Shopping New York Fashion Week

Indigo denim ballgown from Carolina Herrera’s spring 2017 runway at New York Fashion Week.

Diane von Furstenburg’s wrap dress gets reinvented with an asymmetric hem and stripes, thanks to new chief creative officer Jonathan Saunders.

Tom Ford tweed jacket and leather skirt. And, btw, it’s for sale now on tomford.com.

Proenza Schouler canvas and leather spring jacket

A flowy trench with uneven hem tops an oversize shirt and wide, cropped pants on Michael Kors’s 2017 spring runway.

Rosie Assoulin’s safari-inspired day suit is ready to hit the streets.

AS YOU MAY have heard, the fashion industry is in upheaval, the traditional calendar of spring and fall runway shows turned on its head, mainly because of social media. Now, in addition to having to figure out what women customers want, designers must grapple with deciding when their customers want it. Witness last week’s spring 2017 New York Fashion Week. Despite the “spring” moniker, Tommy Hilfiger, Tom Ford, Thakoon, Rebecca Minkoff and Ralph Lauren showed fall clothes that could be purchased straight from the runway. Going against the grain, Michael Kors made selected looks fresh from his spring collection  available immediately after the show at michaelkors.com.

Regardless of when you can buy it or how much it would cost, I put together my personal fantasy shopping list from New York Fashion Week’s runways — six items I’d love to see hanging in my closet.

I’m not a person who regularly attends black-tie galas, but if the occasion should arise, I would be delighted to don Carolina Herrera‘s strapless spring ballgown in washed denim. In second place, a floor-grazing tulle skirt paired with a knit top with the number 35 embroidered on the sleeve and then any one of the black-and-white-striped gowns that strutted down the runway.

Jonathan Saunders, Diane von Furstenburg’s new chief creative officer, revitalized her signature wrap dress with bias cuts, fluttery sleeves, mixed prints and asymmetrical hems. The result: a more modern, elongated silhouette with the same eye on affordability. I’ll take one or three.

Money is no object to Tom Ford. If it were none to me, I’d wrap myself for fall in his luxe, looks, including nipped-waist tweed jackets and pencil skirts in painted leather,  statement belts, gold jewelry and color-blocked furs. Clothing for grown-up girls.

Spring may be what D.C. does best, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of damp, chilly days in April and May.  Proenza Schouler‘s orange canvas and red leather jacket with neck flap is up to the task of offering protection from the elements while looking very darn cool.

Although I’m not ready to part with my somewhat skinny pants, I’m ready to embrace the more relaxed looks of the runway like Michael Kors’ s oversized shirts, coats and roomy pants.

A safari suit with sleeveless peplum jacket and midi skirt from Rosie Assoulin is my idea of the perfect transitional outfit — whether my day takes me to the office, a charity lunch or sightseeing in Rome.

— Janet Kelly
Janet Kelly is the editor of MyLittleBird. Her last post was on Smithsonian Craft2Wear artist Emma  Villedrouin.