NYFW FW19: Alexander Wang by j- No Via Flickr: Rockefeller Center Plaza Midtown Manhattan NYC May 31, 2019
In his second year of having seceded from the official NYFW schedule and venues, Wang has taken his shows to the street and opted for Summer and Winter instead of February and September. This presentation of his Collection 1 women's and men's ready-to-wear came just a few days before the start of Men's Week, which runs June 3-5 at a new location across from Hudson Yards.
In stark contrast to his faux guerilla-style stripped down street shows in 2017, closing out May, Alexander opted for the opulent this season, with a somewhat bombastic spectacle in the heart of Rockefeller Center. The lower level area which in winter hosts the tourist favorite and Instagrammable skating rink had a giant light-box installed for the runway.
The SRO event was open to the public, up top on street-level, with a view distant enough that it would best have been experienced with a pair of binoculars. Avid fashionistas queued up early to be let into the mezzanines flanking the two ends of the runway, behind the rows of flagpoles. Which was appropriate, considering the Collections Americana theme, with videos of rippling stars and stripes cascading across the runway throughout the show. And what could be more American than hot dogs and pretzels, freely available from well-stocked Wang-branded food-carts. Green tea slushies were served in special white AW-logoed eBay-worthy metal sip cups, provided by sponsor Arizona. The weather was cooperative, mid-70s, blue skies, with a gentle breeze.
Down below, 350 VIPs, including Anna Wintour and Diplo, were able to sit on metal bleacher benches. A small, recessed photo pit was positioned mid-runway for select press.
The show began (only thirty minutes late) with an abbreviated snippet of the unofficial ode to Manhattan grandeur, Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue. A video flashed a warning to "photosensitive epileptics", with the caveat that, regardless, they will not want to miss it.
To rather monotonous and anonymous EDM, the blazing white runway segued into shifting graphics as the models entered and walked in a diagonal to one corner, then around the perimeter, before making an opposite diagonal walk back, crisscrossing each other in the middle. Among those walking were celeb models Kendall Jenner and Kaia Gerber and a slouching, awkward Pete Davidson (of SNL fame) in a hip-hop inspired look, wearing familiar two-tone legged pants.
Fall coats and jackets predominated, most in white, and the balance in black and dark tones. The long trench coats were mostly paired with short asymmetrical skirts, boy shorts worn under a number of them. Studs and denim, another Wang trademark look, also made their appearance, as did some (hopefully fake) fur and notable amount of fringe and a more Western-styled version of his stock braided belts.
For the finale, the several dozen models filed military-style into rows, facing the photo pit, before filing out, minutes later.
Once the runway was cleared, Wang came bounding out in a victory run, waving wildly to the crowd, in a pink and white ensemble, before grabbing his somewhat hesitant parents and bringing them onto the runway for a final bow, perfectly coinciding with the clear sky sunset.
