Diane von Furstenberg united the super-set of the moment in her West 14th Street New York City headquarters in an internet-breaking move for her AW16 presentation. From Kloss to Dunn and Kendall to Gigi, models joshed around in glamorous jocundity in what really is the best way to sell the clothes designed by the original high society party girl herself, von Furstenberg.
Channelling her lust for life into her new collection the designer produced the kind of slinky, figure-loving clothing which instantly saw the models smiling, a moderate rarity in this day and age outside of Instagram, in jewel-toned sequins, snaking fur scarves and sassy prints. Referring to the whole shebang as not quite a show, not quite a presentation, but instead an experience, AW16 at DVF saw models put on their best dancing stilettos for one hour in a swirl of painterly striped, slashed and dashed prints and infinitely empowering femininity which rebuked some of fashion’s diktats.
The final garments, put together as well as they were, weren’t groundbreaking in any sense but it really didn’t come down to that per se. Instead von Furstenberg, a keen custodian of fashion’s furtherance as board chairman of the CFDA, is like many countless other designers repurposing the fashion system as we know it. In the short term, with all eyes presently on New York, this jacked some life into the presenting of ready-to-purchase clothing as a means to instantaneously market luxury garments.
Only in the long term will we see how much it pays off plus the effect it has on the brand names designers have forged, but for now, like DVF and her gaggle of aspirant party girls, we are enjoying the corroboree that is fashion’s changing climate.
by Liam Feltham
Images courtesy of Diane von Furstenberg, video courtesy of InDigital