Since I’m the Fashion Director at World Bride Magazine, I get invited to the eveningwear shows during New York Fashion Week—so every day is a party on the runway for me. Dressy styles of party ensembles are my jam and this season color is king.
Bach Mai
Bach Mai is a Texas-born designer who burst onto the New York fashion scene a few years ago to much fanfare with his sculptural evening dresses. His designs are now carried at Bergdorf-Goodman and Neiman Marcus, which is not an easy feat. After last spring’s somber collection, he’s back with his signature ruffles and swirling hemlines after emerging from a difficult year—in which he lost his father. ” I reconnected to my passion for my craft,” said Mai in his show notes. This vibrant technicolor collection is Mai at his best. The show was held at the Chelsea Factory to a packed house, including editors from Vogue. Mai has a big social media following, and he talks to his audience about the process and difficulty of putting on a show and designing the collection. He sure pulled it off deftly for spring ’25. The last look is a white wedding number and all of the other dresses are appropriate for bridesmaids and other guests. The brand, Leviev’s Pjewelry was a sparkly addition to the looks.
Naeem Khan
Held at the Angel Orensanz Foundation’s renovated synagogue, Naeem Khan, a stalwart of New York Fashion Week showed his usual glitz that is heavy on beading, sparkles, and embroidery. Because of his Indian heritage, it’s no surprise he used handicrafts to create his looks which contrasted the venue’s grungy rough appeal. After several men’s evening suiting looks, one with a tailored Neru jacket and sarong skirt, there was a parade of sparkly gowns many with transparency—a big trend seen at NYFW. At the end, the lights dimmed and he presented a grouping inspired by the upcoming movie, Wicked that will be out in November. Sparkly gowns in greens, pinks, and black walked the runway to much fanfare and iPhone camera clicks.
https://worldbridemagazine.com/27731/bridal-week-for-spring-2022-weddings/
Lapointe
A celebrity favorite, Lapointe, decided against a traditional runway presentation for a big reason. Oprah is a fan of Ms Lapointe and became a muse by being photographed in the spring-summer ’25 looks. Yes, Oprah, looking jaw-dropping in the colorful and feather-embellished looks was the star of Lapointe’s collection. Why bother with a fashion show when you have Oprah to wear your clothing? The collection was imbued with Lapoint’s signature bright color, sequins, beaded skirts, feather trim, and denim mix for a cool girl vibe that she does so well. 70 never looked so good as on Oprah.
Pamela Roland
Roland took her classic eveningwear to a location that is equally classic and very New York—The Rainbow Room. Atop Rockafeller Plaza with glistening chandeliers in the setting sun, she sent out the greatest hits of party dresses and gowns. Models walked across the ballroom dancefloor in a mostly pastel palette which also included the trendy pink hue. Coco Rocha was in the audience. as well as Roland’s supportive family. Roland who wore a pantsuit herself to take her final bow, showed several evening pantsuits in the lineup and a corset and leather cigarette pants look. The cherry on top was high jewelry loaned by Chopard. Tres chic’!
Frederick Anderson
Frederick Anderson’s show was inspired by his introspective travels to northern Africa. “This is my Africa,” he stated in his show notes. He mixed his travels with the Anderson elixir, resulting in a signature lineup of sophisticated looks. Anderson has transformed the idea of ” the ladies who lunch” into a more modern and youthful version. After more than 5 years of his namesake collection, Anderson has reached his stride. Particular codes have become his signature—use of crochet, lace, and fringe— pants suits, dressy shorts, and mini skirts mixed with more traditional flowy dresses. For SS’25 he styled many of the looks with long beaded necklaces sometimes layering a few. The prints varied from a Jackson Pollock paint spatter to a traditional zebra to reference his Africa. From printed caftans to chiffon jumpsuits in chocolate brown, Anderson has become a staple of New York Fashion Week. His fans are well-traveled and tired of the working-from-home years. It’s time to gussy up and polish your look for travel as well as everyday life.
https://frederickandersonshop.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqMBOZchjHp7RxuC6sqsFwtV6FpgcJOM5C-JmveJfrRDXtvIKIk
Frederick Anderson photos above by Dave Warren
