camels and browns, baggy silhouettes (all my bbs be cozy as fuck), textile manipulation, burgundies, deep purples, ivories, natural tones, hints of metallic, androgyny and trans visibility.

I can’t deny Zana Bayne’s dark genius, and this season she went to another level of sin. The styling, hair, make-up, and Hotel Empire setting is reminiscent of Jane Campion’s Sleeping Beauty- a twisted take on a classic. Thick leather panels stitched together, crocodile embossed leather, and a bondage bride you can take to the altar but never tame. Bravo for a first runway show!

Drooling: Leg shields from the ankle to upper thigh, sheer a-line skirts, leather tassels

=====================================================================

3. Hood By Air

We posted about the HBA show after the runway event, jazzed to see how the nostalgia Shayne Oliver feels in ballroom culture translated onto the runway. Ending in an epic runway full of vogue dancers stomping it out, HBA served. it.

Moments: The styling was off the chain, leather lace-ups, hardware, finale, all of it.

The duo behind Eckhaus Latta is a little bit all the rage and a lotta bit freaky. They spin straw into gold with their use of deadstock fabrics, creating both very clean lines, raw edges, and lots of textural layering.

Feels like: Slipping on shoe covers before walking into a model home expecting to be sold on a house only to find the interior ripped apart, sterilized, and transformed into concepts and dreams that make you believe fantasy is always around us.

Quirks: Metal retainers, two models in full body paint, Le1f & Juliana Huxtable on the runway.

Give me the first two looks off this runway please, and you’ll probably never see me emerge from my nest. Mary-Kate and Ashley, known for drowning in oversized duds, use huge squares and circles as starting points for this awesomely basic collection.

Of interest: Collarless blazers and collars that drape over shoulders, dresses with charcoal dress socks and tasseled loafers.

Something like “Clueless” meets polar drag racing- this collection is the most fun. Keeping the rave alive, Mazhar infuses life into metallics like it’s the business. The shimmers of surreal sportswear leave competitors on the track biting stardust.
Yes: Baby hair, unabashed branding, fur cuffs

This South Korea/London based label, run by visionary Kathleen Kye, is a breath of fresh air. Kye is inspired by her surreal imaginings and translates them into relevant and innovative duds. For this season, she strategically toned it down for a more intentional message. Having a background in menswear, her recent branch into womenswear is clearly flawless. I can’t wait to see more of her in the coming seasons!

Fav: Clothes reminiscent of basic photoshop tricks and hyperlinked chains, lightweight fabrics and appeal for the sexy &/or modest yung bb.

You go to Telfar for the performance, you leave with– Vice said it best.

For this collection Telfar Clemens overran 6 floors of the New Museum, with the top offering space for the runway. It was a concept conceived with creative director of Bidoun magazine, Babak Radboy. The whole experience seems hyper normal- cheesy 3-D replicas of Telfar himself in the pop-up shop lobby area, shopping bags a la Telfar, and that coveted Kmart collab.

Props: To surviving a wormhole from one generation of normal to the next.

Outside of time building schools for children in Africa via the 14+ Foundation and collabing with Solange on that new Puma campaign you been drooling over, sisters Darlene and Lizzy had time to turn it *OUT* with this vibrant FW collection.  They harnessed the sonic soundscapes of DJ Lindsey for their show, so you know these cosmopolitan ambassadors of beauty and good got it on lock.

Priceless: Solid bold blue stripes, chunky grey knits (including shorts), coral pink, cat ear hair, that Limited Too-esque flower

I first heard about Dannijo through their collaboration with The Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine in 2011. Their presentations are much like their aesthetic- big, unpretentious statements with a playful attitude. This season, they presented “Boxerina” with American Ballet Theater dancers donning the jewels as they did barre exercises and floor choreography around a boxing ring.

Trust: Though you can’t see the gems up close, they always kill it with the chains and bright stones.

Full disclosure, I spent a few days with the Skingraft team last season shooting behind-the-scenes and getting to know the brains behind the brand. I am fond of designer Jonny Cota’s self-taught background, and when I saw the live show this season, I was blown away with the contrast from his NYFW debut last season to this season’s epic production. The cement room was a dark and sterile contrast to the heart of his collection. Cota’s got that asymmetrical cut on lock, commanding that collar like nobody’s business, and is exploring a wider range of color (with very rich choices in dark gem stone hues). His soundtracks, always self-produced, offer a sincerity of emotion to guide each look down the runway, as much as the spirit animals evoked in the geometric quilting on some of the pieces do. Ending the show with Drake, poignantly finishing it off with “I just do it cuz I’m supposed to.” Yes you are, and please don’t stop.

Amazing: Opening up with Tibetan throat singing, bomber coats with thick leather belts, the purple/creme hues, beanies with fuzz