Biggest Trends from New York Fashion Week to Expect for the Fall 2019 Season
By Kyle Sosa
The Fall/Winter American fashion trends have been cycling through public media as New York Fashion Week ended on Sunday and the finishing looks from prominent New York designers walked the runway. New York Fashion Week was very unique in its collections this year, bending the boundaries of typical color palettes, prints and silhouettes more traditionally associated with the Fall-Winter seasons. This year, fashion followers saw bright colors, flamboyant prints, and exotic designs that were loudly festive in their nature. Although each designer had their own perspective on this years’ trends, there was a certain fluidity to the collections that came down the runway and a thematic consistency that remained congruent throughout fashion week.
ORANGE, PURPLE, & GREEN
Color this season carried a pertinent role in the trends for the upcoming Fall and Winter. Orange, purple, and green were definitely the colors that were consistent in nearly every show. On top of that, it was the brighter the better. Eccentric colors–much resembling those of the 1980s and ‘90s–created a celebratory environment at fashion week. Designers this year played with richly pigmented fabrics and loud prints, a stark contrast from typical muted holiday colors. There was also a trend of using monochromatic color schemes throughout the runway looks. Sally LaPointe created each look choosing a singular color spectrum, playing with shades and tones throughout the garments. However, designers like Anna Sui sent models down the runway dressed in head-to-toe bright orange, even up to their hair color. It was a breath of fresh air to see such unique and elaborate looks created for the colder holiday seasons.
RUFFLES
High-neck ruffles were a major theme this last week in New York. The classic winter turtle-neck has been taken to another level, inspired by Victorian-era ornamentation. Many of the pieces were constructed with a luxuriously generous amount of fabric, allowing for beautiful movement to be shown throughout the textiles. The ruffles were not just shown in the neck, however. They also appeared along the waist and shoulders, giving organic movement to architectural silhouettes.
VICTORIAN GOWNS
The Victorian trend didn’t simply end with ruffles, it also extended into the designs of the dresses. Marc Jacobs, for instance, created a stunning canary dress with a décolleté neck line and wide skirt silhouette. Carolina Herrera’s hot pink gown uses Victorian bishop sleeves with a leopard print twist. The inspiration may be historical, but designers had very unique ideas in making the dresses feel like they belong in the contemporary fashion world.
FEATHERS
Feathers this season made a huge appearance on the catwalk, whether as garnish details or large lavish winter coats. As the models walked, the garments effortlessly draped with every stride. Feather applications gave the impression of exaggerated lightweight motions. Marc Jacobs created a dress made entirely out of feathers, while designers like Michael Kors applied the use of feathers as more of a garnish on sleeves.
LEATHER
The standard application of leather–typically as a simple leather coat or accessory–has been upgraded into full-on leather ensembles. Some designers created head-to-toe catwoman bodysuits giving militant sex-appeal to their collection, while designers like Zimmermann took a classic shape and created an edgy oxblood leather look. It’s time to revamp everyone’s idea of how to wear leather and stretch it as a medium that can be worn in more diverse ways.
HIGH-COLLARED COATS
It’s time to bundle up this fall, because high-collared coats are definitely on trend this season. Besides the numerous turtlenecks that came down the runway this February, designers created coats and jackets with tall collars that come right up to the chin. Whether left open and zipped up all the way, these collars add a level of sophistication and protective function to keep people looking chic and feeling warm this upcoming holiday season.