My Watch List for Fall 2024
The fashion industry starts every new year off at a rapid clip, between the men’s fall shows followed immediately by haute couture. As of next Friday, February 9th, we are on to the women’s Fall 2024 collections for a full month. While this season will see fewer new designer debuts, there will still be plenty of opportunities for drama. Here are the top five things on my radar:
This season, Irish designer Seán McGirr will show his first collection for Alexander McQueen. I know I – and I suspect much of the industry - will miss Sarah Burton’s lush, feminine collections, and deft precision tailoring, but it will be interesting to see how the brand will evolve in someone else’s hands. I will be most curious to see if McGirr will embrace more of McQueen’s angst side or continue with Burton’s more tempered aesthetic.
The other debut that I am interested to see is Matteo Tamburini, who is beginning his tenure at Italian luxury brand Tod’s. I think Tod’s should be on par with a brand like Brunello Cucinelli, but it has struggled to find a creative director who can harness its unique DNA while offering something new to the 1% consumer who can afford it. We shall see if Tamburini is the man to deliver a winning collection.
CFCL (Clothing for Contemporary Life) has been a personal favorite of mine during Paris Fashion Week over the last few seasons. Founded in 2020, CFCL designer Yusuke Takashi, who previously designed menswear for Issey Miyake, creates clothing that is comfortable and sophisticated while also being made responsibly using recycled materials. Though the brand has been staging its catwalk outside of the official calendar, it will open Paris Fashion Week on Monday, February 26th – a huge triumph for the brand.
Meanwhile, back in the US, New York Fashion Week will kick off with Peter Do’s sophomore collection for Helmut Lang. Though Do’s reductive and refined tailoring made him a natural fit at Helmut Lang, I thought his debut at the minimalist cult brand did not really bring it up to date in a way that felt relevant for now. Hopefully, Do will continue to refine his vision for Helmut Lang and bring it into sharper focus this go around.
And finally, the Fall 2024 season will be Daniel Lee’s third show for Burberry. Though Lee was considered a wunderkind during his short stint at Bottega Veneta, he has struggled to present a unique fashion perspective for Burberry that merges a modern look with desirable products and the house codes. It’s a problem that every designer has had ever since Christopher Bailey left the brand. We will see if Lee can hit his stride with this third collection for the house.
Photo courtesy of CatwalkPhotos / Shutterstock
