Aside from the lack of heating, a source of much griping, the recurring theme at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this season has been strong fall collections mirrored by inventive venues and show backdrops. The choice to show at large—and, in many cases, extra extra-large—sites has certainly been a noticeable trend this season, and, as a result, most designers are able to accommodate more guests than during the economic downturn.
To help Jason Wu pay homage to his native China,
Bureau Betak bathed
St. John’s Center in red light, erecting massive red doors and shrouding the space in smoke while Lacoste erected a self-contained snowstorm along the center aisle at its show at the Lincoln Center tents. Tommy Hilfiger made the most of his gated garden setting at the
Park Avenue Armory, using it for both his men’s and women’s shows but changing the seating scheme to accommodate varying guest lists. Alexander Wang and Derek Lam, meanwhile, both went with a multimirrored runway setup at
Pier 94 and St. John’s Center, respectively.
However, for its sheer spectacle, Moncler’s efforts for Grenoble was the most memorable for the first half of the week. The event staged by Villa Eugenie at Central Park's
Wollman Rink saw 180 professional athletes paying tribute to New York via a choreographed winter fairy tale dance—replete with freshly fallen snow, courtesy of Mother Nature.
