Some design inspirations can be described in one word: “Highgrove” at Marchesa or “Disruption” à la Boss. Others are more elaborate: Elie Tahari’s sentence-long inspiration, “The more futuristic things become, the more appealing timelessness is,” or Gabriela Hearst’s use of a quote as inspiration — “I am rooted, but I flow” from Virginia Woolf.

The day before New York Fashion Week, which ran from Feb. 11-18, Women’s Wear Daily reported over 100 NYFW designers’ thoughts behind their fall collections. While several designers shared similar ideas — common ones included variations of New York City, juxtaposition, movement and texture — some inspirations stood out from the rest. These more interesting inspirations shared with WWD led to the best collections during fashion week.

Unlike single-word or more elaborate answers, Sofia Sizzi of Giulietta asked a question: “What’s the difference between love and obsession?” When her models walked the runway, the message came through clearly. In reds, blacks, silvers and plenty of heart motifs, Sizzi delivered a fun and glamorous collection that told a story of love and heartbreak.

Jeremy Scott described his inspiration to WWD as “Space Cowboy.” While his clothes were odd and extreme, there’s no denying that his quirky taste is amusing and even fascinating in contrast with the predictability that comes with some other designers. Combining denim and cow prints, galactic motifs and rock and roll touches, Scott’s “Space Cowboy” idea portrayed a theme of American optimism and possibility.

At Michael Kors, fringe, feathers, sequins and posh coats told his simple theme of “Gossip girls.” He created an image of flirtation and popularity and the ultimate girly-girl aesthetic. My favorite look was his finale: the coolest flared pants in a textured sheer sequin, an oversized white fur coat and matching white pointy-toed heels. Kors proved that despite his minimalistic tendencies of the past, he knows how to dress a party girl.

One of my absolute favorite collections this season was by Anna Sui, who described her inspiration as the work of pop artists like Peter Blake, Niki de Saint Phalle, Tadanori Yokoo and Richard Lindner. Sui mixed bold, jewel-toned prints to perfection. The mood was psychedelic and high-energy, and it seemed that her motto was “more is more.” With big fur coats and velvet touches, the collection appeared both eclectic and expensive.

Prabal Gurung’s inspiration this season was “Into the Woods,” a description that reigned true with his nature-inspired looks. Don’t confuse nature with simplicity, though — embellishments, luxurious fabrics and furs were key components of the show. The woods came into play with his use of individual feathers and feather prints and his various types of fur.

Finally, “Moonlight tours of Phang Nga Bay, Karen Carpenter and 90s acid trips in Joshua Tree affected this collection. That’s why it is gellin’ like Magellan!” was the inspiration at Libertine. Full of sequined patches and graphics, many of the looks at Libertine appeared collaged — like someone went through magazines and cut out random images, pasting them all on top of each other. The opulence of this collection was unparalleled, as there were sequins and crystals everywhere.

If there’s one thing to note from the fall collections this year in New York, it is that we are entering an era of maximalism. Forget effortlessness and easiness: abundance and excess are the new overarching themes for this season. Between furs, graphic motifs, wild colors and shimmer galore, it is time to go for the Bedazzling Gun. Fashion is about to get glitzy.

Jackie Homan is a sophomore magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly in Pul You can email her at jahoman@syr.edu or follow her @jackie_homan on Twitter.

Published on February 22, 2016 at 8:37 pm