September Was for Fashion
The disasters and highlights of fashion month.
Apr 13, 2023
Many controversial events happened during New York, Milan, and Paris Fashion Week on Sept. 9–Oct. 4.
Starting with New York Fashion Week (NYFW), one collection I want to talk about is the Mirror Palais SS23 “Madonna and the Wh*re” collection. This is the best and prettiest collection I’ve seen for NYFW, due it’s ethereal italian gothic concept, which not many NYFW designers do so it was something different for NYFW.
However, the worst thing about NYFW is how models don’t get paid unless they’re walking for a well known brand or they are a well known model. Models put in a lot of work when it comes to modeling with how physical, emotionally, and mentally modeling is. For them to not get paid—and just get free little products and maybe a piece of food—is messed up, to be honest.
Models are the ones who pay to get the modeling jobs, their makeup done, their hair, and their agents as well. Models aren’t the only ones who don’t get paid for magazine shoots, the entire staff is there on a voluntary basis as well.
Milan Fashion Week (MFW) is the true start of fashion month as it showcases many designers and collections. Versace’s SS23 Women’s collection was beautiful with a dark gothic vibe to it. This is something new to Versace and also something Donatella Versace executed perfectly. Models like Adut Akech, Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, and Emily Ratajkowski walked the show and, as a surprise guest, Paris Hilton walked the show as well.
The Dolce & Gabbana/Kim Kardashian collaboration collection wasn’t the best either, but I was surprised Kim decided to do this collection with them especially since Dolce & Gabbana is known for being heavily racist, homophobic, and misogynistic.
Dolce & Gabbana have done blackface on multiple occasions, sold earrings and dresses with mammy caricatures on it, claimed LGBT couples shouldn’t have children (even though the designers are part of the LGBT community themselves), and have come out with multiple sexist ads.
And finally, Paris Fashion Week (PFW) was very eventful with Valentino’s collection—a really beautiful but different vibe for him. Instead of bright and bold colors and concepts he’s known for, they went for a more neutral, sophisticated, and elegant concept for their SS23 ready to wear collection.
Bella Hadid closed the Coperni Show as well. Her dress was sprayed on in front of everyone before she walked the runway. This moment has to be Bella’s most iconic moment in her career, and may lend her a supermodel title. The dress and collection were absolutely beautiful, and so was Hadid when she walked the runway.
However, Valentino’s show itself was horribly executed. Half of the models weren’t even properly trained models were street casted. Many of the models’ clothing weren’t properly sized and weren’t put on correctly as well. Almost half of the models tripped and fell on the runway, or were walking slowly due to their shoes not fitting correctly.
In the end Fashion Month had its ups and downs this year with many things happening like, models not being paid, designers having controversial history, and very poorly executed fashion shows, But at the end of the day it still had some pretty good and beautiful collections all throughout.
