NEW YORK FASHION WEEK 2015 PREVIEW
New York Fashion Week is coming September 10th, running through the 17th. (The “official shows” backed by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and IMG will take place over the course of those eight days, actually. Couture Fashion Week, the more “public-friendly” stepsister of NYFW, celebrates its 22nd season September 11th – 13th.) Many notable changes will make this year’s event, if not chaotic, certainly fresh and unique. With that stated, show goers can still expect to see plenty of familiar faces—or rather, high-profile designers lending their new stiches for a few moments to top models for a runway twirl or two.
NYFW 2015 will be the first since 2008 without Mercedes-Benz operating as a chief sponsor. Instead, Lexus will park itself in the space provided for the event’s automobile sponsor—a sought-after spot thought to help create one-of-a-kind branding opportunities. For the first time in five years, Lincoln Center will not be the primary venue either. The Skylight at Moynihan Station at 360 West 33rd Street, a sprawling event space on the former site of the historic James A. Farley Post Office, and Skylight Clarkson Square at 550 Washington Street, a “raw, white studio” that was once the High Line’s south terminal, will collectively house the majority of the shows.
Critics have panned the previous few Fashion Weeks, writing that they lacked the usual “buzz” the fashion world had come to crave. Organizers hope the change in sponsorship, branding and venues will help revive excitement around the runways. It has also been pointed out that many designers have abandoned NYFW shows for edgier, stripped down digs. However, one look at the calendar reveals a full slate of the industry’s heavy hitters.
Brooks Brothers, Desigual, Givenchy, and Alexander Wang are just some of the standouts from the first four days. The penultimate date features the likes of Michael Kors, DKNY, J. Crew, Anna Sui, and others, while the closing day sees Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Marc Jacobs. (If organizers can somehow top last year’s NYFW, attendees will be more than content with the results.)
So far this year, the biggest headline-grabber has been the Italian label FTL Moda whose show on September 13th will feature a runway model, Madeline Stuart, an 18 year old Australian girl afflicted with Downs Syndrome.
Former star of The Hills, Lauren Conrad, will unveil a new runway collection, while Orange is the New Black actress Dascha Polanco hosts the Kids Rock! Fashion Show where children get their chance to strut their stuff on the runway.
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