The most wonderful time of the year has just finished up, and it has everyone talking! New York Fashion Week 2019 ran from February 4th to February 13th and lit up social media. Having completed social media analysis of the online conversations, here are the highlights and key takeaways from this year’s winter fashion week!
The most notable change was that they did NOT separate women and men’s wear this year, The instead overlapped the two. Merging the men and women’s collection led to extremely high sentiment around the online conversations for Fashion Week. This aligned with the growing social trends of women and men feeling empowered by each other’s styles.
Designers, celebrities and fashion influencers from all over the world flocked to NYC for fashion week. Big names included Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta, Coach 1941, and Phillip Lim. Unfortunately, there were also some noticeable names missing such as Victoria Beckham, Rodarte, and Pyre Moss. Despite this, social media analysis of the event shows that sentiment remained positive, because the buzz was all about the new coed trend.
Tom Ford
Tom Ford kicked off the show by debuting the first coed collection. This got everyone on social media asking the question, “Has Tom Ford given up on Glam?”
Social media was also going crazy for his ruby red velvet jacket modeled by Gigi Hadid.
Although the structure was perfectly fitting for her body, as an accessory it lacked his usual work that everyone looks forward to. Nonetheless, it gave the audience something new to obsess about.
“When you buy a jacket, it has to be something you can wear with lots of different things in lots of different ways. Women don’t go and buy ten perfect new outfits each season as they did in the 1950s and 60s; they buy individual pieces.” —Tom Ford
He stuck with many pale colors, giving his line a more adult feel. The gowns he created were simple and elegant which was refreshing to see.
Hats were also added to the collection this year, which got a lot of social media users asking “Why?” His response was straightforward— “I’ve been spending more time in New York, secretly, and when you’re in New York in the winter you think OK, it’s raining or it’s snowing or it’s really cold. I can totally see a hat on the street. It seemed right this season.” Adding hats to his collection was a nice touch and reinforced the coed theme.
Marc Jacobs
Everyone was surprised to see how small the Marc Jacobs line was this year. There were only 40 looks, compared to his usual 60 or so. The show stopper in the social media analysis was Christy Turlington Burns returning to the catwalk for the first time since her last show in the 90s. She closed the show in a gorgeous long feathered gown, extreme femininity, with a black swan feel.
The Marc Jacobs colors this year were darker and more powerful than usual. He also focused on oversized outfits, more of a trouser look for women, which is trending. Some social media users felt that the look was a bit masculine, which actually connects nicely with the coed theme.
The Michael Kors show had Barry Manilow sing “Copacabana!” Not only was the live audience grooving, but the social conversations blew up too!
But going old school with Barry Manilow was just a taste because the Michael Kors collection was speaking in volumes. They were going all-out with the old school vibe, bringing back shaggy faux fur accents and coats. The collection was inspired by Studio 54 sequin gold dresses, and styles from the 1970s. More specifically, the plaid styles that were popular for men in the 70s are now being resurrected by Michael Kors. Yet another example of how men and women styles are beginning to merge.
Coach 1941
Some big-time influencers were getting the social media landscape buzzing, including young stars like Selena Gomez and Chloe Moretz. They represented Coach 1941 and introduced the style of Coach to a whole new generation of millennial women. Coach is known for its tough, leather, biker-edge ways. But at this event, they introduced a mix for their latest collection. It’s a combination of girly mixed with a biker edge, soft with hard, chains and hardware, mixed with florals. Some faux fur with fringe, giving it a modern woman vibe. It’s almost the reverse of the coed trend. A brand that always promoted the tough side females, has now added a more classic feminine touch to their showcase.
Oscar de la Renta
The Oscar de la Renta collection was impressive, and completely fit in with the coed megatrend of the fashion show. The online conversation was overwhelmingly positive, again merging the styles of men and women. Most conversations were centered around the bold genderless suits, checkered coats, tweed dresses, and feather accents on nearly everything. Other interest swirled around the exquisite statement hair pieces. Social media users felt that the gold flower hairpins, fastened with pearls and gems, were absolutely gorgeous.
Phillip Lim
Most people know Phillip Lim for his modern woman, ready-to-wear styles, and we’re looking forward to seeing this at the show … and he delivered! Phillip brought the audience exactly what they wanted to see. His black trench coat is a fan-favorite for barrelling down the city streets.
His label is all fur-free, except for the print of a graphic zebra which goes with his chic women-in the-city look. To complete the look, there was a lot of mentions for the oversized carryall bags, a must-have for this style!
The buzz and appeal for this style are that a woman could go from the runway directly to work at a professional business environment in Manhattan!
Tomo Koizumi
Instagram continues to rise in popularity for discovering trends in the fashion world. Tomo Koizumi’s latest collection quickly made its way around Instagram, especially his colorful and puffy magical gowns that look like they come from a faraway fairyland. The audience was wowed by his collection. Despite the latest fashions looking a bit like Mardi Gras, men and women responded positively, and felt that the designs had “good vibes!”
Lela Rose
Social media analysis showed that the Lela Rose fashion line really exceeded everyone’s expectations. The greatest accessories of the Lela Rose show were our four-legged best friends. Yes, that’s correct, Lela Rose had a Golden Retriever, English Sheep Dog, and other breeds included in her show.
“This is about chic women walking her dog. But instead of being on Fifth Avenue, she is in a dog show” –Lela Rose
Most users responded that the models looked terrific in their floral and plaid suits and dresses, with a beautiful dog by their side. An ironic example of the trend of the show, that “man’s best friend” was walked by females!
Other Social Media Analysis — General Streetwear
Social media was buzzing about the runway, but also general streetwear. Residents and tourists in New York City often walk around in their best attire hoping to be photographed. An accessory that’s trending this season is bright and bold neon outerwear, especially “teddy coats.” Popular colors include in red, purple and lilac — the brighter the better. Social media analysis shows that both long and short-style teddy coats are being worn.
It wouldn’t be New York Fashion Week without a surprise musical guest or two. Barry Manilow got a positive response for singing “Copacabana,” in a highly decorated orange jacket. And Lil’ Kim closed out another portion of the show with her early hit “The Jump Off,” wearing a gold fringe jumpsuit.
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