Day two of New York Fashion Week started in the sunshine, in the gardens of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, with Tory Burch. It turned out to be the perfect venue to show off a collection of fresh, summery pieces, with airy graphic prints set against breezy tones of green and blue on white.
Jason Wu, meanwhile, opted for crisp shirting, this time reinvented with clever knotting and asymmetry, most notably draping Bella Hadid in a twisted baby pink dress.
Back at Skylight Clarkson Square, fronds of lush greenery and strip neon lighting were the backdrop for the Cushnie et Ochs show, which offered sleekly tailored fitted dresses, tempered by softer, pleated pieces. Blooming florals, summery corals and uplifting oranges breezed past, as did more strident city-oriented looks in black, paired with tight knee-length boots. Perhaps it was the effect of all that oxygen being exhaled by the plants, but this felt like a real breath of fresh air.
Bibhu, meanwhile, blended skillful cutting with complex origami-style folds, creating layered looks that seemed to be protectively guarding the models; they were held tightly in protective bodices and corsetry, with the folded fabric sitting armour-like over the top.
Wrapping it up the day was the irrepressible Jeremy Scott, who is also celebrating 20 years in the business. A host of supermodels (including Gigi, Karlie, Jourdan and Joan) were seen decked out in typical Scott fare, with silver, pink snakeskin and lime green all thrown together in the form of oversize sweatshirts and bomber jackets worn upside down as skirts.
Tops were either tiny and tight or boyfriend-cut huge, while fabrics were unashamedly sheer. One standout piece was a see-through crystal boiler suit, complete with pockets, that perfectly captured Scott's excess. As he walked the full runway after the show, the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
Scott's show was the ticket everyone wanted, and security was somewhat intense getting in. Once inside, however, an innocent wrong turn saw me mistakenly stumble backstage, almost colliding with Paris and Nicky Hilton in the process.
Later, as Scott's fabulously OTT pieces strutted down the runway, closing with Gigi in a sheer knee-length dress, with faux gems the size of pineapples hanging from it, it was hard not to be drawn in by his overwhelming optimism. Amid all the turbulent weather and unsettling politics currently swamping the US, Scott's relentlessly upbeat stance seemed to be exactly what New York wanted to hear.
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Read more:
[ Live from New York Fashion Week: day one highlights ]
[ Flight and fancy: Etihad chic at New York Fashion Week ]
[ French fashion giants ban ultra-thin models ]
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