Camera bulbs flashed in the New York darkness on Tuesday night as hordes of mega European influencers - among them Chiara Ferragni and Leonie Hanne - clad in shimmering minis, white blazers and silver stilettos tottered into the Terminal 5 waterside music venue to take their seats front row at the Michael Kors AW22 show.
Intended as a celebration of the Big Apple’s much-missed nightlife, the event (the NYFW veteran’s first-ever live evening spectacle) had a nightclub feel… albeit minus the alcohol, which (unlike at London fashion shows) rarely flows in New York.
“I’m a native New Yorker and nothing can beat the excitement and energy of the city at night. I think now, more than ever, no matter where you are, everyone is craving a night on the town and stepping out in style,” said Kors. Kicking off the party was Grammy Award-winning artist Miguel, who took to the stage with an energetic cover of Prince’s Raspberry Beret before a flood of familiar faces – among them Bella, Gigi, Emily Ratajkowski, Paloma Elsesser and Adut Akech – stomped the shiny black runway.
If the theme was a night on the tiles then Kors’ guestlist leaned firmly to post-office party-makers and those that prefer their bars with bottle service. Most hemlines were mini, and those that weren’t came slashed to the thigh. Boots came spray-on and over-the-knee, while stilettos were pointy toed and crystal-covered. Party dresses were embroidered with gold and silver mirrored crystals with ribcage and clavicle cutouts, and coats — whether tweed puffers, faux fur stoles or boxy Chesterfields — were generally oversized and thrown over shoulders with a hail-a-cab-home over nonchalance.
“Everything from the collection to the venue to the performance are all about celebrating a fabulous night out,” said Kors.
New York Fashion Week concludes today with shows from Collina Strada and Prabal Gurung. CFDA Chairman Tom Ford, who was meant to close the event at 8pm today with his AW22 show, pulled out late January citing recent Covid-19 outbreaks in his Los Angeles design studio and atelier, as well as factory shutdowns in Italy.
