“A femme fatale, played by the model and singer Jazzelle, seduces a businessman then suffocates him with a plastic bag in a dingy motel room.”
Murderous Femme Fatales and modern Marie Antoinettes storm New York Fashion Week. AARON ROYCE reports from the front row.
DAY ONE
11:35: Outside the Cooper Hewitt Museum, envious Spence students ogle and wave from classroom windows to the fashion flock on the sidewalk. Inside, LoveShackFancy designer Rebecca Hessel Cohen has created Gilded Age dioramas: boudoir tea parties with Marie Antoinette cakes, an artist’s studio with a wood easel and oil paints. The looks are Bohemia Luxe: delicate florals, sheer ruffled gowns in pink and nude. Models chat and giggle. Rachel Zoe and Delilah Belle Hamlin kiss and hug Cohen to a flurry of flashbulbs.
3:40pm: At the Prince George Ballroom, Cinq á Sept celebrates their 10th anniversary in major grandeur. Founded by Jane Siskin, the name translates to “5 to 7” in French. Style starlets Olivia Palermo, Serena Goh and Tina Leung flank the front row as models in shimmering embellished coats, lace dresses and tailored blazers strut by as The Young People’s Chorus of New York City croon Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and The Mamas & Papas’ “California Dreamin’.”
“Mary J. Blige and Martha Stewart check out their reflections in a slinky mirrored dress.”
4:40pm: Fashion editor Sarah Mayberry and I hustle to Cipriani near Grand Central for L’Agence. Tara Rudes Dann launched L’Agence after working for uncle Jeff Rudes at his denim label J Brand Jeans. Dann stages a manicured garden party with a spouting fountain – a backdrop for equestrian denim, suede jackets, glossy leather coats and lace-up boots. Mary J. Blige and Martha Stewart check out their reflections in a slinky mirrored dress.
6:20: It’s fashion party time. First stop is the launch of Acuarela—a digital shop for Latin American fashion, home and beauty brands – at the Baccarat hotel. I meet my NYFW crew: publicist Matthew Cancel, choreographer Kiel Tutin, writer Spencer Thomas and Awsten Knight, the lead singer for the band Waterparks. Luann de Lesseps tells us about her upcoming “Real Housewives of New York City” reunion as people pile into cars to Bar Bianchi to toast model Ashley Graham’s new wine brand Lucci.
“Julia Hobbs’ tiara was recently sported by Alexander Skarsgård on SNL.”
7:30: I hit Climax Books for Jennifer Behr’s collab with UK it-girl Julia Hobbs (in platforms with a quilted Chanel bag anklet) who dream up three crystal tiaras meant for everyday wear, like a headband. One tiara was recently sported by Alexander Skarsgård on SNL. The socialite Ivy Getty shows up and so does Dylan Mulvaney. Before I depart, Behr suggests wearing a tiara while taking a bath. Done!
8:30: Second-skin bandage dresses from every decade fill the room at Herve Leger 40th anniversary bash at Jean’s. There’s a disco ball and TikTok stars Sophie Cohen and Campbell Puckett. I spot the frosty noughties Leger mini worn by Blake Lively on season 2 of “Gossip Girl” and make a mental note to rewatch the episode when I get home.
9:58pm: Cult magazine PAPER’s Lunar New Year party at the W Hotel in Union Square is, of course, “at capacity.” I spot a rep from Johnnie Walker, who created the cocktail menu, and slip right in. PAPER is very Gen Z. I see actress Avantika, TikTok sensation Harry Hill and beauty influencer Ryan Bailey Potter. Peppery fried chicken and French toast squares are served with cocktails named “Fire Horse” and “Red Prosperity.” When U-KISS’ Kevin Woo hops onto the mic to sing “Soda Pop” from the monster-smash movie K-Pop Demon Hunters, the crowd goes berserk.
“Actor Brandon Flynn and celebutante Dianne Brill hunt for clues like discarded wigs and soda cans.”
10:15pm: Last stop is Silver Lining Lounge. Waterparks are on the cover of the music mag Marvin that has the tagline “Messianic Vision for the Future” and was cofounded by Marvin Scott Jarret who started NYLON. The band was started in Houston, Texas by Awsten Knight, Otto Wood and Geoff Wigington. In front of star-patterned walls, the boys perform their hits “Peach,” “Funeral Grey” and “Dream Boy.”
DAY TWO
2:00pm: Fashion bloodbath! Jewelry designer Alexis Bittar hosts a murder mystery at Performance Space NY. Actor Brandon Flynn and celebutante Dianne Brill hunt for clues like discarded wigs and soda cans which lie next to Bittar’s sculptural bangles and serious statement necklaces of pavé crystals and glossy Lucite. Then the sleuths gather for a dramatic reenactment of the “murder.’ A femme fatale, played by the model and singer Jazzelle, seduces a businessman then suffocates him with a plastic bag in a dingy motel room. After Jazzelle stretches and dances to ’90s exercise videos on a vintage television—all while outfitted in a cinched corset, stiletto pumps and Bittar jewels. And scene.
“Maude Apatow and Benito Skinner pose for a phalanx of party photographers. Cheeseburgers, fries and ice cream sandwiches by Jean-Georges are passed on silver trays.”
6:15pm: I’m an hour early for jewelry brand Tacori’s dinner at Crane Club. I chat with designer Nadine Tacorian about the difference between West and East Coast dressing. Then I take in Tacori’s diamond drop earrings, lusty engagement rings and collar statement necklaces. Designer Rebecca Minkoff and stylist Emily Men lunge for Crane Club’s now-viral edible bread trays – a thin baked sheet of Parmigiano-Reggiano that holds soft focaccia and slices covered in sesame seeds.
9:48pm: Miu Miu takes over Chez Margaux to toast their “Women’s Tales” short film series championing female directors. This year, “Discipline” by Mona Fastvold, features life-sized dolls and masked puppeteers throughout a day getting dressed, eating lunch and dancing— meant to convey a girlhood relationship to clothing. Under the lacquered red vaulted ceiling, Maude Apatow and Benito Skinner pose for a phalanx of party photographers. Cheeseburgers, fries and ice cream sandwiches by Jean-Georges are passed on silver trays.
DAY THREE
1:00pm: Tanner Fletcher’s design studio in the West Village is like a romantic sitting room with candelabras, lace doilies and wood-framed oil paintings. Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell, who both hail from the Midwest, explore the great American outdoors – quilted barn jackets, whimsical dresses with trimmed lace and romantic prints of green mallard ducks, swans and football players. The vibe is cabin-chic with s’mores and IPA beers.
5:30: Outside the Area show at Mediapro Manhattan Studio, Isan Elba—the DJ (and daughter of actor Idris Elba) is hounded by paparazzi. Isan wears a white tweed Area minidress and blazer laced with crystal knots and sheer high heels. She tells me about her nonprofit Beauty Access, which provides excess cosmetics and skincare to communities in need. Time for a disco nap: Nicholas Aburn’s collection is about the transformative feeling of going out at night.
“The mash of bodies outside Christian Cowan’s show at Daylight Studios is like the door to the hottest club.”
7:15pm: The mash of bodies outside Christian Cowan’s show at Daylight Studios is like the door to the hottest club. PR girls with iPads man the gates as photographers snap Julia Fox as she struts inside. Cowan’s “Before the Door Opens” explores the private moments of getting all dolled up for a hot date: lingerie style dresses and low-cut, backless 1920s silhouettes that draw gasps from the crowd.
DAY FOUR
4:05: Naomi Watts, Julianne Hough and Nicole Scherzinger are at the Surrogate’s Court in the Financial District for Alice + Olivia’s opulent Gilded Age glamour. Cartoon-like pearl necklaces drape down a grand staircase. Stacey Bendet’s models lounge in embroidered Victorian suits, crystal-embellished, corseted ballgowns and romantic slip dresses.
“A red mini dress with tattered edges evokes the villainous Tonya Harding, replete with white tights and ice skates.”
7:50pm: I Love LA actor Jordan Firstman and Vanity Fair’s José Criales-Unzueta sit front row at Gabe Gordon’s show at the Arlo Hotel’s ballroom in Williamsburg. Gordon riffs on competitive figure skating. For the finale, a red mini dress with tattered edges evokes the villainous Tonya Harding, replete with white tights and ice skates.
DAY FIVE
10:50am: Blankets, earmuffs and hand warmers keep Bronx and Banco‘s front row warm on a cobblestone street in the Meatpacking District. Launched in Bondi Beach by Australian Natalie De’Banco, the looks are pure NYC. A yellow taxi pulls up, and a model hops out in brown croc-embossed leather. Sheer maxi skirts, waist-tied jackets and cut-out dresses are detailed with plaid, tiger stripes and punky glistening chains.
“At Zaldy, there are dangerously low-rise leather pants and sleeveless dress shirts – perfect for the office, if you work at Grindr.”
8:08pm: Zaldy, the daredevil designer behind over-the-top stage looks for Lady Gaga and Beyoncé and winner of two Emmys for RuPaul’s Drag Race, lived for years at the Hotel Chelsea. It makes sense that his runway return – after nearly 20 years – takes place in the hotel’s ballroom. Titled “Boys Like Me,” Zaldy says he designed the menswear for himself and his friends. There are dangerously low-rise leather pants (attention: Alexander Skarsgård!), a suede orange bomber jacket and sleeveless dress shirts – perfect for the office, if you work at Grindr.
