The Set Design at Dior

The larger than life fabric installation by the Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos at Dior served as a contrasting backdrop to Maria Grazia Chiuri’s sober collection. Everywhere, there were reflections of real life, both of the world at large and designers’ own worlds, which resulted in earnest—though not necessarily humorless—collections that carefully consider the role of getting dressed, the art of craft, and the discipline it takes to wake up and head out into the world every day. 

Visit Dior's Promenaden Fashion District store here. 

Saint Laurent's Working Girl

A Head for Business and a Bod for Sin Already shaping up to be one of the best—and likely most influential—collections this season is Anthony Vaccarello’s decadent fall collection for Saint Laurent. The designer told Mark Holgate he was thinking about “elegance,” but also Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl, which resulted in a new power suit of sorts. A jacket with a seriously exaggerated shoulder—sometimes in leather, sometimes in wool—paired with a pencil skirt, and often topped off with an oversized scarf flung over the shoulder just-so, and secured with a golden brooch.

Visit Saint Laurent's Promenaden Fashion District store here. 

Coperni creates yet another viral moment

How do you follow the spray-on dress? With robot dogs, a bag made from a meteorite and emojis turned into clothes. For Coperni, these show concepts aren’t about tricking the internet into breaking. “It was organic. It wasn’t manufactured by men in suits in a boardroom,” says Martinetto. That said, planning another “wow” moment is difficult. “This will be an important show [for Coperni] because it's a manifestation of the quality of the product and the solid direction of the brand, above and beyond an opportunity of viral marketing,” he says. “Effectively, they haven't modified the strategy after that [SS23] moment.”

Holzweiler showing in Copenhagen

Last year Holzweiler received major funding from Sequoia Capital China, and some wondered if the investment would lead to aesthetic changes at the Norwegian label. The answer, it turns out, is no. Rather, the fall collection represented a return to roots. “We have really been diving deep within ourselves,” noted Maria Skappel Holzweiler. or fall, the focus reverted back to the pillars on which the brand is based. The famous Holzweiler scarves were back, as was a focus on outerwear along with knits, denim, and tailoring. 

Visit Holzweiler's Promenaden Fashion District store here. 

Prada shows one of the most coveted collections of the season

When Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons teamed up whispers could be heard all over the fashion world. A stronger duo is difficult to find. Prada has always rejected the obvious, of course; by embracing the “ugly” she has redefined what we think of as beautiful time and time again. With Simons, her instinct this season was to examine uniforms, and by extension to honor the humble, caring acts of the people who wear them. We are certain these numerous of these items will sell out comes fall. 

Daniel Lee makes his Burberry debut

Daniel Lee's debut was a celebration of Burberry’s foundational outdoors-iness in a decoy duck print, in the substantial wellies, in the dangling (faux) fox tails, in the fishing lures (they were actually fake feathers, i.e. fishing lures) that adorned a lustrous blue caftan. And hardy plaids and trench coats, of course. All of that “very British”. 

Visit Burberry's Promenaden Fashion District store here. 

Khaite shines in new Mercer street store

Catherine Holstein’s first Khaite store opened at 165 Mercer Street during New York Fashion Week after a year in the making. It’s a time of beginnings for the Khaite designer, something that became evident during her Fall 2023 show. Stripped-down tailoring is one of New York’s emerging themes—serious, even austere clothes for cautionary times. The frills and embellishments of last season’s Khaite show were missing here. There was no silk fringe or diamanté trim, no snakeskin prints and definitely no polka dots. 

Shop Khaite at Vincci in Promenaden Fashion District.