September means it's time for Fashion Week! Catching up on the latest designer offerings, dreamy collections, and style trends? We really love to see it.
In this series, we'll be talking about our favorite collections from the designers at the Spring/Summer 2023 Fashion Week. We'll be splitting the series into two parts: the first one covering New York and London, and the second part covering Milan and Paris. So, without further ado, here are some of our favorite collections from New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week.
Peter Do
The Vietnamese designer presented his first ever men's collection in New York Fashion Week of the Spring/Summer 2023 season. His signature sharp and sleek tailoring was ever-present in the presentation, with a particular backless jacket look going viral on social media. The concept of "time" was interpreted as an expression of savoring the important moments happening now, with the prints used in this collection were taken from snapshots by Do himself.
In this show, Do also unveiled a surprise collaboration with SM Entertainment, the K-Pop agency behind aespa, NCT, Red Velvet, EXO, SHINee, Girls' Generation, Super Junior, and many more. The partnership between two industries manisfested into NCT Jeno opening the runway, SM Rookies' Shohei and Eunseok also joining the models on the catwalk, and Red Velvet's Seulgi in the front row.
“I have so much respect for these artists because there is so much time put into their craft that people simply don’t see. Few realise the intensity of what is happening behind the scenes to achieve the end product; it’s very similar to fashion so I identify with that process very much.” said Do in a press release.
Michael Kors
Kors brought his signature Big Apple sensibility in the S/S 2023 offering of his eponymous brand. The theme du jour was "urban resort", which created a lovely blend of big city looks with resort-ready vibes. Blazers are paired with sarongs, and turtlenecks with maxi fringed skirts.
However, one particular front row moment stood out. Anne Hathaway is seen in a brown crocodile-pattern leather coat, reminiscing the look of her character Andy Sachs in one of the final scenes of The Devil Wears Prada, and taking a seat next to Anna Wintour (Miranda Priestly, Andy's boss in the movie, is an editor of a major fashion magazine). And boy, she looks exactly the same as her 2006 film counterpart. Genovian pears must've made really good skincare*.
*A reference to The Princess Diaries, the Disney movie that made Hathaway a star in which she played an American girl who suddenly found out that she's a princess of a small European kingdom called Genovia. The "pear is a pride of Genovia" part was pretty prevalently mentioned in the movie and this writer knows that because she has watched the movie at least 10 times already.
Simone Rocha
One thing you can expect in a Simone Rocha collection is that you're going to get a lot of romance and a lot of ethereal looks. In a presentation held at the Old Bailey, an English institution used for criminal trials, she presented exactly that once again.
“This collection was very much a reaction to the last few years. It was very much harnessing an emotion that felt like this kind of powerful, feminine statement.” Rocha said in a press release. For this collection, she intends to create "Something protective, and healing, and an urgent sense of wanting to go forward.”
The theme of utility and fragility is further expressed through big bomber jackets with floral motifs, deconstructed corsets, dramatic veils, and a lot of pearls, lace, and tulle. Silhouettes were volumnious and non-constraining, and dainty details are over-the-top in the most wonderful way possible. And the bags. Oh, the bags. We're eyeing the flower-shaped pearl bag, in case you're wondering.
Erdem
A show held at the British Museum, held by a designer well-known for his affinity to history. The presentation was held during the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, and Erdem Moralioglu bid his farewell to the monarch to a collection dedicated to her memory.
The past does not define our present, but it does provide a good array of references we can note back to build our future. Here, Erdem paid tribute to the Dutch painting masters, 18th-century embroidery, and elements of a historical mourning gown. Florals, tulles, nets, and ribbons were tools of his craft to create costumes that look like they appeared on the characters created by the Brontë sisters.
“I think it’s important to keep evolving, as a brand and as a person,” Erdem said to Harper's Bazaar. “My creative process is always to start with the research, to build the narrative and the collection begins there. Sometimes it takes you to unexpected places.”