Rihanna serves up more ‘fashertainment’ at New York Fashion Week

The month-long spring fashion show circuit kicked off in New York on Wednesday with a 1990s revival at Tom Ford.

All the requisite celebrities where there, from Kim Kardashian to Cindy Crawford and Julianne Moore. And all eager to witness Ford’s return to New York and rebound to his first full-on traditional runway show after seasons in alternative locations.

With a heavy dose of sparkle and sexiness – most notably in the glittering chainmail ombre mini-dresses, Ford revisited his sexually charged 1990s heyday with low slung trousers, strong shoulders, clingy bodysuits, billowing parkas and plenty of leg. The designer’s red-carpet-worthy gowns – a staple of his collections – were showcased also, creating a Roman goddess effect with extensive ruching in delicate fabrics.

Also referencing the decade was designer Narciso Rodriguez, celebrating 20 years in business, with a small presentation revisiting pieces from his earliest collections with a slinky-knit dress in black and white, relaxed tailoring suit and sleek evening dresses echoing the minimalism of the era. There was no shortage of full-tilt evening glamour at Pamella Roland, who took inspiration from Grace Kelly, delivering one sheer tulle gown after another. From Grace to Alice, as Cinq a Sept, threw an Alice in Wonderland presentation complete with a New York skyline as the dramatic backdrop: models wore marbou feather stoles with delicate flower dresses in dusty pink tones.

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In his second outing for Calvin Klein, designer Raf Simons riffed on cinema, more precisely the American dream meets American nightmare – evoked in rubber dresses and Warhol knife prints contrasted with diaphanous sheath like dresses in frothy shades. Not one to shy away from the power of celebrity, Simons cast Cindy Crawford’s 16-year-old daughter Kaia Gerber to walk in the show, making her NYFW debut, under the watchful eye of A-lister celebrities including CK’s new spokeswoman Paris Jackson, Brooke Shields, Millie Bobby Brown and Lupita Nyong’o.

Detailing the ensuing trends is still very much to the forefront of New York Fashion Week, but there is another side that is deep rooted in the world of celebrity. The pull of pop culture power is hugely dominating New York Fashion week, combining the allure of celebrity and fashion creating a new subcategory show – fashertainment. Particularly led by Rihanna, who is also returning to New York after two seasons in Paris.

The upheaval of her Fenty Puma show to the American fashion capital is a clever move and brings the fun-filled fashion that the week craves. Heidi Klum brought the entertainment factor and a heap of star power when she revealed her fashion line with Lidl at a presentation set in a fake supermarket on Thursday. The collection, “Heidi in the City”, features staple wardrobe pieces like a suede biker jacket, skinny jeans and relaxed bomber jackets, ranging from €5.99 to €59.99.

New York Fashion Week continues until Tuesday, with young designers like Monse and Sies Marjan and heavy-hitter headliners like Alexander Wang, Victoria Beckham and Marc Jacobs all scheduled to show over the next few days.