New York Fashion Week kicks off amid Covid
British wunderkind Christian Cowan helped open New York Fashion Week with a riot of sequins, feathers and little T-shirts of love to the city he now calls home.
For several years now, New York has had to deal with big names deciding to skip the event in favour of displaying their latest collections elsewhere.
Experimentation, play, and glitter: a coronavirus-impacted New York Fashion Week has gone under way with Fall/Winter 2022 shows by Proenza Schouler and Christian Cowan.
In its collection, presented in an art gallery in Manhattan's trendy East Village on Friday, New York brand Proenza Schouler played with shape, contrasting fitted waists with loose or slightly rounded skirts.
Designer Lazaro Hernandez said the idea was to exaggerate and juxtapose different forms to respond to "this whole body obsession these days with social media and everyone showing the body."
Model Bella Hadid wore an outfit featuring buttoned sleeves, accentuated shoulders, and a black velvet hooded top – giving off a Catwoman vibe.
"Experimentation and play are key, perhaps now more than ever," Proenza said of its collection.
READ MORE: New York Fashion Week returns to in-person shows
Glamor and glitter
Atmosphere of nightclub
Christian Cowan – who has dressed Lady Gaga and rappers Cardi B and Lil Nas X – presented his collection in the observatory atop the One World Trade Center skyscraper that replaced the Twin Towers felled on 9/11.
The show had the atmosphere of a nightclub, highlighting the British designer's taste for glitter and glamour.
Ahead of the runway, the label teased fans with what might be in store by posting an image of the "Freedom Tower" all in pink on its Instagram page.
Despite pandemic restrictions and the Omicron variant upsetting preparations, several other brands have opted for in-person shows, including Michael Kors, Altuzarra, Tory Burch, Brandon Maxwell and Telfar.
A notable absence was Tom Ford, chair of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) that organizes the event.
He was due to close the week next Wednesday but canceled at the end of January due to a surge of Covid-19 cases among his team.
For several years now, New York has had to deal with big names deciding to skip the event in favour of displaying their latest collections elsewhere.
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