FW22: the top five trends store buyers need to know from NYFW

At the Fall/Winter 2022 New York ready-to-wear collections, a post-pandemic energy surrounded the newer designers and included many fresh looks from more established brands. In sum there was a rejection of the past two years of comfort dressing, while still offering lots of commercial possibilities. Here are the top five trends store buyers should invest in for fw22.

New American Sportswear

In a nod to the eventual return to a working and social life outside the home, designers showed tailored looks with a masculine/feminine vibe, including broad shouldered suits with wide legged pants. Michael Kors showed suits and clutch coats in both head-to-toe monochromatic neutrals and bright colors. Peter Do's offering included coats with Balenciaga-esque shoulders and floor-length sleeveless vests over wide-length pants under coats in camel, grey and white. Proenza Schouler accessorized suits with body shapers and at The Row the Olsens showed their usual black tailored suits and coats but also included bright colors for a change.

Chanel Redux

Was it a coincidence or did New York designers pay homage to the late Karl Lagerfeld and the House of Chanel? One way or another, the iconic tweed was shown in several collections including those of the younger crowd. At Jason Wu a short tweed coat and two piece suit were trimmed to great effect with a thick fringe Alice & Olivia and Altuzarra both showed tweed coats; at the former, a mid-length tweed coat over a short glittery dress and patent calf-length boots and at the latter, a full-length version trimmed with faux fur. Kim Shui juxtaposed tweed corsets with frilly lace pants, tattered skirts and bellbottoms. Saint Sintra, Frederick Anderson and Christian Conwan all showed modern tweed looks.

Inside Out

Designers delved into the boudoir for inspiration and showed all manner of lingerie looks including bodysuits, corsetry and sheers. At Brandon Maxwell a series of structured bodices in black and cream satin were shown in a wide variety of ways, including with denim jeans and a long chiffon skirt. It was a similar story at Dion Lee. Those showing body suits included Bibhu Mohapatra and Batbo. Corsetry was on display at Khaite, Puppets and Puppets, Ulla Johnson and Jason Wu.

Spirit of '76

There is something about the bohemian fashions of the 1970s that continue to appeal to designers and their clients alike. New York collections were peppered with crochet, patchwork and colorful prints. Tanya Taylor showed a bell-sleeved dress in a multi-colored dress, while Ulla Johnson mixed prints with a tiered dress with contrast sleeves and vest for a gypsy look. It was a similar story at Altazurra. Zimmerman showed a cream crochet ensemble with cape and skirt with fringe and Jonathan Simkhai's cape was rendered in a broadly striped wool.

Let Rip

For a more directional trend, buyers should look to the group of New York designers who expressed a more dystopian view of fall fashion. This included deconstructed and tattered looks. At Eckhaus Latta that meant ripped up jeans, pants and sweater knits. Dion Lee showed braided knit dresses with holes and slits while Elena Valez's Goth girls wore similarly ripped designs made from sailcloth. At R13, Chris Leba presented grunge inspired looks featuring shirt backs turned into hoods and lots of plaid pieces accessorized with layered jewelry.