#SuzyNYFW: Making It Simple To Put Women First

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Ralph Lauren SS19 (left) and Diane von Furstenberg AW19 (right)

Ralph Lauren: In Praise of Intimacy

As I joined the Ralph Lauren Madison Avenue tea party last weekend, my eyes were not entirely on the streamlined outfits traced with golden bands, nor on the sweet, sugary delicacies, nor even on the Upper East Side locals pushing through as revered clients.

Ralph SS19

I absorbed all of the above at Ralph Lauren’s Manhattan store, realising that ‘experience’ is now the buzz word and the leitmotif of luxury. Whether it is Tiffany offering breakfast, lunch or tea at its famous Fifth Avenue store, or the new Hudson Yards transforming shopping in New York City, fashion on its own is no longer enough.

There is change at every level, from the Valentine's Day offerings at Bloomingdale's to the persistent belief in see-now, buy-now at Ralph Lauren. The buzz is around anything intimate and personal - and that seems fresher than the familiar line-up of celebrities.

Ralph Lauren SS19

Given that Lauren celebrated 50 years in fashion last season with a glamorous show and black tie party in Central Park, the intimacy of his see-now, buy-now show was beguiling.

The models wore a pared-down glamour, say a tailored shirt - white to contrast with the severity of the black skirt or trousers - with gilded accessories. That might include anything from gilt buttons on a trouser suit, through a low-wattage glitter sweater, to narrow heeled shoes or a broad metallic bracelet.

The streamlined jewels included giant earrings or other gilded effects, proving that choose-it-yourself is another strong storyline for collections leading up to a new decade.

Diane von Furstenberg: What Women Want

The year 2020 forecasts women being more in control than ever of how they want to dress according to their needs - as well as their moods and moves. That is the view of Diane von Furstenberg, who is welcoming a new designer (yet to be officially announced) alongside CEO Sandra Campos for whom she has jokingly named the new collection 'Boss Lady'.

Diane von Furstenberg AW19

The DVF choice for a fresh creative designer came when she saw a young assistant looking through the archives “starting to play a little bit with what was already in the work and all of a sudden it just gelled: she was doing what I used to do. Except that she is 33!”

In fashion terms, the new collection is all in the mix, with a tailored camel coat (“which she can wear anywhere”) worn over silken pyjama pants, which, at home can be paired with a simple black sweater, or for an evening out, with a matching silk shirt.

Diane von Furstenberg AW19

“Formula dressing, uniform, that’s our little place on the white wall,” the brand’s founder explained, while her own role is now based on her many philanthropy commitments.

A peep into the busy life of the millennial generation was carried out in a private setting, as the model changed from trousers, to a simple dress for work and then, with a quick removal, into a mini dress for evening.

“If you know how to pack, you know how to dress,” DVF claims, among other statements such as: “You focus on the woman and you focus on what she wants”.

One of the founder’s direct lines to millennials is to her granddaughter, Talita.

Diane von Furstenberg AW19

In the capsule collection, there is one silken dress, designed by Talita, for which DVF is particularly proud: a pattern of newspaper clippings of her work.

“Everyone thinks that John Galliano invented it, but I did it before him in 1982!” The designer said.

Delivery date for this new venture is August 2019, 37 years on.