Off the Runway

It is often said that there are two runways at fashion week.

First, there is the previously-deemed more obvious one. This exists within the venues that sample whatever new trends will populate our wardrobes but more importantly serve to forecast. Then there are the increasingly prominent ones that speak more pertinently and unofficially — meandering across the “concrete catwalk” (sorry for that phrase), displaying the cues of personal style that translate into trends that won’t require a wait time and might in fact simply suggest that you get to your own closet and recreate whatever it is you’re seeing — here’s the magical selling point: now.

So that’s the real runway vs. the improvisational, relatively new street runway and the conversation on which one commands more attention has yet to die out. Here’s something worth considering though: sometimes, the things that are actually trending off the real runways of Fashion Week aren’t photographed. That’s not true entirely — in New York, there was the Celine polo which commanded more clicks than a cat-eating baby could. It came replete with an athletically striped collar and two more rows of yellow and red lines across the bottom of the garment.

There were also the Fall15 Stella McCartney lace-up creepers, which launched just in time for Lincoln Center moseying, some replete with stars, others simply black or beige. And finally, there was another remnant from the previous spring season: the prolific striped print that came care of Joseph Altuzarra’s second-to-last reawakening.

This print was everywhere — on skirts, blouses, dresses — almost serving as a mascot for the designer, who no doubt took home the fashion gold this season in New York.

In London, I noticed two particular garments that spoke to larger trends, which were everywhere. First, there were the frayed edges of Marques’Almeida’s denim. These came in dresses, jackets, tops and jeans. Second, there were plenty of loafers. This particular time of year — the limbo between summer and fall — tends to call for a resuscitation of the menswear-style shoe, almost as though it marks the beginning of what’s new in a style that is fancifully irreverent.

Of particular popularity in London were Gucci’s horsebit loafers. I saw these on at least six different occasions. They were served in burgundy and tan suede, black patent leather, and navy. But when came time to pull the images, there were so few proofs-of-concept. None, as far as I could tell, to be exact.

So this presents an interesting and important question vis-a-vis the conversation on which runway is more popular: how can the comparison be rendered fair at all if what’s happening on the street, as told through a lens, isn’t even completely accurate?