Our reporters hit Lincoln Center during a chilly New York Fashion Week to photograph street style and ask show-goers,
“Why are you wearing what you’re wearing?” The answers were as diverse as the largely colorful outfits that filled the streets.
G oodbye, all-black-clad New York.
That seemed to be the main message delivered by street fashion during the Winter 2014 Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week.
Some people wore floral prints. Others wore cheetah. And many wore a generous mix of fabrics. Though black made appearances in some fashion lovers’ outfits, the emphasis was on a pop of color amid the snowy, slushy Manhattan streets.
“This season, people are wearing more colors,” noted Dingyi Gong, 26, a Vogue video editor for Conde Nast China. “Like colorful coats and colored dresses.”
The Lincoln Center crowd cited a yearning to brighten things up, even when struggling to stay warm.
“I need to add color to this gloomy black-and-grey sort of New York,” said Shoug Alabrahim, 23.
“I thought I’d throw it together, put a little floral, try to bring the warm weather in,” said Jazzy Schutt-Vanmeveren, 23.
Some took advantage of the cold to wear a variety of oversize, fur and vintage coats – and to accessorize with scarves and hats.
“I was trying to stay as warm as I could without compromising fashion,” said Lindsay Reed, 21.
Gong said that runway fashions similarly emphasized color, particularly for stockings. She pointed to a trend of short dresses with a 1960’s feel, with makeup to go with the color.
But Gong, who arrived at Fashion Week clad in black, said fashion should be a reflection of the wearer’s state of mind.
“Ultimately, for the wearer, there should be no trend,” Gong said. “They have their own personal thing.”