New York Fashion Week: days full of surprises 

Ralph Lauren sent his models next in the most fabulous and relaxed holiday ever, Raf Simons left the minimalism of Calvin Klein behind and Marc Jacobs put out a show with no music in it. The New York Fashion Week, SS2018 collections, was full of surprises. A lot of colours (even Victoria Beckham put some pink and blue shadows in her clothes), with feminine ruffles and silk fabrics and an entire bunch of stars and socialites in the front row. If I should need to choose a favourite… here are 10.

Calvin Klein. Someone call the collection an American experiment. Last season Raf Simons showed us cowboy boots and denim, of course. For Spring, he added layers. and presented his collection under a ceiling strewn with Sterling Ruby pieces. In the front row: Lupita Nyong’o, Brooke Shields, Jake Gyllenhaal, Carolyn Murphy and Karlie Kloss. And add Kaia Gerber, the daughter of Cindy Crawford, at her first runway ever.

Helmut Lang. The brand has launched a Re-Edition collection of archival pieces by Lang himself, the Austrian autodidact who left his eponymous label in 2005 and in absentia has become the most influential designer of this decade. The collection this season was presented by Hood By Air’s Shayne Oliver (yep, the controversial designer) . And we had a pretty sexy collection.

Coach 1941. The streets were paved with glitter at Coach’s show. The clothes are full of stars, and with the streetwise scribbles of the late Keith Haring. The collection was an ode to early ’80s New York that will charm young people the world over.

Delpozo. The spring 2018 collection, shown at Pier 59, was presented with the live accompaniment of Roberto Carlos Lange and Helado Negro. Josep Font, the designer, said that the New York is his inspiration, a city full of energy. I just loved the beautiful cuts and the girlish looks.

Marc Jacobs. All 56 models walked only to the sounds of their shoes on the old wood planks of the Park Avenue Armory. But I think the explosion of colours was enough to catch our eyes. And maybe the finale with the aria from the 1981 French film Diva as an accompaniment.

Michael Kors. For spring/summer 2018 collection the idea was to bring laid-back beach vibes to every urbane piece he put on the runway. Here in the city this summer, Kors saw a lot of cut-offs, flip-flops, and girls going pantsless. Only that the fabrics are luxury as ever: silk, cotton, cashmere.

Zadig & Voltaire. The show spoke out loud. Very loud, like the rock ’n’ roll that makes up the brand’s DNA, are nothing if not loud. The collection, presented in a very musical atmosphere, had a similar message of joy with the motto, “Let Love Rule”: strong knitwear, boxy men’s-inspired tailoring, updated military looks, sun-faded dresses and sparkly disco-age references.

Victoria Beckham. I love that Victoria has a more relaxed personal style. And I love that she put this vibe into her collections, as well. For spring/summer 2018 we will see transparencies and soft colours emerging as key trends. Silk shirts, feminine skirts and pastel soft candy colours. I just loved it!

Philip Lim. The ultra-minimalist show of Philip Lim presented us some white top tanks and easy pants for a summer in the city, as well as an office look that could be seen anywhere, from clerks to interns. Go, girls! 

Libertine. Embellishments, slogans, funny prints – the spring/summer 2018 collection fo Libertine is not so much apart from the Libertine philosophy. “We’re about pushing rules, expanding ourselves, expanding our collection”, said the designer Johnson Hartig. 

Photography: Facebook pages of the brands