Tonight, on the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks — a day that many of us sailed through without acknowledging — Givenchy staged its 2016 Spring and Summer collection at Pier 26 overlooking the Hudson River, the new 1 World Trade looming overhead, a reminder of not only those who had fallen, but of the resilience of this bright, fast, pulsing city. RELATED: Rachel Comey had the most diverse Fashion Week show we’ve seen It was beautiful and moving and epic in a kind of way fashion shows — at least here — rarely are. There were chanting monks, the memorial light beamingoverhead and an art show that made people actually think instead of flipping through their phones. But it was also a fashion show, and there were runway spills and movie stars (hello, Julia Roberts!) and Kendall Jenner. Oh, yeah, clothes, too — really lovely clothes. Here is everything you need to know about New York Fashion Week’s biggest event.
LITERALLY EVERYONE was there
No, but seriously, we’re only kind of exaggerating. A partial list of the celebrities who sashayed through our live feed: Christina Ricci, Nicki Minaj, Julia Roberts, Liv Tyler, Steven Tyler, Debbie Harry, Amanda Seyfried, Uma Thurman, Erykah Badu (!!!) Hailee Steinfeld, Courtney Love, Pedro Almodovar … oh and Kim and Kanye, but duh: Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci is North’s godfather. RELATED: PHOTOS: Kim Kardashian, Julia Roberts and more attend Givenchy at NWFW It started an hour late
Allegedly, the show was delayed an hour due to the late arrival of the Kardashian-Wests. However, we think it was timed that way: The show started right after the sun had stopped setting (beautiful!), and during magic hour guests (and those watching at home) were treated not only to a divine sunset, but also a performance art piece by … Marina effing Abramovic — and a chanting monk
Yes, the world’s most famous performance artist created a piece for the show. There were lots of bodies holding one another and moving slowly and holding tree branching and reaching out toward water trickling down from a pipe and droning and chanting, and, you know, it was awesome. Haters, to the left.
Not one but TWO models tripped on the runway
But they didn’t get hurt! Also: Seat members got up to help both of them. Who says fashion people aren’t nice?
There were 88 LOOKS
Yes: 88 outfits, 88 models, men and women. There were romantic, stripped down variations of tuxedo dressing, with languid trousers and twisted silk-and-lace camisoles, as well as some of Tisci’s greatest hits from older collections, like an embossed crocodile-skin gown and a black blazer with an explosion of plumage. And the entire collection was black and white, because … It was, partly, a tribute to 9/11
The show was serious, and somber, but also had a lot of light. The music — from the Buddhist chants to the Middle Eastern-flavored violin to a soprano singing “Ave Maria” at the very end — was chosen from six different cultures to — according to Abramovic’s show notes — “unite people without discrimination. This event is about forgiveness, inclusivity, new life, hope and above all love.”
