Fashion Week gave us several reasons to smile this season.
For
the last seven days, acclaimed designers did what they do best, sending
creative, dynamic and, at times, eccentric new styles out on the
catwalks.
We got to see top supermodels back at work in the Big Apple,
like pro
Gigi Hadid strutting at Anna Sui despite a missing shoe. There was also no shortage of stars, as the likes of
Nicole Kidman,
Jamie Foxx and
Paris and
Nicky Hilton Rothschild took their seats along the highly coveted front rows. Of course, there's no forgetting
Leslie Jones assuming the role of model hype woman on the sidelines of Christian Siriano.
In
the midst of all of the typical fashion week pomp and circumstance, the
industry also took a few steps in the right direction as far as
inclusiveness, diversity and general badassery are concerned. Some
runways opened their arms to plus-size models old and new, highlighted
women's natural hair textures, chipped away at clothing's ties to gender
and gave transgender models spots on some of the most publicized stages
in the world.
While there's certainly more progress to be made
in the seasons to come, we must tip our hats to the efforts of some
designers to uplift and embolden everyone on their runway—and those also
watching it. As designer Christian Siriano told E! News backstage before his show, "It's not that we're just making clothes...We get to hopefully change a little bit of the world."
Here were some of the most empowering moments to take place this season at New York Fashion Week.
Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Teyana Taylor Works It Out
The bold singer, dancer and actress turned fashion week
on its head when she hit the runway and simultaneously brought the shows
down at GCDS, Philipp Plein and The Blonds. While sticking to her
signature feline fierceness, the "Fade" dancer didn't sacrifice an ounce
of her personality on the catwalk despite criticism from some
naysayers. "When the haters tried to say I was too extra yesterday.....I
turned around and CLOSED ANOTHER RUNWAY SHOW even more EXTRA!! &
ima do it AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN cause these b--ches can't take!!!"
she wrote on Instagram along with a video of herself crawling and
dancing along the runway—in stiletto heels, no less. Guess a traditional
strut wasn't Taylor's style. Moral of the story: Don't let anyone hold
back your swagger.
Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
A Place for All Genders
This season, models of all genders found a place on the catwalk, including transgender models
Carmen Carrera,
Leyna Bloom and
Maya Monès for Chromat and
Avie Acosta,
a gender non-conforming model who donned a sheer gown for
Christian Siriano's collection. "It's a very diverse runway today," Siriano
told E! News
backstage at his show. "We have boys. We have trans. We have curvy. We
have everything. As my T-shirt says, we all grow in the same garden, and
I really wanted to bring that today."
Peter White/Getty Images
Newcomers With New Shapes
The runways opened their doors to new faces
and labels this season, particularly in the realm of curves. While
Natalie Nootenboom
became the first plus-size model to walk for Anna Sui, plus-size brand
Torrid celebrated its first showing at New York Fashion Week. As the
16-year-old model wrote on Instagram, "Let's go break some stereotypes."
Peter White/Getty Images
Plus Size Power
While Anna Sui embraced a plus-size model for the first
time, curves were plentiful on the catwalks this year at shows like
Christian Siriano, Chromat, Michael Costello and Prabal Gurung.
Meanwhile,
Ashley Graham kicked off her third
consecutive year showing her Addition Elle lingerie line with a bevy of
curvy stunners proudly sporting her bras and panties. As Gurung told
E!'s
Zanna Roberts Rassi, "The essence of the woman and the girl is far more important than the size of her."
Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Milly's Message
Sometimes empowerment inspires the designs. Such was the case for Milly designer
Michelle Smith,
who focused on the notion of loving herself as a woman in the process
of developing her Wild Flower spring collection. "[It's about]
expressing myself, loving myself as a woman—all of us loving ourselves
as women," she told E! News of her new line, which featured sensual
draping and pleating. "It's about inner beauty and using the flower as a
metaphor for how strong a flower is and how beautiful and soft and
delicate, but how honestly very strong."
Peter White/Getty Images
Bad Gals Wanted
Leave it to Hollywood's bonafide bad gal
Rihanna
to close out her Fenty x Puma show not on her feet, but on two wheels.
The star left fashion week in her dust as she rode out onto the runway
on the
back of a dirt bike in true kick-ass finale style.
Robin Marchant/Getty Images
Au Natural
While models are typically molded into the vision the
designer has for his or her collection, more and more, we're seeing
shows like Kate Spade highlighting the hair textures women are already
rocking on their heads. As lead hairstylist
Bob Recine
explained to E! News backstage, "We were going for individuality. We're
not going for transformation. We're respecting who the person is—hair
texture and everything." "There's nothing perfect about beauty," he
continued, while adding the finishing touches on the show's relaxed
ponies. "When you perfect beauty, you sacrifice its power, charm. We
like the charm."
Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/FilmMagic
Dresses for Everyone
Genderless clothing was in the spotlight this season as
Christian Siriano sent his male models out on the catwalk in vibrant,
floral suits and spaghetti-strapped cocktail dresses; while, Snow Xue
Gao presented her male models in jackets layered over dresses layered
over pants. The message: Whoever you are, wear whatever you want.
Zanni/Patrick McMullan
Thighs That Touched
After the "thigh gap" craze took over the fashion
industry, it was entirely refreshing to see models whose thighs not only
touched, but were also taken one step further. As
Hunter McGrady walked Chromat's runway, she sported anti-chafing bands around her thighs, a symbol that they should be embraced, not shamed.
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