The Métiers d’Art event felt like a well-considered exploration of cultural affinities—an interweaving of the pre-existing to create something entirely new. The lion motif that reappeared on jewelry and bags was a dual reference to the emblem of Senegal and the sign of Coco Chanel. The tailoring and menswear shapes were informed by Congo’s sartorialist Sapeur subculture, as were the heftily commando-soled shoes. Almost invisible after long and complex processes of fabric development, some of the beading materials and patterns were rooted in source material from Africa. The broader context was 1970s-inflected: casual, unpretentious, and free. Michel Gaubert’s soundtrack of freshly-released Sault tracks provided a dreamy dimension.
It’s not a real New York Fashion Week until Tom Ford has presented his collection. The designer, who has stepped down as the chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, after three years, always manages to bring his cosmopolitan spirit into his collections, but, this year, there was also something comforting and at the same time somewhat melancholic in his designs. Before the eyes of celebs such as Madonna and Chris Rock, Tom Ford presented a collection full of his favorites: plenty of cool lamés, black lingerie lace, sheer tops, sequins for extra metallic shine, embroideries for a romantic twist.
Even Ermanno Scervino, a brand that has always celebrated Italian style in its most classic form, is today focused on the young. For spring, designer Ermanno Daelli said he wanted to think of the younger generation by applying his mastery to a more playful approach to dressing. The collection was full of workmanship that required new studies and several trials. Knitwear became almost grunge thanks to encrustations of sequins. The print of the season was camouflage in cream and beige, the jacket a kind of utility-wear version in waterproof fabric with patch pockets. Finally, macramé lace, a hallmark of Scervino, was superimposed on chiffon with heat-sealed micro-crystals and worked in patchwork, yellow, pink, and beige.