Vogue.com Editors and Contributors on Their Favorite Spring 2016 Moments Inline
1/28Sally Singer, Vogue Creative Digital Director
My favorite moment from the past month was Alexander Wang’s bow at Balenciaga. He had made the most beautiful, cool, pretty, on-trend collectsion and shown it on his friends, and the whole production was thoroughly, authentically Alex. For me he seemed free, and I was so happy for him.
Photo: Courtesy of Ed Marler2/28Sarah Mower, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Chief Critic
It was great to see so many super-organized “big” shows in London—Erdem, J.W.Anderson, Christopher Kane, Simone Rocha, and Mary Katrantzou—but rounding a corner in grungy Soho and walking into this “postapocalyptic” backstreet scene by Ed Marler was my best surprise of the week. Less a show or a presentation than a half-theatrical happening, these girls, dressed in their defiantly decaying finery, were pacing a cul-de-sac, lost in their own demented world—with some pretty fabulous bags and crowns in the bargain. “The collectsion’s called S.O.S.,” said Marler. “I imagined they were the last people left, and had scrabbled their clothes together from works of art.” I loved it that spontaneous, on-a-shoestring fashion can literally spring up on the street in London, in the time-honored Central Saint Martins style (Marler graduated two years ago), but it’s also cheering to see such small-fry designers swimming right ahead into creating emotional experiences. Marler worked with Theo Adams Company, a young theater direction company, to make this moment!
Photo: Gianni Pucci / Indigitalimages.com3/28Chioma Nnadi, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Fashion News Director
Karly Loyce was my model crush of the season. I remember having a who’s-that-girl moment last season when Karly first walked by me at Céline. She looked like she was just too cool to be a model—surely she was an art curator, a graphic designer, or some stylish girl that Phoebe Philo had spotted on the street? Her cameo appearance left an impression on me; seeing her perfectly formed Afro float down the runway at pretty much every major show this time around was a joy. At Marc Jacobs (shown above), her hair was brushed up on the side, ’40s style, and studded with a glittering hairpin; at Céline it was braided into cornrows, away from her face (all the better to highlight those gorgeous cheekbones!). It was enough to make this curly-haired girl want to throw out her straightening irons, once and for all.
Photo: Alessandro Garofalo / Indigitalimages.com4/28Nicole Phelps, Director, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews Runway
The Spring shows delivered more genuinely stirring moments than some seasons do. Marc Jacobs’s Ziegfeld extravaganza, aided by the big-band sounds of Brian Newman, and Rick Owens’s ode to feminine strength, body harnesses included, both moved me. But nothing feels as good as when a designer completely and utterly nails it, and that’s what happened at Peter Copping’s Oscar de la Renta show (shown above), which was unfailingly lovely, and as respectful of Copping’s own codes as it was of De la Renta’s legacy.
Photo: Gianni Pucci / Indigitalimages.com5/28Jorden Bickham, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Executive Fashion Editor
Every once in a while there is an experience that reminds you of your emotional love affair with fashion. This season it was the Hood By Air show. Not a bad seat in the house, bass pumping, undeniable, people from all different walks of life. The point wasn’t if you were the “Hood By Air woman or man”—the point was that you felt so drawn in for those 10 minutes that your love for what you do and why you do it was re-energized for the entire season.
Photographed by Kevin Tachman6/28Catherine Piercy, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Beauty Director
This Kevin Tachman image, taken at Proenza Schouler, solidified my obsession with the shoulder as the prettiest, most surprisingly sensual way to show skin for Spring 2016. Feminine in the most womanly of ways.
Photo: Monica Feudi / Indigitalimages.com7/28Alessandra Codinha, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Fashion News Editor
I found something really deeply charming about the lace shopping bags and Chinatown-style mesh slippers that Alexander Wang showed alongside his tour de force Balenciaga collectsion: It was his last for the house and the first that, to me, really felt like him. It was the little touches like those cheaply minded, beautifully rendered accessories and the fabulous casting (real[-er] girls like Julia Garner and Zoë Kravitz among the models) that nailed the point home. It felt young, it felt real, and I wanted everything, pretty much, which in my books marks a real success.
Photo: Alessandro Garofalo / Indigitalimages.com8/28Laird Borrelli-Persson, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Archive Editor
“We’re all just little sparkles, jumbled together,” contributor Luke Leitch reminded us after Ashish’s London show, and this Dries Van Noten ensemble—one part ’40s glamour via Schiaparelli and another part Cinecittà cool, with a dollop of romance—is a shining example of the season’s eclectic, feminine mix.
Photo: Courtesy of @edwardbarsamian9/28Edward Barsamian, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Style Editor
I will always remember the Spring 2016 shows fondly, as it was full of highs ranging from interviewing Kim Kardashian West on her app launch—and learning how to take a selfie—to chatting with Victoria Beckham about her latest collectsion and my newest love, the Half Moon bag.
Photo: Kim Westonarnold / Indigitalimages.com10/28Marjon Carlos, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Senior Fashion News Writer
Admittedly, I’ve never met a rib knit that I didn’t like, and luckily Stella McCartney’s Spring collectsion blessed me with a myriad of options to choose from. But it was the vibrant combination of yellow tank and red skirt in oversize check with the “elevated bodega bag” that immediately raised the question: “Why don’t I own you?”
Photo: Courtesy of Hanne Gaby Odiele / @hannegabysees11/28Kelly Connor, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Market Editor
I absolutely loved that my favorite model, Hanne Gaby Odiele, and her DJ fiancé, John Swiatek, both walked in Alexander Wang’s 10th anniversary show! I wonder if they will have that same insouciant swagger walking down the aisle . . .
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images12/28Chelsea Zalopany, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Market Editor
Taylor Hill! She’s the kind of girl that men and women both get the appeal. She’s hot. Maybe it’s the EmRata effect—i.e., being enamored with Emily Ratajkowski’s sort of unabashed flaunt-it-if-you-got-it sex appeal. More timely than ever is the season’s trend of bedroom dressing—slip dresses, slouchy camisoles, and underpinnings as outerpinnings—which couldn’t pair more perfectly than with a super-sexy model.
Photo: Gianni Pucci / Indigitalimages.com13/28Brooke Danielson, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Accessories Editor
The Chanel jet-setter makes me want to travel in style no matter how small or casual the trip.
Photo: Michele Morosi / Indigitalimages.com14/28Mackenzie Wagoner, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Beauty Editor
Of all of the bold and brave beauty walking the runway this season, nothing got my heart pumping like the glints of glitter pressed onto the eyes, cheeks, and foreheads of models at Creatures of the Wind, Marc Jacobs, and more. I’ve already traded in my liquid cat-eye for the thin strokes of sparkle that were dreamed up for Dries Van Noten. But I think the upcoming holiday party circuit will be best served by the lambent swaths of green, orange, and blue that showed up at Giambattista Valli (shown above).
Photo: Marcus Tondo / Indigitalimages.com15/28Liana Satenstein, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Fashion News Writer
What do oligarchs and J.Lo have in common? Loewe’s fantastic take on the tracksuit! It was all “Jenny from the Bloc.” That plush suede tracksuit that Binx Walton had the honor of wearing is heavenly—a mash-up of some post-Soviet swank and the flashy luxe of Jennifer Lopez circa 2002. To hell with loungewear, I’m wearing this bad boy to my wedding!
Photo: Alessandro Garofalo / Indigitalimages.com16/28Steff Yotka, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Fashion News Writer
There was something synesthetic about Haider Ackermann’s collectsion of acid colors, languid slips, and cloudy velvet blazers—it was as if Nabokov’s description of his “quartz pink” and “greyish-yellowish” initials had come to life.
Photo: Gianni Pucci / Indigitalimages.com17/28Kristin Anderson, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Fashion News Writer
Perhaps my favorite casting of Spring ’16 was the coed crew at John Galliano’s latest showing for Maison Margiela. Every beehive-laden catwalker looked better than the next—though if I have to play favorites, my pick goes to Vincent Beier, he of those bee-stung lips and awe-inspiring bone structure.
Photographed by Kevin Tachman18/28Janelle Okwodu, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Contributing Fashion News Writer
For anyone with a soft spot for Broadway and Old Hollywood, the Ziegfeld holds a special significance, so when Marc Jacobs announced he’d be showing there, my expectations were high. Naturally, Jacobs knocked the ball out of the park down to the smallest detail: the step and repeat, the faux Playbills, the live band—it all worked perfectly. Then, of course, there was the embellished-to-the-nines collectsion, filled with glitz, glamour, and thoughtful nods to fashion history. Altogether the show provided all the excitement and grandeur fashion can offer in a refreshingly optimistic and upbeat manner.
Photo: Sonny Vandevelde / Indigitalimages.com; Gianni Pucci / Indigitalimages.com19/28Emily Farra, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Fashion News Associate
I’ve always loved hair accessories, and this season found me zooming in on some of the sweetest add-ons yet: Lanvin’s silk bows; Gucci’s soft blooms; Dior’s, Oscar de la Renta’s, and Mary Katrantzou’s grosgrain ribbons; Dolce & Gabbana’s lemon crowns . . . the list goes on! I’m not waiting until spring to try them out, either—what better way to upgrade winter’s cozy knits than with a crystal clip or sprig of petals?
Photo: Alessandro Garofalo / Indigitalimages.com20/28Anny Choi, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Assistant Market Editor
One of my favorite moments from the Spring 2016 collectsions were the simple black slip dresses shown back-to-back at Saint Laurent. The whole collectsion was very Kate Moss and also very different from the rocker prom dresses from last season. The last couple of dresses especially were so simple, so wearable, and, honestly, very me. I am a huge fan of slips, and to see these barely there pieces, all the same but different, was very refreshing. The tiaras were, of course, a huge plus! Princess style is really trending!
Photo: Kim Weston Arnold / Indigitalimages.com21/28Olivia Goodman, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Market Assistant
Etro’s Spring show was chock-full of the breezy, diaphanous dresses of my dreams. The Pre-Raphaelite influence is clear—much like the art of that period, the collectsion was beautiful and bohemian, yet with an underlying moodiness that kept the whimsy in check. This dress’s matching fabric choker and the intricate sheer lace paneling, ribbon work, and delicate floral embroidery set my heart aflutter. The ultrafeminine cool-girl look—romantic but not sweet—and coquettish sensibility are what I am dreaming of for spring.
Photo: Courtesy of The Row22/28Elizabeth Taufield, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Market Assistant
In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, two young women, Gwendolen and Cecily, exemplify the mockery of Victorian norms and traditions while the scene is set in maybe the most stunning English country garden. Modern attitudes are nicely juxtaposed against the beautiful framework of green ivy, baby pink English roses, and crisp white iron chairs. The Row’s Spring ’16 collectsion did just that, showcasing a slight departure from the brand’s typical ease in modest dressing with bedroom attire for day and subtle, sensual undertones. But it was the château backdrop that got my heart racing just the way it did when I discovered the very importance of being earnest.
Photo: Indigitalimages.com23/28Lynn Yaeger, Vogue Contributing Editor
I love how Simone Rocha manages to exalt the frankly frilly without condescension or an assumption that the wearer is weak! These clothes are, for me, the essence of tender but tough.
Photo: Courtesy of Models.com24/28Maya Singer, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Contributor
It’s unusual—to say the least—for me to walk into a fashion show tired, hungry, and cranky about blisters and traffic jams and walk out 20 minutes later beaming. But the closing minutes of Sophie Theallet’s show put my mood in turnaround: The défilé was soundtracked by a troupe of Senegalese drummers, and when Theallet came out to take her bow, she, the audience, and all the models gathered around the drum circle danced. It was, perhaps, the most authentically joyful scene I’ve ever experienced at a fashion show.
Photo: Kristy Sparow / Getty Images25/28Luke Leitch, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Contributor
This season featured some fine shows, some knockout stagings, and some spectacular individual looks. There were also some surprising disappointments—and one great ripsnorter of a party (thanks, French Vogue). For me, though, two candidates made the final cut in my jaw-dropper awards: Rick Owens’s Women Carrying Women and Hussein Chalayan’s Wash-Away Dresses (shown above). Both were impressive technical achievements that demanded great discipline from the models, but Chalayan’s just about shaded it thanks to the directorial way in which the audience’s attention was manipulated. At the beginning of the show we all looked at the two models in paper shirtdresses with military styling, who stood in some sort of box. As the collectsion presented itself, and became more immersive to follow, we sort of forgot about them. Then, suddenly, two hidden showerheads spouted water that washed away the dresses only to reveal two more—studded with Swarovski crystals—beneath. Impressively, one of them had a hem details longer than the dress originally worn above it. One of the models was shivering as she gamely circuited the floor and disappeared backstage, leaving only a trail of puddles and the odd clump of saturated paper to mark her passing. It was an ingenious Chalayan moment—a little bit of magic.
Photo: Monica Feudi / Indigitalimages.com26/28Amy Verner, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Contributor
Yohji Yamamoto is at his best—as he has been recently—when he offers up an enigma wrapped in a riddle. You’re not really meant to decrypt the clothes—just, perhaps, catch his vibe. So when he revealed backstage that the tattered hoop skirts and spontaneously draped looks were a statement on climate change—“Earth is angry, the summer is too hot, and the rain becomes a storm. And in hot times, we need underwear in the streets”—the abstractness came into poignant, relevant focus. That, and he seemingly composed a haiku on the spot.
Photo: Monica Feudi / Indigitalimages.com27/28Tiziana Cardini, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Contributor
It was a magnificent event: Everything was perfect for Riccardo Tisci and Givenchy, from the location on the Hudson River to the blissfully balmy weather to the ritualistic music played live. It all seemed blessed by the gods! The performance had a meditative, shamanistic, Zen-like quality—almost hypnotic—that induced an atmosphere of calmness instead of the usual mayhem that we experience at fashion shows. Even the throngs of celebrities sitting front row seemed stunned and in awe. And to top it all, the collectsion was beautiful: It was the most elegant, tasteful take on the otherwise quite tricky lingerie look. Not a small accomplishment, Riccardo!
Photo: Courtesy of Hayley Phelan28/28Hayley Phelan, Replica Hermes Bag Reviews.com Contributor
Opening Ceremony’s fake out—in which dancer-models turned convincingly feigned falls into graceful arabesques—was the perfect antidote to New York Fashion Week’s glazed eyes, a simple but effective way to make weary showgoers snap to.
