New York has always been about its fashion families: the cool posh chic of Altuzarra; the cool preppy style of Tommy Hilfiger and the uber exuberance of Sergio Hudson. FashionNetwork.com caught up with them all.
Altuzarra: New Wave Rosemary’s Baby
Opulent drama at Altuzarra with a moody and excellent collection staged inside the New York Public Library, the latest example of polished austerity in New York Fashion Week.
“This collection was inspired by 1950’s and 60s French cinema and Rosemary’s Baby, but a little bit closer to real life,” explained Joseph Altuzarra, after taking his bow with his toddler daughter to much applause.
Presented in semi-darkness, with models walking in an out of pools of light, the collection rippled with slip dresses paired with snug mini double-breasted jackets. Though the key to the looks were the dramatic trapeze coats in satin, crushed silk and made with big buttons and board collars, they were the coats of the current season.
Joseph loves pencil skirts and dresses and the more sheer the better, made in transparent organza, and finished with rough seams, looks highlighted by the melodramatic lighting.
Of Chinese, French and American origin, Altuzarra remains the most European of any New York-based designer, and all the better for that. An effect heightened by his back-stage staff from France – show producer Alex de Betak and DJ Frederic Sanchez. His amalgam of churning and threatening sounds with Charismatic Marshall’s Peña – Instrumental was Manhattan’s best show soundtrack.
Joseph’s use of noble materials is second to none – like sheer gingham cut as thin and delicate as tissue paper, or yarn-dyed denim, bleached and stripped of pigment and then shibori-dyed over by hand. And, the designer explained, the inky colorscapes were meant to suggest damaged film.
Worn on a frequently veiled cast, many of them in baby doll dresses composed in floating tiers of tulle.
“I wanted fragility and vulnerability but within a sinister country. I loved the idea of little ghosts in the collection, but with a nod to 1960s cocktail dressing,” commented Altuzarra.
All anchored by a great selection of kitten heel shoes courtesy of Manolo Blahnik. Posh, polished, audacious and cool, and one of Altuzarra’s best collections.
Tommy Hilfiger toasts his many families at brunch
Tommy Hilfiger hosted a brunch on Sunday to celebrate his latest ad campaign, a family driven selection of happening American characters and their families. Plenty of them turned up for the meal.
“Oh, Tommy, how do I look?” singer and co-host SZA asked bashfully, attired in an oversized black Hilfiger logo biker jacket worn over sporty Tommy underwear and boots, and nothing else.
“You look fabulous!” beamed Tommy, dressed in a classic blazer and matching baseball cap, as he entered via a huge mob of fans and Instagramers, into a VIP corner lounge inside The Maxwell, a Tribeca restaurant.
“We’ve invited every important influencer in town, so we’re looking at two billion hits,” chuckled Tommy, before moving to say hello to other new family members.
The latest example of Hilfiger’s uncanny ability to connect with happening musical sensations and black American culture. No wonder so many people of color in the USA treat Hilfiger with enormous reverence, as they did at this brunch.
Tommy will follow this up with an event during Paris runway season in October, when he will host a dinner in the fashion capital of the world with top model Paloma Elsesser, the most happening new plus sized model on the scene, and another family member.
Sergio Hudson: A restrained romp
No show causes as much excitement in Spring Studios as Sergio Hudson, New York’s answer to Gianni Versace. Security turned away hundreds of pleading fans at the entrance. Upstairs on the 6th floor the show space was packed to the rafters.
Hudson is a glossy designer, and he has glossy fans. Three ladies of color smoldered in the front row attired in bouclé wool pant suits and PVC cocktails – all in electric parakeet green.
He is also a splendid tailor seen in preppy three-piece suits cut with pagoda shoulders. Mainly made in gray Prince of Wales or windowpane check, but inevitably also in tangerine bouclé wool.
By Sergio’s standards this was a reined-in expression of his style – from the perfectly judged taupe sequin skirts worn with slinky silk tops to the saucily draped and rouched one shoulder black crepe cocktails.
Backed up by some booming funk and hip hop – from Syleena Johnson to Remy Ma – this was a hit show, with the audience practically ecstatic when Sergio took his bow.
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