From Marc Jacobs to Ralph Lauren; NYFW Highlights

RALPH LAUREN

There was a lot of talk surrounding Ralph Lauren this fashion week, as he announced that his brand would be staging 2 catwalk shows. As sales have fallen at Ralph Lauren over the past year, the designer introduced a new 'see now, shop now' approach to his latest collection. So pretty much what you see on the catwalk is available to buy straight away from any of his boutiques. Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Mica Arganaraz all made appearances, in a collection which was classic Ralph Lauren. From the Navajo references, smart grey suits, flared work trousers and the stunning jewel coloured evening dresses, this was Lauren at his finest while Julianne Moore and Rosie Huntington Whiteley watched from the front row.

Marc Jacobs

Well, Mr Jacobs certainly delivered quite a show for spring/summer 2017 as well as a lot of controversy. The problem wasn't the clothes, the make up or the staging on the catwalk. The issue which got a lot of people's backs up online and especially on Twitter was the fact that the models, mainly all white, were wearing fake dreadlocks, usually associated with black girls, not white girls. I thought the dread locks looked fun, edgy and experimental but I can easily see why this would have irked people. Why did Jacobs just not use black models? Race has always been a problem in fashion, especially for Italian designers, so it's a shame Marc Jacobs didn't use more stunning black girls like Joan Smalls, Jourdan Dunn, Lineisy Montero, Binx Walton or Tami Williams.

Anyway, on to the collection itself. I LOVED this show. From the baby doll/Victoriana mini dresses to the retro 1970s feel, there was a real mix of influences going on. Continuing on from last season, Jacobs decided to send his models out in ridiculously high platform shoes in patent pink, metallic silver and purple. Metallics were used on coats and dresses as well as quilting patterns as seen on the coat worn by Gigi Hadid. I spotted leopard print and camouflage, large fur jackets, accentuated waists and a lot of layering. In fact, the whole thing looked as though it could have come straight out of a musical, maybe something like Starlight Express. Irina Shayk closed the show in a pair of high waist, pink hot pants and jacket, complete with matching boots. It was quite a spectacle, but that's what makes Marc Jacobs great.

Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid on the catwalk

 Hugo Boss

Jason Wu seems to be going from strength to strength as creative director at Boss. His latest collection for the minimal brand was colourful, fun yet stylish and extremely elegant. It was sporty yet relaxed with models walking in breach slides with hardly any make up or accessories. Oh and it was cool that Sasha Pivovarova opened the show too, and not Kendall/Bella/Gigi.

 Michael Kors

Apart from Bella Hadid's embarrassing trip down the catwalk, this show had a very easy going, relaxed feel to it. Kors gave us pretty floral tea dresses in navy and pink, grey check skirt suits, across the body satchel bags as worn by Joan Smalls who opened the show and some great options for evening wear with his sexy, black numbers which closed the show. I loved the messy beach hair and the wedge sandals, as well as the roll call of models. Carolyn Murphy closed the show in a lovely navy dress, while Cameron Russell, Anna Ewers, Taylor Hill and Andreea Diaconu all took their turn to walk. Amazing line up!

Rodarte

As always with Rodarte, Kate and Laura Mulleavy delivered a show packed full of beautiful yet slightly Gothic fashion. I loved all the pretty white looks that opened the show. The frills and ruffles were divine and the sheer fabrics layered over each other where just beautiful. By the way, white is a BIG colour for spring, or I should say 'tone' for next season. The embroidery was exquisite, the shearling jacket amazing with a black net skirt and boots while the decadent dresses at the end of the collection were stunning. Really captivating with such lovely colours.

 Victoria Beckham

I loved Victoria Beckham last season. With all the surfer chic references, it was pretty cool and quite different for her. This season however, I was bored by the 5th look. Yes she experimened with velvet, satin and silk and yes, there were a couple of nice dresses, but the overall feel of the show was very, well...boring. The punches of tangerine orange were nothing new for the designer while the bra let tops and skirts would have been nice with more detail. Not great from VB.

NYFW: Alex Wang, Altuzarra, Victoria Beckham and more...

New York Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2016 has begun, and theFASHIONbox will be covering all the biggest fashion shows and best bits from the talented designers showing over the next 4 weeks. Aside from the over the top, egotistical spectacle of Kanye West's Yeezy 3 show, this NYFW looks set to be a good one, with big names such as Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, DvF and Oscar de la Renta set to show next week. Remember to keep checking the Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr page for more updates. But apart from that, enjoy the shows!

Alexander Wang
I have to say, this Alexander Wang collection has to be one of my favourites of his for the last couple of seasons. It was just so cool, so grunge and very urban New York. The words emblazoned on midi dresses, hats and tops were reminiscent of Barbra Kruger's work while the use of black was a clear theme throughout. Stripes were printed onto tight dresses and skirts, layers were built up with fur lined coats and accessories such as earrings and necklaces played a huge part too. Whatever Wang is doing, he should just keep on doing it as it's clearly working very well...

Victoria Beckham
With the whole of the Beckham brood sitting on the front row, this was a real family affair for Victoria Beckham. She has been showing in New York for a couple of years now, and her collection reflected the stability and experience she has gained in the fashion industry. For fall she went for a couple of strappy form fitting dresses, oversized coats and lots of geometric stripes veering off in every direction. Stylish brogue shoes came with a pointed toes while hair was tied back in a swishy ponytail. The best dressed look on the catwalk was actually VB herself when she made a quick appearance at the end of the show. Dressed in a pair of black cigarette pants and cozy white knit and trainers, she looked every inch the designer.

Altuzarra
One of my favourite shows of NYFW, Altuzarra rarely disappoints. For fall 2016, Joseph Altuzarra delivered a wintery collection consisting of everything we could ever want to wrap up warm from the cold. The tan and black aviator jackets were given a fresh update with longer lengths and wide collars, leather knee high boots came pattered and in patent black while cosy knitwear was tight fitting and easy to wear paired with midi skirts and belts. As always, the dresses were a highlight especially those baring the leg with a high thigh split. And the burgundy hues were to die for.

Derek Lam
As soon as I saw the first look I knew it was going to be good, Derek Lam always is. From the neutral tones and long lean shapes, to the fur lapels and stretchy denim jeans, there was a real mix of more casual and more dressy pieces. Tan leather was made into midi skirts, khaki and white were the key colours used and bold bursts of berry red came at the end of the show. The stripy catwalk was something different too, but overall a very strong collection.

Christian Siriano
This designer has risen in prominence over the years. Since winning Project Runway back in the day, Siriano has been a firm fixture at fashion week, with faithful friend Heidi Klum regularly sitting front row. He went bold for fall 2016, with punchy reds and yellows which models wore with slick hair and sunglasses. Chunky scarves were layered over formal dresses, sweeping skirts came with boots while the strong colours stood out a mile away.