new luxury," remarked designer Laduma Ngxokolo.

Happiness looked like breezy shorts, nipple-exposing net dresses, bucket hats embellished with woven chin strap, track jacket, and high knee socks in the brand's signature diamond striped patterns with oranges and aquatic blues. Indicative of the brand's rising popularity among sports elite (basketballers Carmelo Anthony and Dwayne Wade are fans), the new range felt more athletic in its silhouettes with baggy shorts and shirts offering an off-duty edge.

Theophilio

Minted this season's 'darling,' calendar newcomer Theophilo presented a collection that honoured designer Edvin Thompson's Jamaican roots with a punk bend. Thompson went to work with fringed fishnet dresses in faded Rastafarian colour schemes, body-hugging jeans with grommets and lattice, and rough denim corsets accented with colourful 1990s-inspired wigs. Breathing new life into the conversations surrounding masculinity and queerness in the Caribbean diaspora, the line featured lush silks, lofty crushed velvets and precious tule on models straddling gender lines.

The show's star was a luminous silk marigold top with calf-grazing sleeves and corset pulls at the back. Other standouts include tailored bell-bottomed pants, micro dresses and boxy oversized shirts styled to mimic the late century Jamaican rocker style in an accompanying fashion film. The presentation marked a meteoric step forward for the designer who cut his teeth with basement shows in Brooklyn hollows.

Eckhaus Latta

Second, only to baking bread, contemplative walks proved popular under lockdown. Eckhaus Latta paid homage to the pastime with an artful procession down the FDR Drive's jogging path. Void of music, models sported natural hair and masks over bare faces, in what could easily be mistaken as a few well-dressed New Yorkers out for a stroll.

Celebrated for their abstract approach to textiles, the new collection felt much more effortless than its last with baggy, hand-died jeans, dizzying knit suits and burnt out florals leading the show. On the whole, the collection felt homespun, perhaps a nod to the emotional attachments so many have developed with their wardrobes in this period of great upheaval.

Khaite

There's bound to be one rule-breaker, and this season it was Kahite. Leading with provocative cuts for its AW20 collection, the line took a sharp turn this season with a dark, moody range that put 'power dressing above all else.' In a statement to Vogue, designer Catherine Holstein expressed an interest in creating a collection that mirrored the female-led activism she saw in the streets of New York in the preceding months.

A dark-lit lookbook featuring Iryna Shayk, menacing points flats, ruched tops, comfortable leather shorts, and capped sleeves dresses in a luxe range of haunting black silks, stiff white cottons, and cacao suedes offered a glimpse at the new state of power dressing. In its refusal to ignore the social and political upheaval taking place, Khaite sheds light on the divide between fashion as escapist art and a tool for change.

Collina Strada

Collina Strada has never shied away from commentary about environmentalism. At a time when fire-filled skies have become familiar sights in America, designer Hillary Taymour offered a kawaii inspired rebuttal in the form of an 11-minute film. Featuring 3D animation, collage art, and a sea of mind-bending graphics, including a Teletubbies-inspired baby and a model twerking in lava, Taymour reminded viewers that her brand of activism is optimistic. Looks ranged from tight-fitting bodysuits in psychedelic prints to bright mixed media ankle-grazing pants, crop tops (worthy of a Delia's catalogue), and more structured pieces, including a lacy jacket with pointed shoulder pads and a golden two-piece silk skirt set.

Words Amber Nicole Alston

Published on 24/09/2020