Models present creations by Belgian designer Raf Simons as part of his Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2014 fashion collection for French fashion house Christian Dior in Paris, January 20, 2014.GONZALO FUENTES/Reuters
New York (Feb. 9-17)
While New York Fashion Week moves downtown to Skylight Clarkson Square in West Soho, several designers have chosen to stage their shows even further afield. Tommy Hilfiger, Rebecca Minkoff, Rachel Comey and Rachel Zoe will all present their fall 2017 collections in Los Angeles. At Calvin Klein, former Dior designer Raf Simons will make his debut by combining men's and women's ready-to-wear into one show, a first for the brand. On Feb. 13, Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia will jointly present Monse and Oscar de la Renta – where they were named creative directors in September – via back-to-back runway shows.
London (Feb. 17-21)
Fashion's trend watchers will be keeping a close eye on designer Molly Goddard, the breakthrough talent who won the emerging talent category at Britain's 2016 Fashion Awards in December. Continuing the co-ed strategy that became even more commonplace at the men's-wear shows last month, several brands including Burberry, Margaret Howell, Julien Macdonald and Teatum Jones will show both men's and women's piece on the same runway.
Milan (Feb. 22-28)
At Marni, Francesco Risso will make his debut as creative director. His appointment, after founder Consuelo Castiglioni stepped down in October, followed eight years working at Prada. To honour the life and contributions of Franca Sozzani, a public memorial will be held on Feb. 27 at Milan's duomo. The 66-year-old died of lung cancer on Dec. 22 after 28 years at the helm of Vogue Italia.
Paris (Feb. 28 to Mar. 8)
Also forgoing New York, Rodarte and Hood By Air will move their shows to Paris (this season is also the last time Proenza Schouler will appear on the Big Apple calendar, as they're planning to transport their presentation overseas to coincide with Paris's couture week). Following in the see now, buy now footsteps of Tom Ford is H&M. The Swedish retailer will present its Spring 2017 Studio Collection as its first shoppable runway grouping on Mar. 1. Finally, at Chloé, creative director Clare Waight Keller will bid adieu to the label with her final collection after six years with the French brand.
THIS WEEK'S STYLE HAPPENINGS
- Canadian designer Amanda Lew Kee and her partners Cheney Xu and Clement Cheng are launching her new fashion label, Alynement, in Paris via a partnership with Amastan Hotels. From Feb. 2-11, the capsule collection will be displayed at a pop-up shop created by Toronto’s StackLab designs. Founded in 2017, Alynement is a collection of made-in-Italy leathergoods and knitwear from China. For more information, visit www.alynement.com.
- On Feb. 7 in New York, Epson will present its third annual Digital Couture event, an opportunity for designers to create a fashion line using the brand’s textile printing technology. This year, Canadian designer Sarah Stevenson will be taking part. Known for creating original fabrics featuring her artwork, Stevenson will be producing textiles with Epson’s dye-sublimation, direct-to-fabric and direct-to-garment technologies. For more information, visit www.epson.com.
- Re\Set, two evenings of fashion presentations by Toronto labels will take place Feb. 6 and 7 at The Great Hall on Queen Street West. The designer lineup includes Sid Neigum, Beaufille, Markoo and Hilary Macmillan. For more information, visit www.reset.fashion.