The Bride Wore Sequins, and Other Highlights From NYFW Day 6

The Marriage Plot

For decades, couture shows have closed with a "bride"—usually the young belle de jour dressed in a gasp-worthy white gown, often with a bouquet, veil, and train. It's a stunning moment with a wince of backlash. (Is a wedding really the ultimate expression of female identity? Does the most precious garment of our lives really rest on a Jenga tower of partnership and ceremony? Etc.) Tom Ford went the other way, and closed his show with a gorgeous and galactic queen instead. And frankly, it ruled.

Mona Lisa Style

This morning, writer Dana Schwartz tweeted about the enduring appeal of Mona Lisa Smile. Last night, at Aliette, designer Jason Rembert revised the late '50s silhouette so beautifully carried—and then satisfyingly undone—by Maggie Gyllenhaal in that film. True to Rembert's talent, the pieces were exquisitely detailed with floral beading, satin cinched waists, and a mandate to "smell the f***ing flowers" in classic, scrawling script. Yes Mr. Rembert, we will.

Rainy Day Women

Nearly every runway this week had some rainwear, which tracks because: climate crisis. But throwing some plastic outerwear at the problem is the ultimate BandAid... if a BandAid actually made your cut worse. So before splurging on our next super-cute trench, let's do a little research, see if it's built for longevity, and made with materials that are truly harm-free for people and the planet. Deal?

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The Church of Willy Chavarria

With the opening models dressed as altar boys and the speakers blasting "Like a Prayer," Willy Chavarria recast his "men of the cloth" as souls searching to meet heaven on their own terms. There were papal cloaks styled as trench coats, and vestal robes turned into coveralls, but with a solemn finish that showed respect for both the clothes and the creative congregation that wants to wear them. Amen, dude.

The Church of A.W.A.K.E. Mode

The puzzle-piece tops and skirts you've seen in every street style roundup this week? They're from A.W.A.K.E Mode, a London label by former fashion editor Natalia Alaverdian that straddles the line between surreal and "so, really, how can I buy that?" When I caught up with Moda Operandi's Lauren Santo Domingo (pictured), she confirmed my suspicions—this stuff sells out so fast before Fashion Month that it's basically the industry equivalent of a Harry Styles ticket.

Hey there, Soft Boi!

Speaking of Harry Styles, we can imagine him in this fantastic pansy-print suit by newbie Patricia Voto, whose label One/Of made a nifty debut at Electric Studios, the old Jimi Hendrix hangout in the West Village. Since Mr. Styles is performing just a couple subway stops away at Madison Square Garden, it should be easy to zip this right up there, yeah?

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Surf Girls Are Easy

Cynthia Rowley should really show at Montauk Fashion Week, but, well, there isn't one. Instead, the surf-chic pioneer took over Battery Park at sunset, and created one of the most beautiful moments of the week with a mirrored runway, a hazy sky, and reminder that it's always summer somewhere. Until then, take one of her patterned (and eco-conscious!) wetsuits, throw it under a blazer with some ripped jeans and a spike heel, and float on.

Kenneth Nicholson's Mad Money

We loved Kenneth Nicholson's pink party dress (with dollar bills falling along the bottom)—and not just because it called to mind Peggy Olson's triumphant Mad Men exit. Move on up, girls.

Climbers at Michael Kors

Power also made a move at Michael Kors, where models wore these oversized carabiner belts over eveningwear, suiting, and skirts. The lower-slung fit is a neat nod to the low-rise silhouette we're seeing everywhere, while the belt itself is a sly way to talk about female ambition. What does it mean to be a "climber," and how can we harness ambition for change? Front row achievers like Serena Williams, Anne Hathaway, and Melinda French Gates can likely tell us the answer.

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Zankov's Face Off

Ever since Stella McCartney did those abstract face sweaters in 2014, designers have been trying to replicate the retail hit with their own take on portrait pieces. Designer Henry Zankov is gonna win the fight, thanks to his graphic prowess, his restraint, and his this-lasts-forever quality.

The blues at Batsheva

We're big fans of the floating blue cat eye and matching blue lips at Batsheva, created by Francelle Daly at Love+Craft+Beauty. It's a weirdly wonderful take on the color-pop trend, and a great example of how you can one-and-done your makeup with a bold lid or lip, and nothing else.

One and Done at Deveaux

As for one-and-done dressing, this Deveaux knit is a practical win for women (like me) who are always cold. Cover the shoulders, crank up the colorway, and soon you, too, can survive in an office so aggressively air-conditioned, it's likely that Pam from HR is really a polar bear. (Maybe swap the sandals for Uggs though.)

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NFT Knits at Vivienne Tam

Here is a Bored Ape Yacht Club dress made entirely of denim. It will retail for around $400, until it retails for around $4 million, until it retails for around $0, because haven't you heard Crypto is a super solid bet on the future? Good luck out there.

Wiederhoeft

"Do you ever think you're living in a spell?" asked Jackson Wiederhoeft after his show. "Like, you don't know if you've been cursed or you've been blessed. You just know that there's something different in your reality than everyone else's?" Wiederhoeft could be talking about the creative vision—how it's a burden and a gift all at once—but his show went a little more literal, with fantastical corsets that were cages and wings all at once, plus scarlet-horned shoulders in silk, and an actual summoning of witches on the catwalk. The models were circled by a parade of spirits—a pregnant golden goddess with a painted belly; a Downton Abbey ghost wafting downtown for booze; a plastic princess from '80s Toys-R-Us—and then the lights came on, and the real world reclaimed its time.

There were other shows happening after this one, but I ended up going home right after. There was nothing else to see.

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