As the southern hemisphere battles it out through the last of the winter months, the theme of protective fashion has adopted a new meaning. First, we saw it on TikTok, where balaclavas, indie-sleaze, – and its offshoot, twee – were reigning over fashion accounts on the platform. We listened, with heaping spoons of scepticism at the idea that 2010 trends had already made it back into the mainstream, but it seems that designers were listening harder. Thus, the runway trend cycle has been reignited once again from archival runway references to social media micro trends, and back onto the runway, as we witnessed Proenza Schouler, Dion Lee, Coach, Carolina Herrera, and Maryam Nassir Zadeh all take notes for Fall 2022.
The season has only just begun, but as NYFW begins to wrap up, we are catching a glimpse of what might be to come for the rest of the month, and the Fall 2022 trends we're looking forward to seeing more of.
At Proenza Schouler, hoods were offered attached to tightly woven black skivvy's, nodding in-part to a level of post-pandemic (if we ever are to be post-pandemic) protection through a workwear lens. At Proenza, similarly to Dion Lee, they acted as second-skin elements to the looks. Lee offered head coverings in neutral cotton ribbing and cobalt blue technical lace, with face coverings that resembled jock straps, and later on in loose cable knits, fluid jersey, and reflective puffer. Maryam Nassir Zadeh opted for a more laid-back interpretation, sending models down the runway with checkered scarves wrapped up around the head for a DIY approach, catering to New Yorker's everywhere who have been doing it to battle the cold since forever, while Altuzzara presented simple cashmere options.
Altuzzara Fall 2022; Maryam Nassir Zadeh Fall 2022
It hasn't been so long since we last saw this volume of hoods on runways, since Belgian designer Raf Simons donned a collection of 65 looks, all wearing the Ukranian war headgear for Calvin Klein's 205W39NYC Fall 18 collection, and Gucci's Alessandro Michele offered ski-mask like iterations for his Fall 2018 show. Before then, Martin Margiela consistently explored the idea of head and face coverings for Maison Margiela.
This year, the brief seems to be a little less about warmth and a little more about protection. Second skin hoods are worn as extensions of garments, molded to the body, worn alongside leather harnesses and layered bodices that compress and encase the wearer. For Fall 22, the theme feels as though coziness has been switched out for business.
This idea, is counterpointed in shows like Coach and Carolina Herrera, where the return of twee punctuates collections. At Coach, A-line and babydoll dresses are rendered in lace, crochet, and pleated silk with peter pan collars and ample bows. They are paired with quirky accessories and t-bar Mary-Jane pumps, just like Tavi in 2010. At Herrera, the trend is more subtle. Amongst plissé tulle and ball skirts, collared tweed mini dresses with puffed shoulders have their moment, worn with flat thigh high leather boots and dainty pumps.
Carolina Herrera Fall 2022; Coach Fall 2022
As someone who is decidedly very settled into a masculine-adjacent wardrobe, the idea that twee and everything else that comes with indie-sleaze is on the come up is not a pill I'm quite ready to swallow, but seeing the looks in motion in the shows of the past week, a sense of joy is brought with them. And perhaps, if we really are readying ourselves to return to normal life, a peter pan collar truly does have a place back in society?
It is also the less-serious cousin of the structured collar. The silhouette that, with a back-to-work attitude on everyone's minds, this seasons offering of uniformity factors in. Back at Proenza, tailoring was sharp yet loose, a soft launch if you will of office dressing. Elsewhere, labels like Khaite, Peter Do, and Tory Burch, did not hold back. While Khaite was all about the grit and glam of the city, people also go to work, and Cate Holstein understands that if you give the people of New York an olive suit, you can hold them in the palm of your hand. Peter Do applies the same tactics to Fall 22, with a slew of coordinated workwear, complete with undone belts and tailored maxi skirts.
Peter Do Fall 2022; Khaite Fall 2022
The offering of tonal workwear is, of course, not a new phenomenon thanks to Phoebe Philo and in part The Row, nevertheless, it appears that we will always be back for more. So goes the very expression of timelessness.
Peter Do Fall 2022; Tory Burch Fall 2022
At Tory Burch, trends of colour blocking and workwear came together, giving way to the seriousness of tonality and opening itself to a different kind of boldness. Marigold, Perwinkle (or Very Peri, according to Pantone), cobalt blue, reds, and neon lime were a focal point in collections, either standing out amongst splashes of other colours or punctuating tonal collections.
Carolina Herrera Fall 2022; Proenza Schouler Fall 2022
At Carolina Herrera, marigold and flame red stood out, while at Proenza it was periwinkle (there was also a whisper of it at Khaite) and cobalt, which was seen alongside red at Dion Lee too, who is never usually one for bright shades. Coach lined leather coats with neon lime shearling, and Tory Burch incorporated a little of everything in the most classic of ways, a true symbol of what we'll be seeing across the runways for the rest of the season.
