Highlights from New York Fashion Week: Royal drama, ’70s nostalgia and more

Jacqui Palumbo and Alex Rees, CNN; The Associated Press

Fashion Week landed in New York City once again with six days of Fall-Winter 2023 shows from brands including Rodarte, Thom Browne, Coach, Prabal Gurung and Eckhaus Latta.

Last season marked the return of nearly all in-person shows, and A-List celebrities descended on the city for a packed schedule of slick high-production shows all around Manhattan and Brooklyn. This week, the trend toward iconic backdrops and grand architecture continued, with shows taking place at the historic main branch of the New York Public Library, classic hotspot the Rainbow Room, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

While many collections emphasized everyday wearability, with designers including Gabriela Hearst, LaQuan Smith and Sandy Liang showing clothes that could go from runway to closet, others such as Rodarte and Thom Browne instead put forward more whimsical ideas.

On Friday, the mood was high fantasy as Rodarte kicked off the official schedule inside the neoclassical Williamsburgh Savings Bank, transforming the landmarked Brooklyn institution into a glittering banquet populated by gothic fairies. Rodarte’s romantic collections have a loyal celebrity following, and guests included actors Brie Larson, Jemima Kirke, and Natasha Lyonne.

Browne, meanwhile, turned one blacked-out room of art center The Shed into a stage for a half-hour conceptual retelling of the beloved novella “The Little Prince,” complete with a prop plane, hanging planets and several tons of sand to create a celestial desert scene.

“I’m getting older and I have to challenge myself to create something that’s more and more interesting each season,” Browne told CNN after the show. “I always start with a simple story and then work into it as much as I want to or as little as I want to.”

Keep scrolling after the gallery for details from this week’s shows:

Michael Kors channels ’70s New York chic for latest line

Michael Kors honored the original influencers in his life Wednesday with his fall 2023 ready-to-wear collection. The designer brought ’70s nostalgia with New York sophistication to a show packed with celebrities including Katie Holmes, Gloria Steinem, Kate Hudson and Mindy Kaling. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also sat front to see Kors’ collection. Kors incorporated fringe, crystal pendants and dramatic bell bottom trousers. Kors says the line was inspired by women who were powerful as came of age in the 1970s, including Steinem, Tina Turner, Jane Fonda as well as his mother. Actor Molly Ringwald tells The Associated Press that she appreciated the inclusivity of Kors’ designs at the show.

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Tory Burch deconstructs classic style in new NYFW collection

Some think they know the Tory Burch aesthetic because of the ubiquitous iconic gold metal branding on shoes and handbags, but more recently Burch has been focusing on the unexpected. Her fall/winter 2023 presentation at New York Fashion Week on Monday night featured deconstructed looks in rich colors and fabrics that served as a creative surprise. Burch loves a dramatic backdrop and says the space at the historic Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank building in downtown Manhattan set a scene, with mercurial shapes and artworks twisting into themselves, projected onto the towering ornate walls and a mysterious curtain that revealed the models as they entered.

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Thom Browne channels ‘Little Prince’ in heartfelt NYFW show

Thom Browne’s fashion shows are nothing like a typical runway show. Rather, they are elaborate, lengthy, fully realized theatrical productions. They have backstories and narration and music and role-playing, along with fashion, of course, that are endlessly inventive. On Tuesday night, Browne, who has just taken on the high-profile role of chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, welcomed guests to a scene both fantastical and familiar. A small airplane, stuck in the sand (real sand). Planets and stars, twinkling from above. Browne had brought his New York Fashion Week guests to the Sahara to recreate the plane crash from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved “The Little Prince.”

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Carolina Herrera finds royal drama, opulence at NYFW

Carolina Herrera is a brand synonymous with elegance and class and in this year’s fall/winter debut, the brand pushed the boundaries on high drama, romance and grandeur — while also showing restraint when necessary. On Monday at the Plaza Hotel ballroom, creative director Wes Gordon debuted a collection inspired by themes of elegance and opulence. Some of the most gasp-worthy looks were inspired by former Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Celebrities in attendance at the show were Kelsea Ballerini, Rachel Zoe, Maddie Ziegler and Julianne Hough. Also in attendance at the front row was the creator of the brand, Carolina Herrera herself, and Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour.

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LaQuan Smith brings showstopping Hollywood glamour to NYFW

LaQuan Smith delivered a collection of stunning sophisticated tailored looks at his ready-to-wear New York Fashion Week show. Smith debuted his collection at the Rainbow Room at the Rockefeller Center on Monday night where celebrities sitting front row included Lil Nas X, Julia Fox and Teyana Taylor. Smith told The Associated Press after the show that his collection was inspired by the nostalgic glamorous series “Dynasty.” Smith has recently launched his brand with Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus and plans to debut an accessories line soon. The president’s daughter Ashley Biden was also in attendance Monday.

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Brandon Maxwell goes back to basics on Valentine’s Day

Brandon Maxwell went back to the basics in his fall/winter collection debut. He hit on the vintage revival trends while challenging silhouettes and sticking to neutral colors. The Valentine’s Day show was held in an industrial building during New York Fashion Week. Maxwell said that the color palette may suggest that this is a dark line but he said it was “deeply rooted in joy.” In attendance were Lea Michele, Natalia Bryant, Ashley Biden, Bethann Hardison and Huma Abedin. A handful of Maxwell’s garment sewers also walked out to roaring applause at the show’s close.

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The Blonds close out NYFW in bejeweled, glitzy glamour

The Blonds shined like gaudy, shimmering jewels in the label’s fall/winter debut, which closed out New York Fashion Week. The show was held on Wednesday evening at the Gallery at Spring Studios in New York. Colorful, glistening jewels set the tone for the night. One of the Blonds’ designers, Phillipe Blond opened the show with a dramatic runway walk debuting the first piece of the collection. The night was all about big hair, shoes and jewels and that’s exactly what Blond was wearing. Maye Musk, model and mother of billionaire Elon, was in attendance. Model and actor Dominique Jackson closed the night in a stunning diamond corset and white faux fur coat.

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