Each fall, designers gather to kick off the fashion month of September with their spring collections at New York Fashion Week. This hectic but inspiring event features spring shows that are fun, fresh and whimsical. This year, however, the spring 2016 collections were even more than that; full of tributes, special honors and dedications, last week’s shows were nothing short of poignant and stunning. Here’s my wrap-up of the week’s best:

Prabal Gurung

The runway show was preceded by a presentation of Buddhist monks chanting a prayer for those affected by the earthquake in Nepal in April. Gurung grew up in Kathmandu, where the earthquake struck, so this reflective moment before the show was intended to show his personal connection to the tragedy and to bring awareness to the devastation of the country. Nepal was also the inspiration for his clothes — flowing gowns, lightweight halters and airy skirts — with soft and sunny colors of gold, orange, crimson and cream.

Riccardo Tisci

The artistic director for Givenchy chose to honor a different tragedy: Sept. 11, 2001. While the anniversary of terrorist attacks is a tricky and potentially controversial date to focus on fashion, Tisci was tasteful in acknowledging and paying respect to the heartrending moment in history. His venue overlooked the new One World Trade Center and the twin light beam memorial over sunset. The French house opted for New York instead of Paris for fashion week for the first time to celebrate its new Madison Avenue flagship.

The Givenchy show featured artistic performances: a man and child facing the Freedom Tower, a woman being cleansed under a faucet and a couple in a powerful embrace. Marina Abramović, the artist who worked with Tisci on the creation of the show, wrote in the show notes that the set was created out of recycled materials to be constructed and deconstructed without waste. She also said that the music for the show was from six different cultures and religions and was envisioned to unite people. Above all, she said, the event was about love.

Oscar de la Renta

At this show, a red carnation adorned each hot pink seat. The carnation, supposedly a favorite flower of the beloved designer who died last October, was a motif throughout the show by creative director Peter Copping. Copping’s collection featured Spanish influences, a tribute to de la Renta, who was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and spent years living in Spain. This was only Copping’s second collection for the company, yet seems to have already found the perfect balance of de la Renta’s and his own aesthetics.

Designers exceeded expectations this fall with spring shows that suggested more than clothing and beauty trends. In doing so, they allowed the sometimes-intangible world of fashion to seem real and relevant.

Published on September 21, 2015 at 7:40 pm