Gabriela Hearst is dressing the modern woman. This is not a collection that panders to the male gaze but from flowing skirts to pantsuits her clothes were still very feminine with a simple, minimalist aesthetic.  Hearst hasn't skimped on luxury though. Her muse knows what she wants and isn’t about to compromise.

A completely wearable collection from Marissa Webb who, like several other designers, seems to have gone there inspiration from Mexico this season. With her off-the-shoulder dresses, sweetheart necklines, frills and gently flared skirts, the collection represents market stall dressing - not clothes bought at a market stall, but those you’d ideally love to wear while browsing an open air market somewhere exotic like Morocco or Marrakesh... or maybe even Bermuda. Her signature high waisted jeans, floral print dresses with ruffle skirts and corset tops with balloon sleeves and belted shorts all rounded off her collection for Spring.

Dion Lee showed new nudes and super sexy styles for spring where layered one armed jackets and lace were paired with shorts and trousers in the most flattering shades of brown and camel. One-armed trench coats, shrugs and shrunken sweaters were cut to expose the body, and wraparound trousers exposed the legs.

Tory Burch’s muse was on safari in Africa this season but she harkened back to the colonial era, full of mid- to full-length skirts and dresses, frills and flowers and just enough tribal touches to be on the right side of the cultural appropriation debate. There was an overwhelming lack of formality this season with a predominance of cotton, twill and jersey paired with safari jackets and knits. Coats were cinched at the waist with casually tied belts. Dresses were worn with sneakers for less precious feel and there was a lot of verticality in the elongating stripes that were predominantly featured.

For Carly Cushnie’s first solo show under the newly revamped Cushnie label without her former partner, she sent a veritable rainbow down the runway. For inspiration, Cushnie Drew on her Caribbean culture and heritage. The cohesive or unifying force was that they were all of a slimline, body-conscious silhouette with an emphasis on the upper body and shoulders. Woven, crystal-embellished mesh added a modern take on tassels. Flowing trousers with a long slightly flaring leg and sexy knits in strong, primary colours, leant a boldness to the show. 

Lisa Perry riffs on her usual simple, mod and streamlined silhouette with the addition of felt floral appliqués in bold, primary colours that were, in part, inspired by Martial Raysse’s 1965 neo-realist painting called ‘Tableau Simple et Doux’. Her usual a-line mini skirts and brightly coloured dresses show up, but these are interspersed with flowing trousers and soft cashmere sweaters. Denim, a fabric that is not commonly found in Perry’s collections, makes an appearance in the form of an oversized, appliquéd jacket and a funnel necked vinyl bomber jacket.

We’ve featured Valentino’s diffusion line pretty consistently for the last few seasons, and each time a new collection is released, we expect to be disappointed or underwhelmed by the offering but have yet to be so. 

That is not to say that this latest collection doesn’t have its problems. It’s neither groundbreaking in style nor trendsetting, yet Red Valentino continues to do well that what it does: interpret the latest designs and styles smartly and well and it aligns itself to compete with other brands making a push towards a younger markets like Coach. This time that meant bibbed bodices, boxy shapes, and pleated or frilled skirts, embroidered sheers and tulle. There were some off-shoulder looks and gorgeous warm outerwear, but for the most part it the youthful collection was strong in its folksy vibe and Mexican influences. The strong, punchy colours used (blue, red, black and white) combined well with floral patterns and highlighted both strength and creativity with its hard and soft elements which were intended to reflect the many sides of a woman.

You will note that we have wilfully disregarded the horrendous ballet shoe-cum-sneaker the poor models were required to wear.

A navy and white colour scheme was the shorthand used by Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia for the nautical theme that ran through Monse’s spring 2019 collection. This theme was extended by the rope motif which could be found dangling from belt buckles or were used as ties on halter neck dresses and even turned up as a repeating pattern on the clothes.

Unusually for the house, both men and women showed on the runway. The unisex clothes included mismatched rugby shirts, A short/skirt hybrid made from grosgrain ribbon, slouchy fishermans’ vests and oversized coats, cardigans and jackets, but our favourites included a raw-edged, deconstructed, asymmetrical shirt dress and a half denim jacket parka.

Rainbow bright and vibrant colours can only help to elevate one’s mood. And while such colours can often come across as juvenile, the stripes and hand drawn graphic prints found throughout the spring collection from Novis are anything but. Luxurious fabrics like silk helped to elevate the clothes as did the wealth of detail which was obviously given to each piece. This included dots on pleats, billowing tulle and tiered dresses. The collection consisted mainly of dresses in very springlike colours and also featured gingham as this shows no sign of waning in popularity. The favourite skirt length shown was that of the tea dress, hitting the mid- to lower-calf. The collection closed with some gorgeous, detailed gowns which were little Delpozo-like in their construction but nonetheless created a very beautiful statement.

Let’s kick off our coverage of New York Fashion Week’s Spring 2019 ready to wear collections with a look at Ulla Johnson whose show was one of our favourites so far. 

Delicate flowers and bold stripes characterised Johnson’s collection. High necklines and modest hemlines show our preoccupation with discordant times and a more pragmatic outlook. This is not to say that there weren’t any fun pieces: flirty miniskirts were paired with mutton leg or balloon sleeves, while prairie dresses found a counterbalance in modern, streamlined styles. Johnson showed patchwork pieces on bodices which managed to be both graphic and feminine. The clothes were imbued with a folksy, ethnic spirit and for Spring Johnson called on both Namibian and Victorian influences and placed an emphasis on craft.