From the moment Kim Jones, London-based creative director of Fendi, pulled down her own giant silk curtain and the music rocked the start of New York Fashion Week.
Usually the Fendi shows, which take place in Milan, attract a large crowd by any measure, but on Friday the great and the good from New York and far gathered in the 12,000-square-foot Hammerstein Ballroom for something special .
To mark the 25th anniversary of Fendi’s legendary Baguette handbag, Jones enlisted the help of co-designer Marc Jacobs to create a no-holds-barred runway extravaganza to celebrate the occasion in high style—and oh, was there a star cast.
Sarah Jessica Parker dominated the front row, as Sex and The City fans might expect. The actress helped launch the handbag to its pop culture status during the mugging scene in the series, which sees her held at gunpoint and asked for her bag, to which she replied: “It’s a baguette. “
She took her place next to Kim Kardashian, who wore a skin-tight sparkling Fendi dress, and American TV personality LaLa Anthony who opted for a pink, shearling jacket and Fendi monogram boots.
Designer Jones welcomed his set of supermodel friends. Kate Moss joined the likes of Christy Turlington, Amber Valletta and Shalom Harlow to cheer on her daughter Lila as she opened the show and her friend Linda Evangelista, who came out to close it.
Londoners Adwoa Aboah and Lily Allen also showed up to support Jones, who studied at Central Saint Martins before graduating with fashion degrees.
Proenza Schouler also took place on Friday. The NYC-based brand saw models Karen Elson, Emily Ratajkowski and Karlie Kloss gather to watch Bella Hadid strut in a golden knit dress, and up at the World Trade Center, Rebel Wilson teamed up with John Travolta’s daughter Ella Bleu eyeing up the Kate Spade’s latest collection. .
Over the weekend, it was Julia Fox who made a splash in the city. At the Elena Valez show on Saturday, the up-and-coming designer welcomed ex Kanye West with a welcome plus one – her 20-month-old son, Valentino. Both mother and child wore Valez looks for the show, although Valentino stole the spotlight with a pair of black baby Crocs. Definitely chic.
On Sunday, Fox left the F’row and entered the park as he walked for Tommy Hilfiger in heavy rain. She was not short of fans to cheer her on, however. Kate Moss posed with her daughter’s best friend and model Stella Jones as she arrived, before taking her seat next to singer Shawn Mendes. Kardashian-clan count Kris and Kourtney also braved the weather to support musician husband Travis Barker, who took to a drum set on stage during the show.
Highlights earlier in the day included Ulla Johnson’s show featuring Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter Ella Emhoff giving seats, as well as Prabal Gurung welcoming Anna Wintour and Drag Race star Milk to enjoy from his latest collection.
Well known as the most influential person in fashion, Anna Wintour decided to take runway matters into her own hands on Monday evening with a groundbreaking ‘Vogue World’ catwalk. Gathering for the Met Gala’s version of a runway, the glossy fashion magazine’s editor-in-chief welcomed Kanye West, Jared Leto and Doja Cat to see the best of last season’s AW22 designs worn by an A-list model roster .
At the start? Serena Williams, who is currently on the cover of US Vogue’s September issue, where she dropped the bombshell that she is retiring from her tennis career. Lil Nas X beamed at the likes of Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and newlyweds Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz-Beckham as they walked, before jumping up to perform his song Industry Baby. Safe to say, the fashion industry was out in full force to enjoy it.
The final day of New York Fashion Week confirmed the status of the SS23 season as the best in recent years. To the delight of The Devil Wears Prada fans, Anne Hathaway, who played Andrea Sachs, the hard-working assistant to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep’s character infamously based on Anna Wintour), took her seat next to the Vogue editor at Michael Kors show. Her brown polo neck and leather jacket appeared to be a homage to one of her on-screen outfits, sending the internet into a frenzy.
And Tuesday evening saw Tom Ford, who pioneered a sparkling, sexy style in fashion in the early nineties, bringing NYFW to a close. Madonna and her daughter Lourdes Leon joined the Peltz-Beckhams on the front row for a collection of 46 looks, featuring lamé tailoring, lilac cowboy shirts and sporty silhouettes. Then Gigi and Bella Hadid closed the show with star power, strutting down in cut-out and sequinned ball gowns.
Scroll through the gallery above to find the best of the front row.