NYFW: What we want from this decade of fashion

The times are changing. In the immortal words of Coco Chanel, fashion must at once become a caterpillar and a butterfly. After the second season of Fashion Month back in full effect, even though a surge in the Omicron variant had the fashion industry on edge for a bit, New York Fashion Week kicked off fall/winter 2022 fashion month with a bang. Yes, there’s still a slate of marquee designers missing from the annual fashion fete, but that doesn’t mean that Fashion Week was short on talent.

How will we be dressing for the roaring '20s 2.0?

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be an ongoing battle, but one that seems to have tempered for now. Designers at this rendition of New York Fashion had the opportunity to finally define how we would dress for this decade of the 21st century. There is this expectation that athleisure will remain king as people move toward working remotely more, but the runways said otherwise.

This roaring ‘20s 2.0 is demanding a return to elegance. People want to live again after being restricted in the house for so long. Looking at Dur Doux, there were a plethora of colors to be had. People do not want a funeral wardrobe after feeling like they were living in the apocalypse for a year thanks to the pandemic.

From the pandemic, creativity was also bred. For those fashion lovers who want something a little more avant-garde, designers had more time to create and think out of the box. Puppets and Puppets continues to merge both art and fashion through its sculptural construction but keeps utilitarian aspects in mind. No, we can’t expect the avant-garde to become the gold standard for anyone in fashion, that is a very specific sect of fashion consumers. However, as younger consumers want more individualistic pieces, and focus on personal style rather than trends, brands like Puppets and Puppets are fit for their individuality. It’s not the type of brand your friend next to you will just have sitting in their closet.

For the rest of this era, there is also a new look of glamour. Fashion designer Sergio Hudson is filling a unique space in the womenswear market because there was a dearth of tailored women’s pieces for the new generation. From tailored suit jackets worth of a First Lady (he did get famous for dressing Michelle Obama) to belted jackets reminiscent of Dynasty’ Alexis Carrington, women are ready to dress up again.

Sure, sweatpants and athleisure aren’t going anywhere, but it would be presumptuous to think people don’t want a moment to dress up again. Welcome to a new era in fashion as we engage in post-lockdown dressing.