March 29, 2022 |
It seems fashion month is getting stranger by the season. From fetish gear and kiddish caricatures, to yeti-ready threads to duvet outfits, it seemed this season of shows had it all. Sound insane? Perfect! We’re here to break it all down for you. Ready, steady, go!
New York
Duvet Days
As seen Marc Jacobs, No Sesso and Christian Siriano
Marc Jacobs
Christian Siriano
No SessoIf you’re feeling a bit burnt out after all this fashion month madness, we don’t blame you. It’s all too easy to dream about a day in, cozied up in your comfies, confined to your bed. But according to the New York shows this season, you can take your bed with you ,even when you can’t afford a day off… you can just wear your duvet out! Clearly, comfort is the key to success.
Take it straight from the horse’s mouth, AW22 is all about cushy clothes that can pass as your bedding. Marc Jacobs took on puffer coats and scarves so big they swallow the body’s silhouette completely, No Sesso piled on the sleeves and added a bit of stuffing, making the perfect pillowy piece to rest your head on and Christian Siriano places bulging headgear with billowing ball gowns. We’re ready for duvet days all the way.
Party City
As seen at Area, Christian Cowan and Kim Shui
Area
Area
Christian Cowan
Kim ShuiAs Covid restrictions and mask mandates have eased up around the globe at long last, perhaps designers are keen to get back in the club for some good old fashioned boogying down – we are. So, it was no surprise to see party wear making waves on the runway in New York this season. After all, they don’t call it the city that never sleeps for nothing.
Area especially made a case for the lavish deco glamour of a Vegas dancer along with the flavour of South American Carnivals with eccentric, sparkling clubwear. Flouncy ostrich feathers popped up at Christian Cowan and models were bathed in glitter for that brilliant, bourgeois look. And at Kim Shui, it was all about partying the Y2K way with mesh, lace and belly-baring bustiers for that sexed-up va-va-voom.
Show Some Skin
As seen at LaQuan Smith, Dion Lee, Puppets and Puppets and Eckhaus Latta
LaQuan Smith
Dion Lee
Eckhaus Latta
Puppets and Puppets
New York has never been a stranger to themes of sex, seduction and showing skin – and the autumn/winter 2022 shows were no different. Both Dion Lee and Eckhaus Latta made a case for careful cutouts, while Puppets and Puppets took a more in-your-face approach to saucy get-ups with mesh bralettes and dresses revealing the breasts and other erogenous zones. LaQuan Smith followed suit, sending little itty-bitty, sexy silhouettes down the catwalk, Julia Fox leading the charge. Micro-mini skirts that barely covered the bum, naughty corsetry and low-slung trousers took dressing up to get undressed to a whole new level. Take it from the New York designers, sex sells.
London
A New Kind of Kidcore
As seen at Chopova Lowena, Fashion East and Central Saint Martins MA
James Walsh (CSM)
Roylance (CSM)
Chopova Lowena
Chet Lo (Fashion East)Campy, quirky and kitsch, kidcore has been a fashion favourite for a few years now. But this season, at the hands of some of the industry’s most promising creatives, this sudden nostalgic resurgence has received a high-brow upgrade.
Chopova Lowena brought bows, precious dresses and cutesy monster motifs, and Chet Lo reworked his spiky knits into cutesy twin sets. On the Central Saint Martins MA, catwalk James Walsh’s collection brought eccentric toy-like silhouettes and childhood bedtime stories to life, while Roylance played with primary colours, in what looked like aerosol crazy string and fun, whacky mini-dresses. If these clothes don’t leave you with a big cheesy smile and the urge to find your old, cherished toys, we don’t know what will.
The New It Girl Order
As seen at Conner Ives, Nensi Dojaka, 16Arlington and Supriya Lele
Supriya Lele
Nensi Dojaka
Conner Ives
16ArlingtonIf London did one thing right this season, it was redefining the It girl – and damn, did the city do it well. Cult favourite newcomer Nensi Dojaka celebrated body-confident women with sexy, skin-tight silhouettes. Meanwhile at 16 Arlington’s tribute to the late Federica Cavenati, a true superstar when it came to peerless glamour, models walked in sky-high platform clogs, razor-sharp tailoring and dresses dripping with fluid glitter detailing. Then there was Supriya Lele’s stunning show where it was about channelling the mood of a free-spirited motorbike girl, with a tough, confident femininity, and Conner Ives, who had his hot-girl clothes define different feminine archetypes from The Cowgirl to The Groupie to America’s Next Top Model. It was a feverishly high-jinx bid for drop dead gorgeous in every sense of the phrase, because gorgeous gorgeous girls wear clothes by the London clique.
Fetish Fashion
As seen at Richard Quinn, Christopher Kane and Edward Crutchley
Richard Quinn
Edward Crutchley
Christopher KaneSniffing panties, fancying feet: we all have some sort of sexual peccadillo, whether we’d like to admit to it or not. So of course these peculiar perversions were bound to trickle up onto the runway – though it was little more latex and a lot less debauchery we must admit.
So, getting into the nitty gritty, Christopher Kane employed leather harnesses, naughty bodices and rope to tie it all together this season. Elsewhere, Edward Crutchley offered upcycled leather platforms and nipple clamp earrings on nearly nude men. The star of the season was Richard Quinn’s hedonistic display where RuPaul’s Drag Race winner, Violet Chachki, walked a human pup on a literal lead, both in full latex, studded and harnessed get-ups. It’s not surprising that these carnalities would pop up in London in particular – this is a city known for its rising curiosity for sex parties and fetish festivals. It might not be Berlin but oh, what a buzz.
Pet Play
As seen at Yuhan Wang, Fashion East, Central Saint Martins MA and Matty Bovan
Yuhan Wang
Ed Mendoza (CSM)
Chet Lo (Fashion East)
Matty BovanToyland took on London this season. Brands like Matty Bovan and Ed Mendoza from Central Saint Martins’ MA had quirky stuffed animals for handbags, either crafted with crochet or fabric off cuts. At Fashion East, Chet Lo followed suit, but rather than kiddish playthings, the plush bunnies were made in the same spiky material as the models’ garms – like an elevated me and my American Girl Doll with matching outfits straight out of the 2000s (talk about twinning!). Yuhan Wang took a more literal approach to pet play, sending her living, breathing cat Misty down the runway cradled in the arms of a model who donned a matching leopard print, faux-fur coat and hat. Go grab your furry friends, people – be it living, plush or animatronic – because pets are back in fashion.
Milan
Leather Weather
As seen at Versace, Sportmax, Prada and Dsquared2
Versace
Sportmax
Dsquared2
PradaThough this season was technically for sweater weather, the material that made the shows as stimulating as it was this time around was actually leather. The fabric, at some points vegan, worked its way into slick tailoring, slinky minis and buffed bags and coats.
Prepped and primed for the cold season, Dsquared2 offered an edgy leather skirt over pants look in addition to its brown aviator bombers, while Sportmax took a more sensual approach with halter-neck tops and shifts or form-fitted frocks to bring the heat. At Versace it was short dresses, thick corseted coats and wide-leg trousers galore. Plus, Prada updated its outerwear with lux leather, oversized coats.
Sporty Corsetry
As seen at Versace, Gucci, Balmain and Trussardi
Versace
Trussardi
Gucci
BalmainNo longer reserved for the playing field, sportswear has finally infiltrated the least manoeuvrable of garms – corsets. Versace offered updated underbust options with second-skin knits underlaid for full flexibility. Trussardi followed suit with foundational bodices working their way into coats and stretchy knits to take you from the gym to the gallery. At Balmain, sporty turned a little more sci-fi with padded corsets fit for either an American football player or a stormtrooper and at Gucci, Adidas corsets came bound the bust.
Neo Suiting
As seen at Gucci, Fendi, Giorgio Armani and No. 21
No. 21
Gucci
Fendi
Giorgio ArmaniOf course, we couldn’t forget about the titillating tailoring that made waves on the runway this season. We all love a good suit, so it was sublime to see so many luxury Milanese labels littering their collections with refreshing takes on tailoring.
For AW22, Gucci’s suits were anything but typical with one-arm blazers and glittering double-breasted tuxedos with studded leather cuffs. Meanwhile, Fendi took on slick mock-necks and cool crops and No. 21 swapped stuffy tailoring for shape accentuating blazers and overcoats with an edge.
Paris
A New Look at Layering
As seen at Louis Vuitton, Sacai and Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood
Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood
Sacai
Louis VuittonOver in Paris, luxury labels took a new look at layering with uniquely spliced threads and innovative styling decisions. At Louis Vuitton, scarves became skirts while boxy frocks sat on sweaters and double-layered jumpers (one worn and one tied around the waist) fell over chiffon ball gowns. Sacai took the road less travelled by putting pinstripe bustiers or camisoles on top of chunky wool jumpers and using classic white button ups as the base of belted, double-breasted blazers (sans-sleeves) on display. At Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood, clashing patterns cut together and overlaid made a big bang. There were skirts and jackets over dresses, eccentric chiffon veils and feathers on feathers on feathers.
Monochrome Madness
As seen at Valentino, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Dior, Stella McCartney, Courrèges and Lanvin
Valentino
Stella McCartney
Courrèges
Balenciaga
Christian Dior
Lanvin
Saint LaurentAt one of this season’s most iconic shows, the A-list models were pretty in pink, from head to toe. With every shirt, jacket or dress, Valentino made a case for monochrome. But this wasn’t the only brand that opted for such an eye-catching, one-colour style. Balenciaga showcased a load of all black alongside a yellow Canadian tuxedo and orange catsuits, while Saint Laurent and Dior matched their threads to their footwear. Elsewhere, Stella McCartney offered lilac dresses and jumpsuits with unicolour hosier and heels, and Lanvin opted for full fuchsia fits. Over at Courrèges, Nicolas Di Felice opted for crimson on the catwalk.
Yeti Ready
As seen at Ottolinger, Off-White, Goom Heo, Rick Owens and Marine Serre
Ottolinger
Off-White
Good Heo
Marine Serre
Rick OwensWith fashion bringing the legends to life, the latest or folklore was the abominable snowman – or in other words, the Yeti. In true snow-monster style, brands took faux fur and made it colossal with full-body bushy snowsuits to occasional fluffy accents.
For Off-White, this monstrous aesthetic appeared as pimpy oversized fur coats and a baggy, shaggy, hooded unitard. Elsewhere, Ottolinger integrated furry flats and kitten-heels into its collection and Marine Serre sent an avalanche of fluffy headwear down the runway, keeping the snowman a little more subtle. Then at Rick Owens, woolly trimmings adorned the sleeves of bulbous coats and Fashion East alumni Goom Heo proposed a long-haired belt, balaclava and ball gown. With what the internet has dubbed Yeti boots dominating street style since the start of 2022, it’s no wonder these shaggy furs have wandered up the body to form full fledged monster snowsuits. Could this winter weather, scruffy style be the au courant apres-ski?
For all our coverage from the AW22 shows, click here.
