New York Fashion Week: More Is More

Colour becomes an emotional punctuation mark.

At Diane von Furstenberg, which returned to the New York runway after almost a decade, new artistic director Henry Zankov embraced the house’s famous vocabulary of colour, print and the wrap dress while giving it a contemporary spin. The collection offered sheer pleasure: bright colours, bold prints, body-conscious silhouettes and a little Studio 54 attitude. This was not fashion apologizing for wanting to be noticed. It was fashion saying, look at me. And the invitation was hard to resist. Colour is one of the easiest ways fashion can change a mood. Put someone in brilliant red, electric blue or unapologetically vivid pink and suddenly the room feels different. DVF understood that.

Luar: Dressing Up, But Making It Personal

Raul Lopez presented Luar Spring/Summer 2027 at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, with the Unisphere looming over the runway. His collection, Christopher Street Columbus, brought together historical references, Dominican heritage and queer identity.
One of the season's most interesting developments is the return to more conventional ideas of dressing—but with a very unconventional attitude.
Raul Lopez takes Tudor clothing- doublets, breeches, puffed sleeves and exaggerated shoulders - and brings it forth in his unique, modern and queer New York lens.
Luar reminds us that a suit is never simply a suit. Who wears it? How is it worn? What history does the wearer bring to it?
Clothing has always been a language of identity, and queer people have long been fluent in it. Luar takes familiar fashion codes and gives them another life. The garment may have history, but the wearer gets to rewrite the ending.

Altuzarra and the Freedom to Dress

Joseph Altuzarra drew inspiration from Casa Susanna, the Catskills retreat documented in photographs of men gathering to dress in women’s clothing. The collection translated that history into a wardrobe of expressive silhouettes, colour and sensuality. The collection included biker jackets paired with full 1950s-inspired skirts. Sleek pencil skirts are worn with traditional brogues. Blazers paired with leather cargo pants and dresses with camisoles peeking out and low-slung belts at the hips create a style that feels lived-in, easy to wear, and free of perfect styling.
The collection offered a powerful reminder of clothing as freedom.

Cult Gaia: emotion on the runway.

The Spring/Summer collection, designed by Jasmin Larian Hekmat, drew inspiration from the designer's loss of her beloved Grandmother. The runway show took the audience on an emotional journey from grief to celebration. The sombre tones of the opening garments give way to vibrant, uplifting pieces. The designer crafted the emotional depth through mixing elegant tailoring, shimmering fabrics, playful sheer layers, and sculptural silhouettes. This Persian designer understands how to execute beautifully crafted garments with cultural resonance and glamour.

Thom Browne’s Bug’s Life

And then Thom Browne closed the week by proving that maximalism can be an entire universe.
The Shed at Hudson Yards was transformed into a surreal garden, dominated by a giant chrysalis surrounded by enormous green leaves and tendrils. The runway began with an army of caterpillars before the clothes emerged from the cocoon.
The inspiration was delightfully unexpected: Pixar’s A Bug’s Life.
Butterflies, bees, dragonflies, beetles and ladybugs appeared across Browne’s famously precise tailoring. Insects were embroidered onto tweed jackets, woven into checks and transformed into elaborate three-dimensional shapes. Bulbous skirts took on the appearance of beetles and ladybugs, while corseted bodices featured insect eyes and mandibles. Even the shoes joined the party, with whimsical bug faces and antennae. And then came the finale: the figure that had entered the cocoon emerged as a colourful butterfly.

The Trends Emerging from New York
So, what came down those New York runways?

Colour is back—and it is not interested in being subtle.
Bold, bright colour made a big comeback this season. While S/S collections always have colour, this season dialled it up. Poppy and candy red dazzled at Carolina Herrera. Soft lemon yellow was shining with contrast at Proenza Schouler, while blues and purples were all over the runways.

Pattern mixing is back.

Excellent news for anyone who believes matching is occasionally overrated. Florals with other florals, prints against prints, texture against texture—fashion is becoming much more interested in contrast. No one did it better than DVF.

The waist is getting attention again.

Belts, scarves, cummerbund-like details and shaped silhouettes brought definition back to the body.

Fringe is moving.

It appeared on dresses, coats and accessories, adding movement and a little drama. And if maximalism understands one thing, it is that clothing should move when you do.

Nostalgia is everywhere.

From American sportswear to historical references and vintage glamour, designers are looking backwards while trying to move forward.

There is also a desire for clothes to feel lived in again.

Not everything needs to look perfectly polished for Instagram.
Sometimes the most interesting outfit looks as though somebody actually wore it.

More Is More

That is ultimately the story of this New York Fashion Week. Maximalism is having a rebirth.

Conclusion

Fashion is loosening its tie. It is having a drink. It is turning up the music. It is putting on the fabulous jacket saved for a special occasion and deciding that today is special enough. Viewed from Vancouver, the collections still felt immediate and connected. They offered a clear sense of where fashion is heading: toward pleasure, colour, personality and a renewed willingness to dress with intention.

As we enter the fall season, the fashion schedule picks up, and I will be OUT & ABOUT at local fashion events, giving my take on international runways and taking my place front row at Vancouver Fashion Week. I hope to see you all. Stop by to say hi, share our images and stories, and help build our Vancouver Fashion Community.

Ciao for now, J.Andrew.

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