Things got seriously political on the opening day of New York Fashion Week. This season, the event kicked off with a fashion industry rally called “Fashion for Our Future,” which included First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. Celebrity designer Willy Chavarria presented guests with a miniature copy of the U.S. Constitution and wore a T-shirt bearing the American Civil Liberties Union logo.
In the region, where the brand celebrated its 10th anniversary.D Anniversary, Creative Director Biotrick Panzcheck It also made a political statement. In collaboration with show sponsor Tinder, the brand once again teamed up with Bans Off Our Bodies, a national abortion rights campaign, and turned it into a design template for a stunning collection that combined Area’s high-end craftsmanship with more wearable styles with a lot of interest.
Backstage, Banzik spoke with FashionNetwork.com about the season’s approach, which played with the hand pattern that references the campaign and the design team.
“The season was about looking back on who we are and what we want, and going back to identity,” the designer said, adding: “It can be uncomfortable to deal with, but it can also be a tool to build yourself up and start a new life or become who you don’t want to be.”
Part of that identity is up to Banczyk and his design team. “This whole idea of identity has led to the collection blossoming, and it’s all about the hands that made these clothes,” he says. “All the hands you see are from the workshop; they’ve been photocopied, scanned, printed, a thousand different things.”
Indeed, hands appeared as an image printed on denim and nylon patterns. In a nod to artists Bruce Conner and Man Ray, silver metal hands appeared as patches. Banzik was never afraid to use technology to design clothes, describing how the hand shape transformed from a two-dimensional idea into three-dimensional creations for some of the high-end pieces toward the end of the show.
“We took the idea of the hand and turned it into a more voluminous form. I looked at the feathers from the ’60s from Balenciaga, which is something I always go back to. We printed them on double-sided nylon, laser-cut them, and then folded them into origami structures that became feather structures,” he explained. While the long design had a ’60s vibe, the shorter yellow design based on a sprawling rubber dish glove had a more Big Bird feel.
“One was a very elegant concept, and the other was based on something we had to deal with, like dishwashing gloves,” he said of the contrast.
The hands weren’t the only body part he referenced. Eyes became metal parts on textiles or the clothes themselves, in another nod to the 1960s through the interpretation of chain mail. Another tribute that Panczyk cited when investigating was Azzedine Alaïa. Many of the looks featured large-shouldered motorcycle-style jackets with a cinched waist topped with a distinctive biker hat, especially in leather, a zebra-print wool jacket, and a version embellished with crystal tubular beads.
While the latter is the premier show when it comes to Area’s awe factor, the designer stresses that anyone can stand out at Area, from bespoke couture-style pieces to ready-to-wear.
“This is what a girl in the region really stands for; she just wants people to see her,” he added. Asked about the collection, he admitted that it struck a good balance between the commercial and conceptual side.
“With this collection, you can’t do everything at once over the course of a year; you have to train yourself to make real clothes and also train yourself to be a craftsman. All of those elements came together this season. You had something new on one side, but you could wear it as a shirt and make a statement.”
The region has just the right amount of both to build a strong brand for another decade and more.
Christian Siriano
Evening wear that is not in the haute couture category has a hard time competing for attention in the ready-to-wear calendar.
So it’s a good thing Christian Siriano has a legion of fans who would love it if he sewed a burlap sack and called it fashion. The designer has risen through the ranks of reality TV and made himself a millionaire through the celebrity part of his persona. That also translates to star-studded front rows. This season, Selma Blair and Cyndi Lauper have made appearances., Tiffany Haddish, Darren Criss and Little Kim were among those in attendance at the show, which was held in the ballroom of the Pierre Hotel.
Perhaps the luxury was meant to soften his bold style this season. Siriano leaned heavily into sheer fashion with plenty of unlined lace lingerie. Despite the lingerie, the luxurious, refined fabrics remained elegant. But it was also sweet, with the designer referencing fairytale heroes and heroines like Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel and the White Serpent.
He suggested lace patterns and other metallic beading for men and suggested that a sleeveless jacket and palazzo pants could double as a men’s dress look. It’s not a bad move, and it’s easy to imagine that some of Hollywood’s most daring dressers could see themselves wearing one of these combinations.
Of course, there was also plenty of drama with volume, whether it was a Mugler-style leash or wide-brimmed hems. Coco Rocha toned down some of her runway drama but delivered an iconic finale by walking with Jessica Stam, the duo like phoenixes rising from the ashes.
Giles House
For their second season and their first New York Fashion Week show, Gilles Mendel and daughter Chloe Mendel showcased their haute couture and bespoke pieces in a familiar fashion setting: the penthouse at Lincoln Center. Having built a solo career since selling their eponymous Gilles Mendel label, the duo were encouraged to quietly launch the brand last season.
This season’s collection was inspired by ballet (Mendel is designing costumes for the New York City Ballet’s upcoming season opening gala, hence the location) and the work of photographer Rufin Afanador.
After realizing the inspiration, the photographer reunited with model Christina Kruse for the campaign. In a black-and-white color palette, the dresses’ motifs included mermaid hems, lightweight chiffon, asymmetrical one-shoulder bodices, corsets, and feather headpieces designed by father and daughter together in their studio.
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