The 24th annual Watermill Center Benefit took place July 29 in the Hamptons. The event featured a 90- by 20-foot black-and-white wall called “Untitled,” which took aim at President Donald Trump’s promise to build a Mexico border wall. Emblazoned with the words "She Outwits Him; She Outlives Him," it was the night's most politically toned piece. The text was meant to confront issues that are the forefront of contemporary domestic politics and culture.
Following the show, Coach hosted a dinner at 225 Liberty Street in lower Manhattan. Produced by Bureau Betak, the cocktail portion featured mirrored panels 5 by 11.5 feet high complemented by tall grasses four feet high—the plant varieties of which were inspired by the original High Line.
Jason Wu's striking spring show for Boss realized the Bauhaus influences of the garments in the set as well. The September 16 show high atop 245 Park Avenue featured 14 hand-painted birch wood columns measuring 19 feet 8 inches by 5 feet that dominated the otherwise raw space. Producer Bureau Betak utilized 2,690 square feet of birch wood to build the set, with 159 gallons of paint used.
For the first time in recent memory, Marc Jacobs moved his September 17 spring show to a non-Armory venue. Staged at Ziegfeld Theatre, the performance-cum-fashion show (the event hashtag was #MarcJacobsPremiere) had signage that attracted hoards of fans and bystanders. With the Ziegfeld as the venue, the whole show took on a cinematic spirit, with branded popcorn and fountain drink containers, and a customized Playbill for each guest.
Givenchy, in celebrating its first-ever Manhattan flagship, staged a one-off show that was a powerful tribute to New York City on September 11. The riverside setting, on Pier 26 in TriBeCa, allowed for an unobstructed view of the Freedom Tower from every seat. Produced by Laprod, the event took more than six months to produce and the guest list numbered around 4,000.
A multisensory experience orchestrated by artist Marina Abramovic greeted guests at sundown. The wooden and scrap metal set was constructed solely of recycled materials with performance artists suspended on platforms against the skyline, as was a monk, whose live chanting set the preshow mood.
At the Grand Tasting at Pier 94, Coca-Cola had a lounge where guests could enjoy custom Coke-infused drinks and food. A second-level dining and viewing area featured a marquee sign.
To achieve Carolina Herrera’s vision of a futuristic, sculptural forest for her September 8 show, AO Production manipulated the existing confines of the Lincoln Center tent venue in an abstract manner—raising the theater’s floor and extending it over the first two rows of seats. The existing 15-foot-wide runway was widened to 28 feet to achieve a sense of openness. The loss of 200 seats aside, the forest centerpiece, complete with 20 MDF trees painted dark green, were sized eight, 12, and 16 feet tall. Ninety seats sat in the middle of the runway, with the models crisscrossing throughout. The show marked the first time an all-white set, including a white proscenium and all the risers, was incorporated into Herrera’s show.
Guests at the Marc by Marc Jacobs show arrived at Pier 94 to what appeared to be a rave temple, with neon lighting streaking across an otherwise all-black venue. The September 9 show, produced by KCD, featured an ear-bleeding drum-and-bass soundtrack blaring from enormous black speakers stacked like altars while a triple-prism of triangular light bars stood at the top of the runway.
Held on the eve of the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the 54th floor of 4 World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan served as the ultimate backdrop for the Bureak Betak-produced show. Taking inspiration from “#THISISBOSS,” an art piece that screened during the show created by Hugo Boss creative director Jason Wu and video artist/director Marco Brambilla, the LED panels placed over the columns represented a dialogue between art, technology, and nature—the result of which was a virtual forest flanking the models as they walked down the concrete runway within the unfinished space.
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, DKNY hosted something of a rager on September 9 at 23 Wall Street. The event featured live performances by Rita Ora, Iggy Azalea, A$AP Rocky, and A$AP Ferg.
Held within the intimate confines of the Classic Car Club on Hudson Street, General Idea's September 6 show cleared all but two of the venue’s antique roadsters that set the tone for the label’s sleek and sportive separates. General Idea designer Choi Bumsuk, however, wasn’t the only one who was bit by the auto bug during Fashion Week; Siki Im’s show on September 9 featured Range Rovers and BMWs that lined the grit-covered brick walls of Pier 57.
Produced and designed by Bureau Betak, Rodarte's September 11 show at Center548 featured a striking grid of mirrors with red and blue fluorescent tubes (now a Rodarte signature), inspired by Los Angeles’s street grid at night in the '80s. A continuation of its fall collection’s Northern California roots, the West Coast homage further showcases L.A. as a hotbed for talent, as spearheaded by Hedi Slimane.
