NEW YORK FASHION WEEK ‘23

LABELS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

For this year’s Spring-Summer New York fashion week, it felt like every collection came out of its own fantasy world. It’s easy to only pay attention to the more prominent fashion houses like Ralph Lauren or Coach when fashion week comes around. However, we should keep an eye on both emerging and established brands. Especially with the collections from this past week having something for everyone, from the Avant-Garde to ready-to-wear, these designers left no realm untouched.

KIM SHUI

Totaling at 37 looks, Kim Shui has made yet another whimsical collection using florals, sheer fabrics, and plenty of miniskirts. Comparing her spring ready-to-wear from last year to this one is almost night and day when it comes to who is wearing it. The models of the SS23 runway look as if they could all be attending the Met Gala, while the models of the SS24 runway look like they are attending the afterparty.

Kim Shui grew up in Italy, which may sound like a dream to some, but it was a nightmare for her. Being subject to racism from her peers and neighbors and having to deal with this throughout her childhood left her with a wound that this collection aimed to heal. Blending different cultures materials like Chinese fabrics, Italian corsets, and Western silhouettes. With a gorgeous use of vivid colors alongside embroidered flowers. This was almost like a love letter written to her younger self. The attendees were not only invited to a fashion show but a rooftop party inside the designer's mind. Vogue describes Shui as "one of the next generations of American designers making their mark in fashion," and it's clear why.

MIRROR PALAIS

This year, A trend noticed is different takes on the coquette or the Victorian style, with a twist. Mirror Palais is no different, giving us a modernized take on 18th-century rococo fashion with its muted color palette and light draping fabrics. Coupled with several bandage dresses inspired by Sailor Moon's transformation sequence, this collection is more than pleasing to the eye.

Created by Marcelo Gaia, Mirror Palais SS24 was a romantic ballroom affair with 30 looks being presented on the runway. The impact is undeniable for this to be the label's second collection in its history and be receiving comparisons to Vivienne Westwood's bridal collections from the 90s. The coquette style gets much criticism for its idealization of thin bodies. While this critique is warranted, Mirror Palais' use of models with different body types shows that the brand can be worn by anyone of any shape. Gaia even stated that many of the looks have adjustable lacing so that the garments are more versatile for different body types in an interview with Fashionista. The high glamour and old couture ambiance of the collection and its goal to be worn by anybody make a good case for why this brand should be a staple in everyone's mind.

DAUPHINETTE

From a dress made of matchbooks to a gown decorated in bug-like beads, Titled "Gods, Girls, and Monsters”, Dauphinette's 25-look showcase highlighted how we protect ourselves from tragedy. Both spiritually and physically. Owning the self-title of "the happiest brand on earth," this collection's playful look might be shocking to some but refreshing to others, and believe it or not, this is the "darker side" of the brand being shown this season.

Created by Olivia Cheng in collaboration with Bandolier Cheng uses spiked sea urchin shells, vintage rosaries, and other upcycled materials to create beautiful moving art pieces. The collection can seem chaotic at first until you learn what inspired it, the little deaths a person can go through during life, along with really seeing the work that went into the details. Garments have lampshade silhouettes with wide hips, others having incredibly intricate looking beadwork, down each look having a unique shoe to go along them. Taking something like death, which in most cases is seen as this grey and depressing thing, Cheng turns it into this beautiful showcase of color and femininity. It's almost as if Dauphinette took the concept of mourning and turned it into a celebration of one's losses.

WHO DECIDES WAR

Who Decides War, a streetwear brand, mixes black aesthetic with church imagery and distressed denim. It's backed by late mentor Virgil Abloh and collaborates with notable celebrities. The brand creates an inclusive space for black creatives and has been referred to as a hip-hop festival or the new Rolling Loud.

For a little more background, Bravado's father ran a tailor shop named "Alterations Consultants," paying homage to his father; this is the collection's name inspired by tailoring notes he saw growing up. The brand still has its signature arches, use of pockets, and, of course, denim sprinkled throughout the 39 looks. However, compared to their past body of work, it's clear that they are pushing the envelope with the designs. The arches go from just artwork to being used as pockets in many garments. The collection also graduates into more than just a streetwear brand. Featuring mixed distressed fabrics and deconstructed suits and skirts, Bravado also plays with that Victorian style mentioned earlier, debuting their take on corsets next to tactical-looking hoodies, overcoats, and reworked button-ups. Everyone can participate in this luxury brand, and its authenticity has gotten it this far.

WIDERHOEFT

Opulence, theatrics, and star quality are the first things to come to mind when looking at the presentation from Wiederhoeft's SS24 collection named "Night Terror at the Opera." The show starts with a handful of models sitting in the middle of the runway on folding chairs, dressed in peach and pink outfits, while one model labeled the "starlet" is led to an empty seat in the middle of the ensemble.

Wearing a black sequin gown, this starlet begins to lead the pack in choreographed sequences, evolving into a game of duck, duck, goose, acting as a courtroom, a class of students, etc all this leads to the ensemble walking out through the crowd and the starlet walking behind the curtain as the real show begins. Being mentored by Thom Browne and having a background in making bridal wear, Jackson Wiederhoeft is no stranger to making quality clothing. The runway had a mix of over-the-top couture garments like suits and corsets with massive proportions while showing more wearable pieces like tank tops, gowns, and suits with… normal proportions. While the looks were the most important part of the show, how the models performed during the showcase makes this unique. Organized chaos. Models Ballroom dancing, waving to the audience, emoting, just putting on the show of their lives. This has made Wiederhoeft one of the best shows from this past NYFW.

ADVISRY

Advisry SS24 is a poetic retelling of the birth of color in film and the label's growth through the years. Using the brand's improvement to show an artistic take on the American style's transformation. Keith Herron's "Technicolor" has taken us through fashion history, innovation, and the human condition.

Taking inspiration from the Wizard of Oz, the clothes follow the same transition when Dorothy is transported from the sepia-tone real world to the colorful land of Oz. The first 7 of 34 looks are only black and white until more color is introduced into the collection. Using tweed, satin, and silk for the garments and sculptural shoulder covers on a few. This altered take on the style from the 30s, infused with more modern styling and odd shapes, is truly unique. Its streetwear, high fashion business attire, and the Avant-Garde all-in-one show. Using checkered patterns as a covert way to symbolize how the rules of chess can also be applied in daily life. Herron labels Advisry's significant achievements as seasons: 8 for manufacturing, 9 for womenswear, and the tenth season merging everything into one big finale showcase. The 3 closing looks of the show are pink, yellow, and blue spheres, returning to the collection's technicolor title.