New York Fashion Week, as the first city on the fashion-week calendar, has the important task of setting the standard for the fashion month ahead. Its AW24 collection remained poised and sophisticated, with an air of excitement for the future. Much like the city itself.
Many designers played with time; looking to 1800s theatre, the return of the nineties, and twentieth century surrealism as inspiration – translated through the backstage supermodel glamour of fur, sheer fabrics and tailored outerwear.
From Carolina Herrera’s strong tailoring and Gabriela Hearst’s intricate craftsmanship to Marc Jacobs’ fortieth anniversary, these are Citizen Femme’s highlights from New York Fashion Week’s AW24 shows.
The Anniversaries
Altuzzura
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For the brand’s fifteenth anniversary Joseph Altuzzura’s AW24 collection replied to the sartorial conversation his SS24 collection started last year, to discuss the modern wardrobe: wearability vs occasion. Mixed with the brand’s wearable, utilitarian focus there is a jovial reminiscence of performance and dressing for the purpose of being seen. The industrial set for the show saw chunky knit jumpers and thinly-spun wool trousers, low-heeled ballet pumps and black leather boots all tied together with strong, earth-bound colour palettes. Although the show promoted nudes in all their complexities – with seven different shades of ivory – evening wear invited pops of red and silver beading, worn atop floral lace. Altuzzura placed a lot of attention on necklines too – naming the 1879 play A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen as a main source of inspiration, sailor-like necklines as well as Pierrot-ruffles that bordered on a Joker-like drama nodded to archaic theatre dressing. Overall, Altuzzura’s clothes are designed to be worn and re-worn, all without dulling both the garments and the wearer’s performativity.
Marc Jacobs
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Marc Jacobs celebrated the fortieth anniversary of his eponymous label earlier this year, through a series of viral Instagram posts fuelling anticipation for the next move of the renowned American fashion house. Despite being the big four-zero, Marc Jacobs presented the AW24 collection as an intimate affair with a refined guest list, yet the collection was a far cry from restraint. Oversized set design by the late artist Robert Therrian (known for his humorously outsized sculptures) swamped the models and attendees to create a theatrical, doll-sized world for his clothes to move within. These distorted perspectives helped play into the exaggerated silhouettes of the clothes. Tote bags so large that even an over-packer would struggle to fill were met with rigid tailoring for ballooned shoulders and sleeves, while wired dresses gave perturbed hips and chests to caricature bodily form. Incredible 1960s blow-out hairstyles also honed into the doll-sized version of the voluptuous sixties.
The Standouts
Khaite
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For designer Catherine Holstein, Khaite’s autumn winter collection was about “the idea of heritage from memory” an idea resonating through the unstructured fabrics which bear an undefined and unguided form like a delicately glazed over memory – but that also looks towards styles of the past. Designed in memory of her mother, Holstein offers a symbol of generational blurring through the pillowing folds – whether on satin or leather – while furs and silks bear an old school, stated luxury. Oxblood reds bordering on cherry tones also bring an almost Gucci touch from its celebrated Fordian era, further elevating the refined tastes of the fashion house.
Proenza Schouler
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Black is undoubtedly back, bolder than ever, overwhelmingly defining 24 of the 38 looks; surprising after the prints and embellishments of Proenzer Schouler’s SS24 collection. But, most of all, Proezna Schouler’s AW24 brought the feeling of nineties minimalism, where tailored outerwear elegantly conversed with casual day-to-day outfits. Unstructured slip dresses that skim the body, knit tunics, faux furs, and sheer shirts brought the nineties back to life in New York. All that’s missing from the collection are the after-party paparazzi shots that characterise those supermodel hay-days.
Michael Kors
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Michael Kors’ AW24 offered another collection where prints were shelved for the monochrome, except for one – a leopard print fur worn by Amber Valetta and paired with a red statement lip that stood out from the natural dew worn by the other models. After a surge in searches at the end of last year, animal prints and furs are slowly overtaking the highly popular clean-girl aesthetic, though this show seemed to merge the two. Elevating the ‘clean girl’ to a sophisticated and established woman and soundtracked by an orchestral version of Alicia Keys, this collection is for the naughties women who grace the office with chic corporate attire by day, and bring minimalistic yet strong drama by night.
Carolina Herrera
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Atop one of New York’s famously tall skyscrapers, 180 Maiden Lane in the financial district and overlooking Manhattan and Brooklyn, Carolina Herrera’s AW24 collection met new kinds of heights. Powerful and poised rang true in each of the tastefully-overstated gowns as Creative Director Wes Gordon found feminine strength in exaggerated waists and sharp shoulders for his sixth year at the luxury label. Fashion’s signature statement colours red and black met again through the dramatic two-piece opening look, immediately calling to Gordon’s innovative colour blocking which sought to find “new ways of dividing colours on the body” according to the show notes. Largely monochromatic but with touches of dynamic stripes, delicate florals and sequin appliqué, the clothes made themselves heard on the runway through the seductive silhouettes whose rigid tailoring bore a clever architectural stance.
Gabriela Hearst
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Although housed in Brooklyn, Gabriela Hearst turned to Europe’s surrealist movement for her AW24 collection, naming British artist Leonora Carrington as the house’s muse, even launching a new bag aptly named the Carrington to commemorate the occasion. Surrealism played out through the knit and lace dresses that held volume impressively in the shoulders. Meanwhile the mixing of materials – metallic leathers with satins – within a single garment is a testament to an incredibly skilled craftsmanship.
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Lead image credit: Carolina Herrera, Fall 2024, New York City, February 12 2024
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