Highlights of the S/S 2023 Fashion Weeks
As we find ourselves in October and the “core four” fashion weeks behind us, it’s time to recap on the most notable moments from the past month. In the order of their respective dates, we’re going through the highlights that made headlines, heads turn, and–probably most importantly for luxury brands–wallets to come out. All press is good press and good press drives business, which is why these showstopping moments mean so much for luxury brands competing for the fleeting attention of the media and consumers.
New York S/S 2023 Fashion Week (September 9-14)
Fendi celebrates the 25th anniversary of the iconic Baguette
Opening up New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2023, Silvia Venturini Fendi threw a birthday party for the now-eternal It-bag she first originally designed in 1997. The collection included an impressive lineup of collaborators including Marc Jacobs, Tiffany & Co., and, of course, Sarah Jessica Parker–who’s iconic portrayal of Carrie Bradshaw helped cement the Baguette bag into fashion notoriety. The result of these powerhouse collaborations was a joyful tribute to the iconic piece as interpreted by each of the creative contributors, spanning both clothing and accessories. [7]
Lil Nas X Makes Runway Debut at Coach
The singer strutted down the Coach runway at New York Fashion Week wearing a full leather look, complete with jelly sandals. Yes, the ones that you remember if you were a child in the 90s.
Lil Nas X and Coach have been closely affiliated since his hit single, with Billy Ray Cyrus, dominated the charts in 2019. In an Instagram post following the show, Coach announced Lil Nas X was the new global ambassador for the brand. [6]
Anne Hathaway Brings Back Her Devil Wears Prada Character
Andy Sachs (played by Anne Hathaway in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada), sat front row at the Michael Kors show, and honestly, Miranda Priestly would have been proud. What topped off this ultimate fashion cosplay was the fact that Hathaway was sat right next to Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, the alleged real-life inspiration for top boss and our favorite villain, Miranda Priestly.
Supposedly, the character crossover was not at all intentional, according to Hathaway who shared the story with Savannah Guthrie on Today. For the Michael Kors show, Hathaway donned a brown crocodile coat, turtleneck top, and skirt paired with thick bangs, and a high ponytail, reminiscent of Andy’s look in the final scene of the film. [5]
London S/S 2023 Fashion Week (September 16-20)
The Queens Death Rocks London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week saw itself in a unique circumstance this year following the death of their longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th. Much of the fashion week was thrown in disarray, especially with rescheduling around Her Majesty’s state funeral taking place on September 19th. Both Burberry and Raf Simons canceled or postponed their shows during the week [1].
Other designers followed suit and respectfully held off on their runway presentation until later dates or not at all.The British Fashion Council released a statement calling for fashion press and buyers to continue to support the London Fashion Week designers, many of whom had invested huge amounts of time and money into their shows, and those who did go ahead found unique ways to pay tribute to Britain's longest-serving monarch.
Milan S/S 2023 Fashion Week (September 20-26)
Paris Brings Back the Glitter Slit Dress at Versace
If you need a sure sign that we are officially in a 1990s and 2000s renaissance, look no further than the Barbiecore trend and Paris Hilton closing Versace’s Milan Fashion Week show. Hilton donned a sparkling pink chainmail mini dress and fingerless gloves–a nod to one of her many iconic looks from the early 2000s. [2]
The hotel heiress was the grand finale in a starry catwalk line-up, featuring everyone from Bella and Gigi Hadid to Irina Shayk and Emily Ratajkowski. The show saw a more gothic turn from Donatella Versace, who this season was inspired by rebellious women, blending darkly romantic bridal looks with slashed dresses and lots of leather. [2]
Gucci’s Twin Invasion
Audiences were seeing double at Gucci’s Milan show as creative director Alessandro Michele sent 68 sets of identical twins down the runway for his “Twinsburg” presentation. The runway show began with single models walking down the catwalk, before a wall was lifted to show their brothers or sisters on the other side in the exact same outfits.
The creative director described his inspiration by stating, “Twinsburg plays this game, producing a tension in the relationship between original and copy. As if by magic, clothes duplicate. They seem to lose their status of singularity.” [8]
Dolce & Gabbana’s Kardashian-Kurated Show
For S/S 2023, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana teamed up with Kim Kardashian, who they describe as "the ultimate muse". With Kardashian playing the role of 'collection curator', the trio went through the brand's '90s and '00s archives, selecting some of her favourite pieces, and looks that they felt were inspired by the reality TV star. Many of these archive “selects” were then slightly tweaked and repurposed to make a new collection exploring the most "authentic DNA" of Dolce & Gabbana.
"If it is true that fashion moves forward in search of ever-new expressions, when creativity is firmly rooted in its identity it knows how to transcend time and space," explained the show notes. "Thus, even when it is rethought, repurposed, reinterpreted through the eyes of the present and the consciousness of the past, it retains its most genuine nature while managing to speak to many different generations." [2]
If the designers did find it in themselves to repurpose existing archival D&G pieces, then we applaud them. In an industry often slammed for its waste and constant need for “new”, we love seeing a brand bring back old pieces and make them new again–even if it’s in the name of a Kardashian kollab (see what we did there?).
Paris S/S 2023 Fashion Week (September 26 - October 4)
Stella McCartney Debuts Her Most Sustainable Collection Yet
Using 87% conscious materials for her S/S 2023 collection, the British designer was making a major move for sustainability with hopes that it would go unnoticed. According to an article in The Guardian, the designer shared backstage after the show, “If I’m doing my job right, you shouldn’t see any of the sustainability. It should just look like the most luxurious, glamorous show. I don’t want it to look like sustainable fashion – I want it to look sexy and effortless and easy.”
The one person McCartney was hoping would notice? That would be Bernand Arnault, the chairman and chief executive of the LVMH luxury goods company and the third richest man in the world. LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, commonly known as LVMH, is a French holding multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, owning brands such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Givenchy, Bvlgari, Dom Perignon, and Moët & Chandon, to name just a few. McCartney hoped Arnault would notice that the elegant baguette-shaped S-Wave “leather” shoulder bags (pictured below) were made from a grape-based leather alternative.
But not just from any grapes, McCartney was trying to convince Arnault that the grape skins from LVMH vineyards – which encompass 13 estates across four continents – could become the raw material for more leather-alternative fashion. [4]
How amazing would it be if grapes used to produce Dom Perignon could be recycled into leather for products across a variety of LVMH’s many fashion houses? Personally, we’d love to see it!
Cher Walks the Balmain Runway
Is there anything she can’t do? The 76-year-old singer strutted down the outdoor runway at Paris' Stade Jean-Bouin at Balmain’s Paris Fashion Week show, sporting a latex bodysuit with sharp shoulders and a plunging neckline. At the end of the show, she joined Balmain designer Olivier Rousteing on stage and made their way down the runway as they closed out the show to her 1999 anthem "Strong Enough." Guests welcomed the veteran superstar’s cameo and erupted in cheers, with many standing to dance and sing along.
Balmain head designer, Rousteing, called Cher the "ultimate trailblazer" in a press release, before announcing that she would be the face of the label’s new Blaze bag collection campaign. [3]
And there you have our top moments from the Spring-Summer 2023 Fashion Weeks. You can shop all these mentioned designers and more at www.luxsecondchance.com. Happy shopping!
Sources:
- Leah Dolan, “London Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2023: Touching tributes and a rallied community”, CNN Style, September 22, 2022. https://www.cnn.com/style/article/london-fashion-week-ss2023/index.html
- Sarah Karmali, “Highlights from the spring/summer 2023 shows”, Harper’s Bazaar, September 29, 2022. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/shows-trends/g41193184/spring-summer-2023-fashion-shows-trends/
- Fiona Sinclair Scott and Samantha Tse, “Paris Fashion Week: 11 standout moments from the Spring-Summer 2023 shows”, CNN Style, October 7, 2022. https://www.cnn.com/style/article/paris-fashion-week-2022-highlights/index.html
- Jess Cartner-Morley, “Stella McCartney’s Paris show aims to set trends for subtle sustainability”, The Guardian, October 3, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/oct/03/stella-mccartneys-paris-show-aims-to-set-trend-for-subtle-sustainability
- Elizabeth Logan, “Anne Hathaway Explained How She Accidentally Re-Created That Devil Wears Prada Scene”, Allure, October 13, 2022. https://www.allure.com/story/anne-hathaway-accidentally-recreated-devil-wears-prada-scene
- Maddy Mussen, “Lil Nas X makes catwalk debut as he becomes face of Coach”, Evening Standard, September 20, 2022. https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/lil-nas-x-coach-runway-new-york-fashion-week-london-doja-cat-long-live-montero-b1025262.html
- Sarah Karmali and Amy De Klerk, “Highlights from the spring/summer 2023 shows”, Harper’s Bazaar, October 12, 2022. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/shows-trends/g41193184/spring-summer-2023-fashion-shows-trends/
- “Gucci surprises with twin-themed show at Milan Fashion Week”, Reuters, September 23, 2022. https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/gucci-surprises-with-twin-themed-show-milan-fashion-week-2022-09-23/
