It was the first New York Fashion Week show for the Diane von Furstenberg brand in nearly a decade, and quite a crowd was assembled. The designer herself and her husband Barry Diller were joined by Pat Cleveland, Bryan Lourd, and Annette de la Renta. On the other side of the runway, Christopher John Rogers and Aurora James were representing. Talk about a tale of two cities.
Von Furstenberg, the architect of the iconic 1970s wrap dress and latter day female empowerment guru, has given the proverbial keys to her Meatpacking District castle to Henry Zankov, a 45-year-old Russia-born designer who was a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist three years ago and until recently was designing an eponymous collection out of a studio in Brooklyn. After an early morning shower, the sun had come out and the mood on the High Line was upbeat.
Zankov was a smart hire. He spent formative years in the DVF studio in the 2010s, so he understands its DNA. “The wrap dress is a symbol of liberation, independence, sensuality,” he said on Vogue’s Run-Through podcast. “What Diane did really hit a nerve with women.” Even more important, he’s built his own loyal following with fashion’s influential millennials, who appreciate his penchant for clashing colors and his savvy for striped knit sets. The mission: teach them to want a wrap dress.
He approached the assignment in several ways: The show opener was a leopard spot jersey wrap dress not a far cry from the 1970s original. Others he cut in more novel fabrics like tissue jersey, “which behaves like chiffon,” and a mesh jersey that he printed with a gingham check. He adapted the technique for different silhouettes, too, adding wrapping details to a tunic-length jersey tee and cutting a ballerina wrap in a satin jersey specially developed by the label. The shirtdress that Von Furstenberg wore on her famous Newsweek cover also got the Zankov treatment, via vivid colorblocking.
“Feel like a woman, wear a dress,” is one of Von Furstenberg’s famous sayings, but Zankov didn’t give short shrift to pants. A pair of brightly hued trouser suits, tailored but not uptight, drew appreciative iPhone clicks from the crowd, as did a relaxed wrap jacket and flowing pants in mismatched florals—power clashing at its finest. Elsewhere, a logo print that Von Furstenberg designed many moons ago by taping garment labels together was resurrected on a tie-neck blouse and a pleated skirt in a gesture that was both respectful and playful. Fine-tuning that balance will be Zankov’s mission going forward. He’s up to the task.