Marc Jacobs Looks to Creative Comfort in a Time of Crisis

Star stylist Jason Rembert is known for the dazzling looks he conjures for his celebrity clients (see Mary J. Blige’s mirrored bodysuit by Peter Dundas at the Super Bowl). But it’s through his collections for his label Aliétte that the designer really showcases his skills for craftsmanship and design. For fall, he drew inspiration from the iconic style of Cher, Diana Ross, and Donna Summer. Their influence could be found in glittering ’70s jumpsuits, ‘80s miniskirts, and embellished bralettes. Rounding out the assortment of fabulous evening wear were smart trousers and overcoats—all perfectly professional, but no less glamorous.

Tuxedos, pinstripe suits, baseball caps, cowboy hats, and sleek gowns—Ralph Lauren’s signature mix of American classics made their triumphant return to the runway on March 22. The designer presented his fall 2022 collection outside the usual New York Fashion Week calendar with an intimate show at the Museum of Modern Art. There, front row guests Jessica Chastain, Janelle Monáe, and Lily Collins were treated to a re-creation of Lauren’s own apartment complete with plush sofas, bowls of M&Ms and, of course, glamorous black-and-white fashion that paid tribute to the city that never sleeps.

Historically, Marc Jacobs has closed out New York Fashion Week with grand star-studded runway presentations. But this season, in a move no one saw coming, the designer debuted a 10-look collection on Instagram with a simple caption: “happiness, continued,” he wrote. The drop came two days after the official close of the New York fashion calendar and is quite literally a continuation of Jacobs’s spring 2022 “Happiness” collection which featured oversized puffers, floor-sweeping skirts, and elegant layers for facing an uncertain world. This time around, Jacobs ups the glamour with metallic paillette embellishments and sexy silhouettes featuring skin-baring slashes.

Michael Kors has always been a celebrity red carpet favorite—so it’s no surprise that the New York City designer turned up the glam to its highest zenith for fall 2022. His latest collection is staunchly anti-pandemic clothing: sequined gowns, tailored eveningwear, and statement coats, like the yellow creation shown here.

The designer Peter Do revealed a masterclass in restraint during his fall 2022 New York Fashion Week presentation, held on February 15 in Manhattan’s Meatpacking district. His suit-focused collection—rendered in just four colors: black, white, gray, and camel—was fastidiously cut and tailored. Still, Do gave some options for day-to-night dressing; a few skirts with high slits appeared on the runway, too.

Don’t you want to wear Gabriela Hearst’s sunny, romantic take on androgynous natural beauty right this second? This season, the designer was influenced by her own teenage daughters to examine gender under a microscope, literally—she had a professor of art history, gender, and politics from Stanford University give her and her staff lessons on the topic while designing her fall collection.

If Dion Lee’s designs could be described with an album name, it would be “Crazy, Sexy, Cool.” This season was no different. Inspired by construction and workwear, the designer still stuck to his signature brand codes—making aprons in black leather with lace sleeves and tool belts that were worn on top of super-short mini skirts.

“I’m building an American luxury brand, and I want to capitalize on what I already have,” designer LaQuan Smith told W in the summer of 2021. On Monday, February 14, he showed his latest iteration of this ambition for fall 2022, with a collection that redefined sexy for a new age. Of course, given this designation, it was only right to have the “It” girl of the moment, Julia Fox, open the show. “[It was] very serendipitous,” Fox told W of her runway debut after the show backstage. “Not planned at all—like everything else in my life.”

Women on the streets and sidewalks of New York City were the starting point for Tory Burch’s fall 2022 collection. In the show notes the designer explained the impact of observing “unique characters who catch our eye in a fleeting snapshot,” and the desire to provide them with a “toolbox for expressing individual style.” That came in the form of smartly tailored coats and trousers and embellished jersey gowns that were glamorous without sacrificing comfort or ease of movement. For her first evening show, the designer lit up the historic red New Yorker Hotel sign with a laser display that served as the presentation’s backdrop—it was the ultimate love letter to the city that never sleeps.

Welcome to Coachville, USA where Stuart Vevers’ interpretation of suburban dressing comes with a healthy dose of subversion. Among the shearling coats and sweet lace babydoll dresses were leather chokers and armbands with whistle charms that recalled New York’s leather bars in the ‘70s. Meanwhile, oversized T-shirts, flat boots and trench coats printed in collaboration with the graffiti artists Mint & Serf were reminiscent of ‘90s skater style. “I liked the idea of creating a nostalgic world somewhere in America seen through a widescreen lens, mixing the energy of today with the nostalgia for pop culture that has always inspired me,” Vevers said in a statement.

“This season I was inspired by the ocean, seafarers and the myths and mysteries of the underwater world,” Joseph Altuzarra explained in a statement. “I wanted the collection to not only evoke the intrepid and adventurous spirit of sailors and world travelers, but also the mystery and darkness of the ocean’s depths, populated with mermaids and mythological creatures.” The allusion to high sea explorers could be found in mariner stripe knits and shearling accented peacoats. Precisely scalloped micro knits stood in for fish scales on body-conscious tops and skirts. But the real catch of the collection was its series of fully embellished mermaid gowns that with every swish could be heard as clear as the crashing tide.

Designer Catherine Holstein gave New York Fashion Week spectators a look into the Khaite girl’s closet. What might someone like Hailey Bieber, Kaia Gerber, or Selena Gomez—all of whom are fans of the brand—wear to work (this suit) or a friend’s wedding (a tea length décolleté-baring dress) or, say, dinner at Carbone (a PVC trench over a slinky mock neck gown)? For fall 2022, Holstein interpreted all the label’s signature codes through a lens of functionality, femininity, and, above all, sexiness.

Ulla Johnson may be a brand known for its soft, girly dresses rendered in floral prints with ruffle accents, but the designer showed her range at New York Fashion Week this season. Putting her own spin on knits, minibags wore around the neck, and even a single pair of wide-leg jeans, Johnson demonstrated the wearability of her creations—on and off the runway.

On Saturday, February 12, the chilly, abandoned, industrial space that was once the Essex Meat Market on New York City’s Lower East Side was the place to be. Inside the hollowed-out marketplace, which was still filled with old refrigerated cases and wooden boxes for produce, Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta showed their fall 2022 Eckhaus Latta collection. This was a special one for two designers who have become synonymous with downtown cool kids—2022 marked 10 years for Eckhaus and Latta in the fashion business. To celebrate, the designers created a line marked by its stellar patterned knitwear, tons of paillettes and sequins, and chunky platform boots and mules in all kinds of colorways. Following the show, guests trooped to The Standard East Village Penthouse for an If You Know You Know after party—but the line to get in was so long that some opted to hang out in the downstairs café instead.

This season, the Texas native paid homage to his grandmother, a boutique manager who inspired his life’s work and is currently suffering from Alzheimer’s. Drawing inspiration from memories of “bed sheet and blanket ball gowns accessorized with her emptied out jewelry boxes,” the designer delivered evening wear spliced with chunky knits and crushed satin overcoats topped with sumptuous shawls. For the final look, as modeled by Karlie Kloss who both opened and closed the show, the designer lifted a rose painting created by his grandfather for his bride—a fitting valentine and tribute to “65 years of love and the seams that hold it together.”

In lieu of the typical show notes, Proenza Schouler’s Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough provided guests at their fall 2022 show with a short story written by Ottessa Moshfegh. Its title: “Where Will We Go Next?” After nearly two years of lockdown and dressing for no one, the collection explored a new sophisticated sensuality that’s meant to be seen. Waists were cinched without being constricting, shoes were flat but with sculpted toes to hint at what lies beneath. Silhouettes were fluid, the tailoring strong, and the details, subtle but striking —especially a divine twist down the back of a white sequin gown. As a whole, the tightly edited 35 looks offered a return to dressing with undeniably cool ease.

Two weeks ahead of New York Fashion Week The Row offered a glimpse at what’s to come for next season. For their fall 2022 collection, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen ventured beyond their usual neutral palette to incorporate kelly green, scarlet, tangerine, and amethyst separates among their layered, expertly-tailored looks. For longtime fans of the New York label, there are still plenty of khaki, navy, and black looks to choose from. But the bursts of vibrant color hint at brighter fashion days ahead.