Is it really New York Fashion Week? Many designers were left out, and for a moment, the party schedule looked pretty grim. Fortunately, the invitations started arriving at the end of last week. Here are some highlights from Friday.
A retrospective of Rodarte
Instead of a fashion show, Rodarte revisited his greatest hits in a week-long exhibition, “The Art of Rodarte” at Spring Studios. It included illustrations of the crown Natalie Portman wore in the 2010 film “Black Swan” and a knitted leather dress from her fall 2009 collection, inspired by Boris Karloff’s “Frankenstein.”
Chance: The February 11 conversation with Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the founders of Rodarte, led by Maude Apatow (star of “Euphoria”; daughter of Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann); followed by a moderate cocktail. It was also Kate Mulleavy’s birthday.
Fourth: The sixth floor of Spring Studios (site of many fashion shows) has been transformed into an “immersive customer experience” with dresses on mannequins, holograms and video projections. Upstairs at cocktail parties, huge black and white balloons say “Happy Birthday Kate.”
Wear: A mix of Zara tops, business suits and some VIPs at Rodarte. “Sometimes she thinks it’s a permanent loan and she’s not,” comedian Jill Kargman said of the Rodarte dress her 18-year-old daughter Sadie lent her from Rodarte. Ms. Kargman added that she owns the black Rodarte blouse she wore.
in attendance: The crowd also included several young actresses (Hari Nef, Rowan Blanchard, Melissa Roxburgh); assorted fashion editors; and Anthony Eisen, co-founder of Afterpay, the buy now, pay later app that sponsored the expo.
The humor: “I lived in California for a year and a half and the Rodarte Halloween party was one of the three fun things that happened,” said Ms. Nef, who wore a ruffled black and white dress by Rodarte under a coat from vintage leather. coat (coyote, she thought). How did this match compare? “People are better behaved,” she said.
Is diesel on the rise? The Italian brand known for its premium denim has opened a flagship store in SoHo in a bid, perhaps, to recapture its 1990s glory days. “Now is the time,” said Eraldo Poletto, CEO of Diesel North America. (Renzo Rosso, who founded Diesel in 1978, did not attend.) “This is about freedom and America’s values. We want to go back to the future.”
Chance: Opening of the store at 122 Spring street and after party to celebrate the latest collection by its creative director, Glenn Martens.
Fourth: A minimalist, two-story boutique on the corner of Spring and Greene streets, lacquered in the brand’s signature red. The basement bar was a madhouse.
in attendance: La La Anthony, former MTV VJ; model Alexandra Richards; and various rappers, including Flo Milli, Saucy Santana, and Maliibu Miitch, all outfitted by Diesel. Maliibu Miitch, who was wearing an open jacket with nothing under it, liked her leggings. “Because they show my loot,” she said.
The humor: “Diesel is definitely back,” said a man who identified himself as Shiva Wolves. “They are bringing the excitement back to New York, post-pandemic.” After more questions, he revealed that he was visiting from Miami.
Shayne Oliver shook up the fashion world when she put her brand, Hood by Air, on hiatus in 2017. Now she’s back. On February 11, the fashion elite headed to the Shed at Hudson Yards for a 10:30 pm presentation showcasing the first looks from her new namesake brand.
Chance: It was the second of a three-night festival at The Shed produced by Mr. Oliver’s Anonymous Club, a studio spanning music, art and fashion.
Fourth: The 500-seat sixth-floor theater was transformed into a black box, with a large scaffold where models screamed down a metal ladder and Eartheater, an instrumentalist, performed.
in attendance: Hunter Schafer from “Euphoria”, Evan Mock from “Gossip Girl” and Mr. Oliver fans including Bethann Hardison, Antwaun Sargent, Ferdinando Verderi, artist Rachel Rose and Quil Lemons. There was a lot of black leather and fur, and everywhere you looked, it seemed that gender and fashion references were blurring.
The humor: The disciples of Mr. Oliver’s fashion temple left satisfied. “It’s a total work of art,” said Mr. Sargent, director of the Gagosian Gallery. “That’s what’s exciting about Shayne’s return. I’m excited for her to take as much space as she wants. That’s so radical and that’s what this moment is. She is kicking down all the doors.”
Source: www.nytimes.com