Highlights From New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2022

Christian Siriano debuted his 40th collection this year. To open and close the show, he enlisted Precious Lee, the first black, plus-sized model to appear in the pages of Vogue. Lee proclaims that she is "in the business of making history," and this fashion season, she helped Siriano make a bit of his own. His Spring/Summer 2022 collection featured well-tailored basics with a sense of humor. Blazers had asymmetrical buttons and dresses had cutouts from collarbone to calf. Also included were avant-garde dresses and the welcome return of the bubble skirt.

In recent years, Peter Do has become a staple designer for celebrities and in-the-know fashion addicts. Now, he has finally made his runway debut at New York Fashion Week. The collection featured everything we have come to expect from the designer: sharp tailoring, exquisite suiting, modern accents. The collection also stayed true to current trends, turning away from tight-fitting garments, instead opting for loose pants and oversized suits. Even when retracing common themes, Do's handiwork stands apart.

Gigi Hadid has returned to walking runways only one year after giving birth to her first daughter, Khai. She helped kick off New York Fashion Week walking in Wednesday's Proenza Schouler show. The model made her debut in a printed maxi dress. On Instagram, she announced her return, writing "Fashion month begins!" It's hard to believe it's been so long since Hadid's iconic, pregnant strut in an asymmetrical Jacquemus dress, but this mom is clearly ready to get back to work.

Parisian designer Joseph Altuzarra moved his runway shows to Paris in 2017. Aluzarra said it had been a dream of his to debut his designs in his hometown, and did so for years, before ultimately deciding to return to New York City. Ahead of his Spring/Summer 2022 collection, Altuzarra commissioned Phil Oh to shoot an "homage to street style," many people's favorite part of fashion month, featuring friends of the brand in last season's collection. Check out the photos here. 

Iris Apfel rang in her 100th birthday in perhaps her most daring outfit yet: a yellow ruffled jacket that would make Big Bird insecure. The fashion legend celebrated with friends atop Central Park Tower last Thursday. Guests included Katie Holmes, Tommy Hilfiger, and Halle Bailey. The event also coincides with the announcement of an H&M fashion collaboration which promises to be as bold as the woman who inspired it. 

Who better to host the first fashion show at the Empire State Building than a native New Yorker. LaQuan Smith, raised in the city that never sleeps, took his models all the way to the top of the famous high rise for the debut of his Spring/Summer 2022 collection. It was the designer's first "see now, buy now" show, with a host of A-list guests, including Kylie Jenner (and her baby bump). Smith claims that post-pandemic, people "want to get dressed up," and with a host of glitzy dresses, he is giving them the opportunity to do just that.

Instead of hosting a traditional runway, Tory Burch decided to celebrate the opening of her new store with a block party. The designer invited some of her favorite local spots, Sant Ambroeus, Balthazar, Mercer Street Books and Records, Emily Thompson Flowers, to set up street shops alongside her runway show down Mercer Street. The clothes themselves also paid homage to an American business, that of Claire McCardell, an innovative 20th-century designer. Burch's plaid, knit, and cotton dresses were functional and stylish, in the vein of McCardell's looks for the working woman.

Famously antisocial celebrity Larry David stepped out to sit front row at Stuad this weekend. However, it's unclear whether he enjoyed doing so. The Cut's Emilia Petrarca captured David in a now-viral video, plugging his ears and looking thoroughly downtrodden at the loud event. Staud put out a rotation of breezy, colorful looks for the spring, all in front of a giant disco ball with music blasting. It was a bit much for David.