Once again it’s time for New York Fashion Week and I’m ready to make the twice-yearly trip to New York City. This is the fourth season New York has dedicated time to showcase some of the best in menswear. I’m looking forward to see what will be the hottest looks popping up for Fall/Winter 2017 and how the changing nature of fashion has affected this year’s shows.
Before the rise of social media and fast fashion, fashion weeks were almost exclusively held for those in the industry. With a sufficient lead-time, buyers and media were presented with upcoming looks that they could buy for their stores and feature in their editorial content for magazines. Nowadays as soon as a designer shows, consumers are ready to buy. I’m interested to see how the see now, buy now culture plays into this year’s shows.
The other interesting dynamic in the changing nature of fashion is the question of whether we really need to see a split from the men’s and women’s shows. Some would argue yes since traditionally the women’s fashion market has been much larger than that of men’s. As a result, when they were shown together men’s fashion would typically be overshadowed by the women’s. However with the success of London Collections Men, Men’s Fashion Weeks in Milan and Paris along with the growing power of the men’s dollar, New York was prime for a men’s week of its on.
On the other hand, the segmentation of fashion weeks means that buyers and editorial staff have so much more ground to cover. Many of the same people are covering multiple events and from a financial perspective, it makes sense to combine shows. Fashion shows and presentations are expensive to produce.
Regardless of where you stand on the changing nature of fashion, New York will be bustling with activity for the next four days and I look forward to being in the mix.
Details
Plaid Blazer: Robert Talbot; Burgundy cords: Saks Fifth Avenue Men, White dress shirt: Armani Colleziono, Blue fedora: Goorin Bros; Penny Loafers: Tom Ford; Bow Tie – Paul Smith NYC
