From Runways to Riverdale: Fall Fashion in NYC
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall,” wrote F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby. Fall in New York City is one of the most spirited and uniquely glorious times of the year. Everything is starting up again: new fashion trends, kids returning to school, the beginning of football season in September, and basketball season in October. The leaves are changing and transforming into blends of vibrant earth tones. With all the holidays to look forward to, New York becomes especially festive, displaying spooky Halloween decorations, intricately carved pumpkins, and crafted turkeys on the facades and stoops of buildings.
Riverdale, in particular, has a vast bucolic campus filled with an aroma of fresh grass and an array of colorful leaves that create a joyful atmosphere of autumn. The weather is typically ideal- no need to pile on a bulky parka or sweat in uncomfortable shorts. Students stroll the campus in their best fall outfits, breaking out their favorite sweaters and old boots while revamping their wardrobes with new fall pieces.
Junior Dainan Wolfe embraces the season: “I think fall is a good middle ground between summer and winter because it’s not too hot and not too cold. I always feel very relaxed and happy during fall versus cold and sad during the winter.”
In addition, Wolfe expressed students’ excitement surrounding fall fashion: “I think New Yorkers take their fashion very seriously, and are passionate about having stylish clothing based on the season, and are very invested in the change of wardrobe, especially for Fall.”
When asked to describe New York City’s fashion scene in fall, acclaimed designer Stacey Bendet of Alice + Olivia exclaimed: “I love NYC in the fall because it is so glamorous—-chic coats, tailored trousers, beautiful boots…it’s our season!”
New York is not only filled with stylish people and creative designers, but it also hosts the famous Fall Fashion Week, which consists of different fashion shows for the most high-end and well-respected clothing brands. Fashion Week further enriches New York’s authenticity and diversity through new designs, models, and perspectives.
Bendet describes the intense build-up to Fall Fashion Week: “I love design, styling, and the creativity that goes into our presentations, so it’s always a happy time for me! Merchandising, opening collections to our global teams, etc., can be a lot of work and quite analytical, but as a whole, I love bringing new creative and beautiful clothing into the world each season!”
In addition to Fall Fashion Week, social media also plays a major role in determining trends: “In today’s world, so many trends begin on social media and are more instantaneous,” Bendet emphasizes. Wolfe agreed with Bendet: “A lot of my friends and I have similar tastes because we all use social media as a source of inspiration.”
When considering how to follow trends, students might think first of social media and contemporary clothing stores, however, there is an obvious and more affordable way to be fashionable in the fall: second-hand stores.
Personal stylist and vintage clothing store owner Jessie Freschel, who also runs a non-profit organization called Shop Repurpose, emphasizes that “fashion is notorious for repeating itself and you can take clothing, re-interpret it, and style it by mixing current styles with older items.”
As F. Scott Fitzgerald stated, fall gives people a way to restart and maybe even reinvent themselves or a part of who they are. Fashion provides a mode and a means for transformation and self-expression. Bendet sums up the significance of fall fashion by mirroring Fitzgerald’s idea: “I am a big believer in fall fashion’s powerful ability to transform and uplift—-the clothes you wear each day are your art, your way of expressing yourself to the world….and when you dress up and look good, you feel good too!” Fall Fashion isn’t just about what you are wearing, but also an expression of your spirit and a way of uplifting it.