“I don’t do fashion, I am fashion.” Said the legendary fashion icon of the century- Coco Chanel. Fashion or couture holds the title of being one of the biggest industries on the planet with designers pouring in their art which gorgeously clads their models and the world continues to look at these creations in sheer awe! One of the prime fashion events in the world, which is held every year in one of the couture-capitals of the world- New York, is the much-awaited New York Fashion Week (NYFW).  

The New York Fashion Week is generally held at the ‘Skylight’ at the Mohniyan Station in New York and is diversified into various forms of couture for both women and men. This year’s NYFW has commenced in the month of February and has already gained quite a momentum. The world saw the NYFW come in with a bang with the fashion show not being limited to only showcasing couture and delving into patterns, but designers from all over the world were seen to use the platform to make political statements and to speak on social issues through their creations. From the debut of Raf Simon on ‘big women’ for Calvin Klein, to famous designer Proenza Schouler’s final show in this season- NYFW had it all!

Raf Simon’s debut show for Calvin Klein was very well received this season. He presented work couture for women which was inspired by American lifestyles and their classic suiting. He upgraded the look for work attire from boring old suits and power-clothing to newer, bolder looks with denims, cowboy boots, cheerleader influences and also a lot of quilting, which gave women’s work couture a completely fresh look. Another highlight of the NYFW Fall/Winter 2017 was the final show for Proenza Schouler. The designer Jack McCollough of the brand, presented a vibrant New-York look for outerwear. Inspired by the fashion on streets, he introduced graffiti-prints couple with Proenza’s signature aesthetics. He presented a wider range of separates and the dresses were also brought in with more slicing and twists!

As we all say- Fashion is art, we also saw it being emboldened by the Vogue collection in the fall season of NYFW. Creator Josep Font of Vogue, said his collection was majorly inspired by two artists from different fields. One was the Post-Impressionist painter- Joszef Rippl-Ronai and the other one was the famous Swiss architect and sculptor- Max Bill. He was seen presenting cashmere-hoods, oversize sequins folded dresses. What was most interesting to witness in his collection were the impressions of both the artists’ work, in the form of elaborate patterns like circles, sharp pleating and day trousers. The clothes were of much vibrant and bolder shades like cobalt blue, sea- greens and a lot of amber. His exhibit was undoubtedly considered as the best show of the Fall Week of The New York Fashion Week.

To many who aren’t from the Fashion fraternity, this show might seem pretentious in times of such political ideology clashes in the USA, but the Fall Week went on to make its fair share of political statements. The ‘Council of Fashion Designers of America’ (CFDA) officially partnered with ‘Planned Parenthood’, which in recent times has been a problematic decision made by the current president of the United States. Many designers were also seen to introduce collections which spoke loud and clear on other social issues, like the state of immigrants from the war-ridden Syria, to the much-empowered campaign ‘Black Lives Matter’. It goes on to shame the belief that Fashion is not only about cladding women and men in the best of shapes and color, but is a serious form of art, which if used wisely, can speak fiercely and passionately on socio-political issues. That’s art.

Getting there:-
The Major airports for New York are: The John.F.Kennedy International Airport and The LaGuardia Airport. Both of these airport house International and Domestic flights to and from New York.

Where to stay:-
Some of the common hotels nearby Moynihan station are: - Wyndham New Yorker Hotel, Staybridge Suites- Times square, Hotel Indigo-Chelsea and Courtyard by Marriot New York.