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New York Fashion Week returned after two seasons of virtual shows during the pandemic, forcing many designers to flex their creative muscles differently to stand out in a digital world. With the return of physical shows, it was clear that designers were ready to get back to the excitement that a live crowd draws, bringing a host of creative activations to the runway for New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2022.
Grace Influential Style Ambassador Taylor Angino worked closely with American designer Jonathan Simkhai for this year’s show. Months of preparation finally landed them in New York a few days prior to the show. Below, Taylor takes us through the exciting days leading up to the show right into the big day.
“We arrived in New York City Sunday, September 5th, and started building out our office space the next day. We built shelving units, tables, lighting, fitting rooms, and workstations for the seamstresses and overnight, it was transformed into a space conducive to begin the show prep for Jonathan Simkhai.
The next day we began our work with casting director, Anita Bitton to select 35 models for the show. We were looking for the models who best encapsulated the Jonathan Simkhai woman—one who is elegant, refined with a slight edge to her, a coolness. When the auditions wrapped and the models were finalized, we began to sort and fit each model for their look—making sure all outfits were tailored appropriately. The next few days were a blur of fittings, tailoring, makeup, and hair trials until we were finally show-ready.
Jonathan’s show was set to take place in Tribeca so we transferred all the clothing to the building and began steaming and hanging the runway-ready attire. Each model was dressed in their look complete with hair and makeup.
We had built several stations to capture additional content on site to be used after the show—one station for video, one for editorial images, and another for classic look book shots.
Once the photos were completed—the magic began. The models lined up, the DJ started playing and the models headed out to the runway. Months of late nights and hard work all coming to fruition. The show itself was about 10 minutes but it was a magical New York moment, and we were so fortunate that the entire show ran smoothly. It was truly an honor to work with Jonathan Simkhai and his brilliant team.”
We asked Taylor to reflect on the energy and excitement he felt during Fashion Week and the return of live shows.
"It was really exciting to see New York Fashion Week come back to life. There was a palpable exuberance across the entire city. I love that New York City is culturally diverse and the fashion found in the city reflects that sensibility. Fashion Week brought cool avant-garde shows from Eckhaus Latta, Collina Strada, Luar, and Vaquera juxtaposed with the refined glamour of Carolina Herrera, Tom Ford, Michael Kors, and Gabriella Hearst. There was something for everyone and that is part of what makes New York fashion so special.
The week ended with the inspiring Met Gala where the theme celebrated American Fashion. The American Designers from Oscar de la Renta to Jonathan Simkhai created the most remarkable custom dresses for the gala. It was truly a celebration of American Fashion. Having just worked on the presentation of Jonathan’s show, ending the week with one of the biggest events and an extremely relevant theme was truly a full-circle moment for me. To say I’m already looking forward to the next New York Fashion Week would be a huge understatement!
Taylor splits his time between New York and Los Angeles. When he's not living his bi-coastal life in the United States, he can be found globetrotting to experience and absorb style influences from around the world. Follow Taylor on Instagram at @tangino.
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