In a New York still buzzing from an electric 1990s-infused Tom Ford show (which was a glorious nod back to the heady days when Ford headed up Gucci), day one of NYFW on Thursday kicked off with a madcap Desigual show that did away with models and opted for dancers instead.
They popped and locked their way down the runway, taking cultural appropriation to new heights with headcoverings that ranged from Chinese wicker pagodas to Tudor era caps. Amid the hectic dance offs, the stand-out element was leg fringing, which may not even be available for sale but made every move look amazing.
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Of course, the big news of the morning was that Kanye West had cancelled his Yeezy show, which was slated to happen on September 13. Given the power of Brand West, his non-event still managed to overshadow most of the day.
Noon by Nour delivered a crisp, clean show, filled with reds and whites taken from the flag of Bahrain, home to designers Shaikha Noor Rashid Al Khalifa and Shaikha Haya Mohamed Al Khalifa. Staying true to its DNA, the collection was a highly wearable mix of masculine and feminine elements, and gave us fluid dropped-shoulder tops teamed with pantaloon-cut shorts, or a tailored shirt dress in vivid red, worn pushed back on the shoulders.
Dresses were fluid yet full, using dropped waists and open work seams as detailing to break up the otherwise lean lines. The only adornment was embroidered Arabic script, spelling the words "love" or "wisdom", which felt apt given the current world mood.
With hair worn long and loose, as if kinked from the beach, an extra softener for the looks were chic cross body bags, in envelopes and boxes. These were created in collaboration with Los Angeles bag designer Tyler Ellis, in Noon By Nour's first foray into handbags.
Meanwhile, a golden state of mind was the theme behind the Tadashi Shoji show, which offered up dresses perfect for an aprés beach party look. Light, patterned and pretty, and with a more 1970s feel than the brand normally goes for, the collection was all highly wearable. Almost hippy-esque dresses drifted past in shades of sunshine yellow and zingy green, while a white cut-away column dress with playful embroidery was deeply covetable. However, the standout look was a floaty floor-grazing halter neck, decked out in a willow-patterned white-and-blue fabric. Gorgeous.
