Spring 2022 marked a triumphant and long-awaited return to in-person runway shows. But more than just a celebration of the ability to come together and experience fashion in person – which was certainly present – the season felt like a new chapter, a glimpse at the direction in which fashion is moving that we hadn’t been able to see before. Three overriding themes that stood out, in particular, were an appeal to Gen-Z consumers, sustainability, and a reconsideration of the presentation and function of fashion.
Tory Burch owned the streets of New York with her personal vision of functional femininity. Following the impressive launch of its first menswear collection in June, Erdem staged another knockout show that was a soulful ode to the past and present of London. Prada displayed the smartest response to the last year of streaming shows and screen-based content, staging an interwoven, simulcast live show from Milan and Shanghai.
In Paris, Rick Owens once again confirmed himself as an artist at the top of his game with a collection featuring beautiful, sculptural layering and an astounding use of color – the latter of which is a relatively rare but always welcome move for the designer, who mostly works in black and white. Relatively recent creative director Matthew M. Williams hit his stride at Givenchy, delivering a very strong and sure-to-sell collection that fused his American contemporary sensibility with classic house codes and French sartorial craft.
Louis Vuitton saved the best for last, closing out the month with a marquis show that was rife with dark romance, brilliant historical layering, and plenty of drama – in more ways than one.
Here are The Impression’s Top 10 fashion shows of the Spring 2022 runway season as selected by our Chief Impressionist, Kenneth Richard.
