Sporty Sex Appeal, Splashy Colors, and a Touch of Disco

Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images, Courtesy of DVF

I haven’t written about Diane von Fürstenberg in a while, and, frankly, there hasn’t been a reason to. We know the story, the famous dress, the dynamic woman. But Henry Zankov,the brand’s new creative director, realized that he had many female friends who, while they love the story, felt that the clothes were not right for them

So what was missing?

There’s a clear and honest way to solve a problem of desire, and Zankov, a pro, did it beautifully on Thursday morning as the spring 2027 ready-to-wear season got underway. His DVF debut took place, appropriately, on the High Line, which von Fürstenberg and her husband, Barry Diller, have given tens of millions in support. The front row was full of that buzzy insider feeling that used to be standard in New York: Annette de la Renta; Bryan Lourd, the chief executive of Creative Artists Agency, and his husband, Bruce Bozzi Jr.; Hamilton South, a former fashion executive and Vanity Faireditor; the model Pat Cleveland; and of course Diller and von Fürstenberg.

Zankov, in the collection, didn’t overcomplicate anything. As he said of the basic DVF ingredients — a sporty sex appeal, splashy colors, a touch of disco — “Everything is already there. It’s really about how to work with it.”

From left:Photo: IK ALDAMA/ Courtesy of Diane von FurstenbergPhoto: IK ALDAMA/ Courtesy of Diane von Furstenberg
From top:Photo: IK ALDAMA/ Courtesy of Diane von FurstenbergPhoto: IK ALDAMA/ Courtesy of Diane von Furstenberg

That meant an opening two-piece dress in silk jersey in a new modified leopard pattern that slyly referred to the DVF wrap dress but didn’t get bogged down in nostalgia; a lightweight, languid jade-green pantsuit with a silk-twill blouse in a ticking-stripe logo print; and lots of knit andjersey separates in contrasting patterns or acidy colors. I think the selling point of the collection was its implicit body language, expressed through fit and fluid lines, like a loose evening shirt in fuchsia and gold chiffon over palazzo pants in a kind of zebra stripe. The look was more cool than classic DVF boho.

From left:Photo: IK ALDAMA/ Courtesy of Diane von FurstenbergPhoto: IK ALDAMA/ Courtesy of Diane von Furstenberg
From top:Photo: IK ALDAMA/ Courtesy of Diane von FurstenbergPhoto: IK ALDAMA/ Courtesy of Diane von Furstenberg

Zankov said he wanted the clothes to reflect different notions of sexiness. “It’s not just one way,” he said. That variety came across, though my only beef with the show was that all the models had on platform shoes. Which meant that their movement was essentially the same. Clomp, clomp. And that sort of kills the individuality and the sexiness. It would have been better to show a variety of heels and styles. After all, in women’s fashion, a look that feels new or gets your attention is almost always rooted in two places: the shoulders and the feet.

Photo: IK ALDAMA/ Courtesy of Diane von Furstenberg

New York designers seem to be trying for a bigger splash. Rachel Scott sent out a strong second collection for Proenza Schouler; it felt closer to the style of the brand’s founders, beginning with theopening coats in a faint animal stripe and some distinctive knits, like a slim skirt and matching top in pale pink with a folded-ribbon effect at one side. Many of the clothes had a feeling of being a little undone — an emerging trend. The grown-up femininity of the Proenza collection was pure Scott.

From left:Photo: Victor Pagan/Getty ImagesPhoto: Victor Pagan/Getty Images
From top:Photo: Victor Pagan/Getty ImagesPhoto: Victor Pagan/Getty Images

I loved Rachel Comey’s collection for its freewheeling shapes — skirts that looked bunchy, like maybe a small child was tugging at your hem as you left the house; colors that didn’t exactly go together (but what the hell!); crinkly shifts; fabulous pajamas and robe coats for stylish lives of refusal. I remember Comey’s fun dinner shows at Pioneer Works in Red Hook. Her show on Wednesday actually offered less — less technique, less design — and it felt way more sophisticated and honest somehow. The collection was inspired by the late Rosalyn Drexler, an artist, writer, and nightclub singer.

From left:Photo: Gerardo SomozaPhoto: Gerardo Somoza
From top:Photo: Gerardo SomozaPhoto: Gerardo Somoza

For Coach, in its 85th year, creative director Stuart Vevers offered something more darkly romantic and more complex than we usually get from the brand. The collection felt quite Belgian, in fact. It was that very linear silhouette, the drab anti-luxury tones, the artful layering and the use of lining fabric for straight-line dresses.(Kudos to Olivier Rizzo for his superb styling.) Oddly, perhaps, the best styles were the finale numbers:American prom dresses in mottled sequins with crushed tulle skirts in back. Just terrific.

From left:Photo: Giovanni Giannoni//WWD via Getty ImagesPhoto: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images
From top:Photo: Giovanni Giannoni//WWD via Getty ImagesPhoto: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images

“I think women love texture and depth,” Tory Burch said, referring to the pretty, lightly embellished shifts and “granny sweaters” that opened her solid show on Thursday night. Like most designers at the start of Fashion Week, Burch raised the volume on color and generally kept to her mid-century glamour look, with the addition of a sharper military edge.American designers — with the exception, perhaps, of Comey — this season don’t really challenge the idea of a woman in 2026-27.

From left:Photo: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty ImagesPhoto: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images
From top:Photo: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty ImagesPhoto: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images

Tommy Hilfiger put on a big show at the Plaza Hotel, where he once lived in the penthouse. He took over the Palm Court and a ballroom. And it was all very preppy and well styled — flawless, in fact. Though midway through, after many polo shirts, khakis, oversize blazers, and cute caps, I had the feeling he was dragging a department store behind him

From left:Photo: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty ImagesPhoto: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images
From top:Photo: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty ImagesPhoto: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images
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Sporty Sex Appeal, Splashy Colors, and a Touch of Disco