The Fall 2022 collections had walked the runway across the four cities back in February, and by mid-September the floors at every department store were finally full of what we had been waiting for. The collections that mattered most to us this season carried three threads: a return to the kind of strong shoulder and proper coat that read “I have somewhere to be,” a continued saturated colour story that built on Spring’s confidence, and the strongest sequin-and-feather evening offering since 2019. The 1990s minimalist refresh was still there, but it had grown teeth — a touch sharper, a touch more tailored. Here is what stood out from the big American houses.
Tom Ford brought sequins back to dinner
The Tom Ford Fall 2022 show closed New York Fashion Week with a fully glittered, fully unapologetic evening collection — sequined slip dresses cut on the bias, blazer-and-tights pairings, the smallest possible accessories, and the kind of going-out look that had been quiet since 2019. The Fall 2022 collection effectively asked: are you actually going somewhere this autumn, and if so, what are you putting on. The standout pieces were the long-line, single-button blazers with the smallest possible shorts underneath — a 1990s reference that read 2022 with the right shoes. The collection set the tone for evening dressing across the season; the high street caught up by November, and we expected the silhouette to dominate holiday-party photography.
Khaite kept refining minimalism
Khaite‘s Fall 2022 show, presented in a downtown New York gallery space, was Catherine Holstein’s tightest collection yet. Heavy long camel coats over white poplin shirts, leather knee boots in deeper espresso, dresses cut on the bias with the smallest possible neckline detail, and the signature shoulder-bag silhouettes that had been editor-favorite for the past three seasons. The brand had moved away from the trend cycle definitively and was making the case that fine, expensive, beautifully-made clothes did not need to chase any conversation. The Lotus bag was the new addition that kept selling out at Bergdorf Goodman; the white poplin shirt with the structured shoulder was the wardrobe staple we had been saving up for.
Carolina Herrera went full colour
Wes Gordon’s Carolina Herrera Fall 2022 show kept the saturated-colour direction the brand had been building, with electric blues, hot pinks, ruby reds, and lemon yellows running through tailored coats, evening gowns, and boucle skirt suits. The strongest exit was an oversized fuchsia tweed coat, worn with knee boots and nothing underneath; the most photographed look was a one-shouldered red gown that closed the eveningwear portion of the show. The brand was in its strongest creative moment in years, and the Fall 2022 ready-to-wear was being seen on a wider editorial circuit than ever before. The Insignia bag and the new Bouquet pendant were the accessories we expected to land at department stores through October.
Proenza Schouler made the case for the long coat
Proenza Schouler‘s Fall 2022 collection from Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough was a quiet, considered case for the floor-length coat. Camel cashmere, charcoal wool, deep burgundy leather — the proportions ran clean and architectural, and the styling was the studied, slightly-androgynous downtown look the label had been refining for two decades. The PS1 bag had been quietly retired from the brand’s main rotation in the last few years, and Fall 2022 confirmed the new direction with the sculptural boxy bag the brand had been working on for several seasons. We were watching the long camel coat with a slight forward-leaning sleeve as the autumn buy of the year.
Brandon Maxwell pivoted to romance
Brandon Maxwell‘s Fall 2022 show, presented late in the New York calendar, was a softer, more romantic collection than the brand’s usual razor-sharp eveningwear. Gauzy floor-length silk dresses in pale pink and parchment, oversized cardigans worn over slip dresses, deeply-pleated tweed skirts paired with merino sweaters. The brand’s customer had been buying mother-of-the-bride gowns and red-carpet dresses for years; the Fall 2022 collection extended the range toward day dressing for that same woman. The long lavender silk dress in the second look was the piece we expected to see on the cover of Town & Country through autumn, and Maxwell’s category had genuinely widened.
Closing
Fall 2022 from the big American houses was, in summary, a confident return to occasions worth dressing for. The pendulum had swung back to evening, to tailoring, to colour, to a coat that anchored an outfit. We were already shopping the long Khaite poplin, the Tom Ford slip-and-blazer, and a Carolina Herrera something-fuchsia for an upcoming dinner; our list for October included the Proenza Schouler camel coat the moment it landed at Bergdorf in size order. The next monthly post lands the first Tuesday of October; in the meantime, we will see you on the runways for the Pre-Fall 2023 lookbooks beginning to drop online.