New York Fashion Week’s disruptor-in-chief Alexander Wang took the fashion crowd way uptown tonight for his Fall 2017 show. The invite proclaimed "no after-party," as did the wristbands handed out at the entrance, the tights worn by models on the catwalk, and Wang’s own T-shirt for his bow. Now, if no after-party sounds glum for a Wangfest, the designer made things right by turning his fashion show into a party itself with kegs of Peroni, a standing-only scene, and music so loud the floor was thumping. All this set the scene for the designer’s concise, mostly black collection of hardware-laden pieces.
The StarsKylie Jenner, A$AP Rocky, Sofia Richie, Zoë Kravitz, Fetty Wap, Ansel Elgort, and Brooklyn Beckham were in the crowd that turned out for Wang’s show. We’re presuming they traveled by SUV and not the 1 train.
The LocationWang took over the RKO Hamilton Theater on Broadway and 146th Street for his show this season. Guests were greeted by kegs of Peroni and a raw, cavernous space in which a runway had been propped up in the middle of the floor.
The Models and Their MakeoversBefore the show, about a dozen Wang Squad members got banged pixie cuts from Guido Palau. Included in the chop group was Catherine McNeil, whose cut was a take on Linda Evangelista’s ’90s look, and Sohyun Jung, who got a dramatic flat top. Other models, like Wang first-timer Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and the whole Wang Gang—that’d be Lexi, Binx, Issa, Hanne, Anna Ewers, and friends—made it out untouched by the scissors.
The Lack of BoysSeveral seasons ago, Wang began showing men on his womenswear runways to create unity between his two main lines. The combined shows became something of a short-lived signature until tonight, when not a single menswear look hit the runway.
The After-Dark SpiritFrom last season’s neon surfers come this season’s party punks, clad in all-black leather and ready to rage. In fact, there was not a single color on the catwalk, save for the dark wash jeans worn by Sophia Friesen.
