YSTYLE Trend Report: NYFW F/W 2016

YStyle checks in on the New York Fashion Week collections for the 10 most notable shows for our #NYFW round up.

1. Distressed to Impress

MANILA, Philippines - Rodarte sister-act Kate and Laura Mulleavy always manage to weave their own brand of mythic beauty. Always folkloric in their approach, their collections always toe the line between a hit and miss, either you loved it or you hated it — clothes worthy of a fairytale ending is never a guarantee. But adhering to their warmly received spring/summer collection, Rodarte continues to finesse their skein of a magpie aesthetic to exacting results; leather ruffles pipe fitted sleeves, guipure laces mix easily with furs. The look is Miss Havisham goes to an autumn Art Nouveau garden party — topped off with Odile Gilbert tresses, hair whispers adorned with jewelry and live orchids.

2. Power Punk Girls

Alexander Wang brushes off mainstream notions of style with bad girl, punk-inspired street wear. On one hand, corduroy trousers and tweed skirt suits cross over from preppy to vulgar with pole dancer embroidery, metal hardware, and super slick leather. On the other, marijuana leaf prints on mohair mini skirts and skimpy lace dresses give us a fashion high. Wang also put a spin on logomania via censor bars with words like “strict,” “tender” and “faded” branded across see-through tulle tops and noir tights. A little bit brash, a little bit unorthodox, and a whole lot of fun.

3. Fury Road

The most minimal of minimalists Francisco Costa at Calvin Klein Collection continues to explore the same woman’s wardrobe he introduced in spring/summer 2016. A marked shift from staid slip dresses and the label’s “sex sells” point of view — the woman of 2016 is urban in androgynously cut suits and leather paneled coats, eclectic in fur trims and dresses (both faux, the former a knit made to look like fur and the latter a photo-realistic print). But most notably? The usually unadorned Calvin Klein offered slick dresses with insets of Brazilian agate geode embellishment.

4. Great Expectations

A Thom Browne runway presentation is never just about the clothes — it’s about storytelling, a narrative, an emotion — that fashion, although precisely tailored in Thom Browne’s, can be stranger than fiction. At his fall/winter 2016 outing, Thom Browne reimagines New York during the Great Depression of the 1920s — the haves having to make do without. Re-engineered jackets, spliced outerwear, deconstructed plaids and bouclé create for a fashionable spectacle.

5. The Dark Ages

With references that include Beetlejuice and Christina Ricci, Marc Jacobs closes NYFW this season with a fantastical fashion extravaganza. This time, MJ’s muses (Lady Gaga included in the roster) are swathed in embellished layers of fur, feather, tweed, silk and knit to ultra-stunning effect. Sky-high platforms elevate the look, literally. Our favorites? The shrunken sweatshirt and oversized crochet collar combo, and the exaggerated pussybow blouse and floor-grazing metallic ball skirt pairing. It’s a fashion moment fit for a finale, one that demonstrates the designer’s flair for the dramatic.

6. Gym Class Heroes

Varsity looks get a whiff of nostalgia at Coach 1941 as creative director Stuart Vevers presents his vintage take on Americana for fall. Staged at a reimagined gymnasium space, old school stapes are given a modern makeover — shearling vests are trimmed with metallic studs, varsity jackets are decorated with outsized logos, salmon-hued leather bikers are embroidered with pretty florals, and butterfly-collar dresses are rehashed with lively tapestry prints. High school meets high fashion? Sign us up.

7. Twists and Turns

Working around the theme of control and release, Proenza Schouler’s art-inspired collection establishes the design duo’s technical precision and distinct contemporary aesthetic. This season, their fresh new silhouettes are achieved via lacing: tailored long coats or patchwork fur coats are fastened into snug triangular shapes, twill jean jackets are clasped at the sides, and form fitting ribbed knit dresses are cinched with crisscrossing straps. Sensual without being crude and ladylike with an edge, Proenza Schouler’s fall show has us all tied up.

8. Future Perfect

Creative director Josep Font of the Spanish label Delpozo continues to dream. For fall/winter 2016, a mechanized vision from the future melds with Delpozo’s signature artful romance. Noting the film “Metropolis” in his show notes, Font re-imagined the house mien of exaggerated volumes and geometric shapes. Sleek and otherworldly, a personal favorite? The hautely embellished opera gloves is giving me a serious case of “I’d like to DIY”.

9. Revolutionary Road

Dubbed “Pilgrimage,” Hood by Air explores ideas of transport and transience with a heady mix of reconstructed and deconstructed silhouettes. True to rebel form, Shane Oliver breaks down gender-based ideas of dressing with brooding, underground looks — black plastic bustiers crafted from airport baggage wrap, red patent leather jumpsuits with extra long sleeves, zip jackets with duffel bags for sleeves, and double-hooded sweatshirts with PVC capes. Slick rubber boots, barcoded luggage tags, and utilitarian straps completed the ferocious collection.

10. Girl Boss

Phillip Lim offers a vision for the modern working woman for fall/winter 2016. A zen-infused collection of plaids and checks, quilted knits and a kimono sensibility. The colors made up for a muted palette of army greens and muted olives, burnt orange, navies and khakis. Hints of practical athleisure and a masculine approach to tailoring, 3.1 Phillip Lim has the contemporary needs of women first and foremost in mind.