The Hottest New York Fashion Week 2020 Trends

What are the hottest New York Fashion Week 2020 trends?

1. Chocolate brown with or without splashes of color
2. Bridal and tulle
3. Unobvious, complex silhouettes
4. Leather
5. Floral print
6. Dresses with capes
7. Downtown chic
8. Ruffles, bows, and puffs

What makes something a trend? That’s one question New York Fashion Week 2020 had us asking. The answer? A change in the perception of something that already exists rather than innovating or creating something new. Designers revamped classics while staying true to their identities. The dresses gracing runways featured chunky knits with strings, draping, pleats, and rhinestone fringes. Gowns and dresses were typified by robust tartan prints. In terms of color, we witnessed two extremes: wild bursts of color or classic, subdued hues like chocolate brown and elegant black. Here are the trends at New York Fashion Week 2020 that made the biggest impression on us.

Color

Last season belonged to khaki, but that’s now past. This season, it’s been replaced by a deep chocolate brown, the new neutral. Think of the color of chocolate chip brownies. This hue is very versatile. You can let splashes of color peek out or dress in it from head to toe depending on preference.

This trend isn’t a surprise as neutrals and black normally dominate fall/winter collections. Designers like Marc Jacobs, Carolina Herrera, Jason Wu, and Sally LaPointe stole the show with their signature monochromatic appeal.

Bridal

This season, all things bridal are in. We are witnessing a booming bridal market for whatever reason, perhaps as the world’s biggest economies finally recuperate from the disastrous economic downturn of recent years. Major designers jumping the bridal bandwagon at Fashion Week included Tom Ford, Brandon Maxwell, and Khaite.

Many brides have felt forced to compromise on their fashion taste. That will no longer be necessary because with the latest trends, you can dress fashionably at your wedding without violating etiquette. Choose from sophisticated two-piece bandeaus, off-the-shoulder lace gowns, and cutout, statement, long-sleeve, open-back wedding dresses.

Exquisite, Innovative Tailoring

There is no better time to be a busy woman who’s always dressed to the nines. Innovative tailoring was displayed in several ways – major and empowering by designers like Michael Kors or elegant and refined at Marina Moscone and The Row. Silhouettes are bulking up this season. It’s all about making a statement. Ruffles and shoulder pads are in. Out-there formal evening dresses and gowns dominated the catwalk. Voluminous structured outfits exuded fantastic glamour, seen at Christopher John Rogers and Area.

Tulle and Veiling

In keeping with the bridal theme, thin tulle veiling had its minutes of fame on this week's runways. This is also in line with another hot trend, tulle. At the show, Carolina Herrera paired a white strapless gown with a lace face veil, while Christopher John Rogers combined a rose gold dress with a veil in the same hue for a sweet whiff of color. Few things are more uniquely feminine and charming than frothy tulle dresses, frequently associated with weddings and ballerina costumes. The illusive, transparent features of this fine, airy material have come to symbolize strength, sensitivity, and purity: the essence of what it means to be a woman.

Leather is the New Orange

Designers like Gabriela Hearst and Claudia Li offered up edgy casual and semi-formal dresses consisting of layers of leather. Leather has come to the forefront as a new wardrobe staple.

A Rose by any Other Name…

There’s something very artsy about the floral prints we saw on the catwalks. By means of a black and white line pattern, Carolina Herrera devised rose dresses. Some white and pastel dresses featured garden paintings along the hemlines. Designers like Tory Burch augmented their outfits through dainty, charming prints created by fine artists. Florals, more specifically roses, will grace dresses and gowns this spring.

Glitz and Glam

Maximalism is undergoing an advent with glamour, glitz, and sparkles coming by way of shiny sheers by Tom Ford, glittering fringes by Area, and simple '50s style black palette dresses by genre master Brandon Maxwell. This trend is good news for all women looking for the right ratio of comfort to visual appeal.

Vampire Diaries

Now is the time to shine if you’ve always wanted to leave a billowing fabric in your wake as you breeze by. Designers like Jason Wu, Carolina Herrera, and Brandon Maxwell featured caped dresses with lots of drama.

Cutouts

Prabal Gurung, Dion Lee, and other designers communicated a general sense of lightness through hints of skin, making the strong statement that seasonal wear has finally come to an end. We saw cutouts on almost every runway. The hips are the focus of attention this season. These liberating, unrestrictive pieces will move on and with you. You can go sultry on this trend with barely there lingerie or a visible thong.

Uptown Girl – Downtown Attitude 

Jonathan Cohen and R13 embraced downtown chic combined with uptown class. The designers reworked florals and plaids with punk chic.

Puffs and Ribbons

Victorian frills are back, as are ribbon neck ties, puff sleeves, and ruffle trims. These embellishments graced melancholy romantic frocks by Zimmermann, Anna Sui, and Brock Collection.

Final Thoughts on New York Fashion Week 2020

Marc Jacobs closed out New York Fashion Week with an exciting, otherworldly show with over a hundred dancers and models in a display of gorgeous pandemonium that delivered on astounding fashion. Apart from those mentioned, there were notable collections by Rodarte and Khaite. Big names like Pyer Moss, Tommy Ralph Lauren, and Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty were strangely and suspiciously absent. Overall, New York Fashion Week 2020 was commercially oriented and straightforward. The collections from Christopher John Rogers and Area with their nuanced perceptions of beauty and femininity were the exception rather than the rule.

Complex tailoring, innovation, color, and leather were the most exciting trends, at least in our humble opinion. Admittedly, they were not all that unexpected. This doesn’t apply to Victorian frills, glamorous takes on evening wear, downtown chic, and sexy cutouts. All in all, we can say there was something for everyone at New York Fashion Week 2020.