February has been deemed “fashion month” by many fashion fanatics, as it is the month where thousands of designers display their Fall and Winter collections for 2017. With models such as Kendall Jenner, Gigi and Bella Hadid, this year’s fashion week had an all-star cast. Designers and models all gather in the “big four” fashion capitals of the world – New York, London, Milan and Paris- for this coveted event. Fashion Week was conceived in New York City in 1943 as a way to display seasonal clothing in a public forum and is now a widespread phenomenon that is celebrated both in February and September for womenswear.
New York City was the first city of this year’s Fashion Week. It began on February 9th and ended on the 16th. Brands such as Coach, Marc Jacobs, Marchesa, Oscar de la Renta and many more took the stage to display their fashion.
Marc Jacobs, in particular, spurred a lot of talk for his runway display. He encouraged guests to shut off their phones and decided not to play music during his show as a way to focus on the core of Fashion Week: the clothing. This choice received a lot of positive feedback as the show went back to the basics and placed the spotlight back on its roots. NYFW also introduced trends such as vintage fur, ‘70s plaid, oversized blazers, the color red, velvet, and cowboy clothing.
Right after NYFW on February 17th, London Fashion Week (LFW) began with shows from Burberry, TOPSHOP UNIQUE, J.W.Anderson, and more. LFW defined trends such as statement pockets, wallpaper florals, complementary colors, as well as velvet. London Fashion Week came to a close on February 21st.
The next stop for “fashion month” was Milan, Italy, which began on the 22nd. Milan featured designers like Gucci, Prada, Moschino, Fendi, Versace, Giorgio Armani and more. MFW coincided with the presiding cities on trends such as oversized coats, velvet, and fur. A highlight that stood out during the week was in Fendi’s show, where every model wore red boots as a statement piece, marking its presence in upcoming trends.
The last city of the “Big Four” to participate in this year’s fashion week was Paris, which started on the 28th. This particular fashion week is ongoing and will end on March 7th; so far brands like Chloe, Balmain and Saint Laurent have donned their fashion on the stage. Designers such as Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Celine, Givenchy, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and many other big brands have yet to participate.
As the glamour from fashion week draws to a close, it is clear that “fashion month” continues to pave the way for modern fashion and trends.
