New York Fashion Week Street Style: Quiet Luxury Is Dead

Quiet luxury is dead. That refrain has already emerged as a potent theme of this fashion month, which kicked off last week with New York Fashion Week. The clothes worn on and off runways suggested that, after a long-held fascination with subdued attire, people are craving something more exquisite.

Amid the usual sea of wintry blacks, grays and layers outside shows, there was also a healthy amount of snakeskin and animal (mostly leopard) prints. The most lavish versions, if not real, could have easily been mistaken as natural. The same could not be said for the exaggerated silhouettes of models in certain flamboyantly proportioned garments on the runway — big, baggy Coach trousers, for example, or a Fforme coat with elongated arms.

Another sign of shifting tastes was the abundance of fur. More inescapable than in seasons past, its heavy presence was notable given how many people and brands have professed an aversion to the material. Some who noticed the uptick saw it as motivated by more than style trends: I heard people musing that, with all going on in the world right now, wearing fur might be the last thing people are worried about.