The menswear and couture shows may have just come to an end a couple of weeks ago, but now our eyes are turning to Fall 2023 Women’s Fashion Week, which is kicking off in the Big Apple tomorrow. From hotly-anticipated designer debuts to Balenciaga’s post-scandal return, these are the main highlights to look forward to from the upcoming season.
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK (Feb. 10 – 15)
Tom Ford, who normally closes out New York Fashion Week, is notably absent from this Fall 2023 season’s calendar. Instead, the designer will be releasing his new collection online. Luar, a fashion brand helmed by Raul Lopez, has snagged the closing slot.
Meanwhile, fresh from winning the trademark case against Adidas, Thom Browne, who has been presenting during Paris Fashion Week since 2011, will return home to New York to showcase his newest collection on Valentine’s Day. Similarly, New York label Heron Preston is making its NYFW debut on Feb. 11, after having shown in Paris since 2017.
Fall 2023 will see 74 shows and presentations take place across New York, with a vast number of them being emerging designers.
LONDON FASHION WEEK (Feb. 17 – 21)
After last season’s Fashion Week schedule was disrupted by the death of the late monarch Queen Elizabeth II, the British Fashion Council is hoping for a return to normality, although London has lost its queen of fashion — Dame Vivienne Westwood, who passed away in December. We can probably expect plenty of designers to pay tribute to the iconic designer across the week.
Most anticipated is Burberry. British designer Daniel Lee, who was recently appointed to spearhead the label following former chief designer Riccardo Tisci’s departure, is set to present his debut collection for the luxury heritage brand this month.
Ahead of the hotly-anticipated day, Lee unveiled a brand new logo for the label, alongside a brand campaign that featured Skepta, Shygirl, Raheem Sterling, and Jun Ji-Hyun ,among other famous faces.
Moncler is also bringing its Genius project to London, where this season, it will be teaming up with Roc Nation by Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Pharrell Williams.
MILAN FASHION WEEK (Feb. 22 – 26)
While last season’s MFW saw runway debuts from Maximilian Davis at Ferragamo, Rhuigi Villaseñor at Bally, and Marco de Vincenzo at Etro, this time around there aren’t that many surprises on the schedule. All the classic names like Prada, Fendi, Giorgio Armani, and Missoni are present, as well as up-and-coming Japanese designer Tomo Koizumi, who is getting support from Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana via a catwalk presentation held in the company’s Italian headquarters during Milan Fashion Week.
Other highlights include Matthieu Blazy’s third collection for Bottega Veneta and Gucci’s second collection after Alessandro Michele’s departure, and before new creative director Sabato de Sarno’s debut in September.
Notably missing from this season’s schedule are Versace, Hugo Boss, and Marni.
PARIS FASHION WEEK (Feb. 27 – March 7)
Anticipation for Paris Fashion Week is high. Months after Balenciaga apologized for its controversial holiday campaign, the luxury label has decided to showcase its newest womenswear collection on March 5. Ahead of the show, Balenciaga announced that it has partnered with the National Children’s Alliance, an organization dedicated to helping local communities fight to end child abuse.
Fashion lovers can also expect designer debuts — Back in December, Ludovic de Saint Sernin was appointed as Ann Demeulemeester’s first new creative director since Sebastien Meunier’s departure in 2020. The brand, which has largely been operating with an unnamed in-house team, will present its first collection under the creative direction of the Brussels-born designer next month. British designer Harris Reed will also be beginning his tenure at Nina Ricci.
Also on the schedule, storied couture house Schiaparelli will be making its runway debut with the ready-to-wear designs of Daniel Roseberry. The line had been shown as presentations in its Place Vendôme headquarters.
Meanwhile, Peter Dundas and Palm Angels, which typically present their collections during Milan, will be showcasing their newest offerings during Paris Fashion Week in March; while Alexander McQueen, Y/Project, and Paco Rabanne (whose namesake died earlier this month) are all set to make a return this season.
Of course, hard-hitters including Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Loewe, and Valentino will all be showing.
