Feature Image: Alla Bogdanovic @allaphoto.art
March marked the end of the Autumn/Winter 2024 fashion week collections, finishing, as per tradition, in Paris. This was a season filled with creative director debuts from the fashion houses of Alexander McQueen, Chloe, and Moschino. It will most likely be a year remembered for the pre-New York Fashion Week (NYFW) 40th Anniversary Marc Jacobs show and the unexpected news of Iris Apfel’s (designer, model, and fashion icon) passing.
New York
Starting across the pond, NYFW began this season with 97 brands scheduled to showcase their collections, including 49 runway shows and 23 presentations. One highly anticipated brand was Tommy Hilfiger, who made a return to NYFW with a collection celebrating the city. Held at the iconic Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station, Hilfiger returned to their roots, showcasing designs that were the brand’s aesthetic to the core. These included polos, varsity jackets, and cable-knit sweaters. Also seen at this season’s NYFW was the landmark 15 year anniversary of the brand, Tiffany Brown, who was celebrating their journey from Midtown Atlanta boutique, to the fashion capital showrooms of the world. The collection took on a fresh, empowered, new perspective in reams of gold, taking inspiration from Egyptian gods and the American dream.
London
The top shows coming out of London Fashion Week included presentations from Simone Rocha, Burberry, and rising star, Molly Goddard. TikTok’s fashion news reporter, Bernard Garby, praised the collection of British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker on his account, and marked them as one to watch. The show was inspired by street sellers in Ghana, with the runway design lined with food carts, as well as piles of tyres and fruit. For only the designer’s second show ever at London Fashion Week, it received great praise for its celebration of resourcefulness and determination.
Dilara Findikoglu’s winter collection was about highlighting the fall of toxic masculinity. The designer created a powerful female presence as each model in the show was given a title such as ‘Fragile Ego’, ‘Cleopatra’, and ‘Female Territory’. The collection used corsetry, lace-up fastenings, and sheer fabrics, all of which leaned into the female centred runway approach.
Milan
In Italy, Fendi, Versace and Prada all presented huge shows. There was a notable comeback from Moschino, who had been without a creative director for almost a year due to the sudden death of Davide Renne. Newly appointed Adrian Appiolaza, former creative director of Loewe, debuted his first Moschino collection having only been with the brand since the 11th January. The collection received generally positive feedback, being marked as a strong collection, which focused less on bold shapes and colours, and instead veered towards playful everyday wear.
Over at Gucci, creative director Sabato De Sarno, featured equestrian inspired boots, floor length coats, and even some unexpected evening wear. Expect the riding boot style and oxblood red to make an appearance in wardrobes later this year, inspired by Gucci’s collection.
Paris
To round off, there were plenty of comebacks and debuts at Paris Fashion Week. The highly anticipated first show from Alexander McQueen’s new creative director Sean McGirr garnered mixed reviews, though some fashion experts regard this as a revival of the original McQueen brand DNA – going back to its roots of drama, disruption, and controversy.
At Chloe, Chemena Kamali, showcased her first collection with the brand, clearly demonstrating her vision by incorporating ruffles, feelings of romance and femininity.
In an unexpected twist, The Row, established by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, issued a social media ban and barred all the phones from the show, enforcing their position in the realm of quiet luxury.
Overall, the trends set to arise from these shows include wide leg, heavy fabric trousers (as seen in collections by Max Mara, and Stella McCartney), circular shaped winter jackets (by brands like Bottega Veneta) and also fringe embellishments (as shown in Christian Dior and Ferragamo).
The colour of the season was definitely beige, showing up in the collections from Dior, Saint Laurent, and Balmain. However, an identifiable 2024 addition to the winter colour palette is the inclusion of summer tones and shades, which were particularly seen across the shows in Milan.
If you’re looking to get ahead of the curve for this winter check out the trend forecast for Fall 2024 here.
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