New York Fashion Week: Six talking points

New York Fashion Week came to an end on Wednesday, marking the end of points even days of extremely good looking people wearing clothes we can't afford.

NYFW is held twice a year - February and September -
 and this one focused on autumn/winter collections.

We'll leave aside the fact that Wednesday is nobody's idea
 of the end of the week and focus on some of the highlights instead.

1. The hot convict's catwalk debut

In 2014, 30-year-old convicted felon Jeremy Meeks was arrested during a gun sweep in California. But then 
something unusual happened.

His mugshot went viral after it was posted on the Stockton Police Department's Facebook page.

It received more than 15,000 likes and several users left
comments like "hottest convict ever" and "Is it illegal to 
be that sexy?"

The blue-eyed bandit, as some fans branded him, was 
quickly snapped up by a modelling agent and his 
Instagram account now has 834,000 followers.

Philip Plein must have been one of those who had his
 head turned, as Meeks has now popped up on the catwalk
 of the designer's autumn/winter collection.

2. The plethora of political statements

The way things are at the moment, it would be much more
groundbreaking if someone in the public eye didn't try to
 make a political statement.

Nonetheless, there were politics aplenty at NYFW, 
perhaps most notably on the runway for the Mara 
Hoffman collection.

The designer's show kicked off with opening remarks
 by the national co-chairs of the Women's March on Washington (pictured above).

The Women's March was an international protest against
 US president Donald Trump which took place last month.

Designer Prabal Gurung also kitted out his models with
 hats reading "Make America New York" - a reference
 to President Trump's Make America Great Again 
campaign slogan.

Models were also seen wearing shirts with slogans such
 as "The Future is Female" and "We Will Not be Silenced".

It's unusual for fashion to dip its toes into the world of
 politics, but it seems even the most high-profile designers
 are keen to have their say on President Trump and his policies.

3. The rise of plus-size

This was not the first time that plus-sized models 
appeared at New York Fashion Week, but it may well be
 the most significant.

Previously, designers have included plus-size models,
 very often in frumpy outfits, to gain publicity for their show.

This time around, however, models like Ashley Graham (for Prabal Gurung) and Candice Huffine (for Michael Kors) 
were styled in a similar way to the other models.

4. Kanye West didn't do anything controversial

Or he might've done. We don't know, as he didn't allow
 any photographers into his Yeezy Season 5 runway show.

For all we knew he might have unveiled a new range of
 "Taylor Swift Rules" T-shirts.

All we had to go on from the show were some grainy 
photos and shaky mobile phone footage from those who flouted the photography rules.

However, all of the designs have now been posted online, making the camera ban somewhat pointless.

One thing we do know is Kanye refused to walk the runway
 at the end of his show, as is customary for the designer.

It seems that's about as controversial as it got.

5. Michael Kors brought an orchestra

No recorded hip-hop or dance music for Michael Kors's 
show, oh no. He brought an orchestra.

AN ORCHESTRA.

This is a seriously classy touch.

6. The hijab catwalk show

Indonesian Muslim designer Anniesa Hasibuan has made
 the hijab her trademark over the last two seasons.

This week, she built it into the outfits on display at her NY
Fashion Week show, styling it with flowing gowns.

All of the models in Hasibuan's autumn/winter 2017 
collection were seen with gray hijabs, signalling that such sightings on the catwalk could become more common.

Interviewed backstage, the designer said her dream 
would be to dress Kate Middleton, adding that she admires the Duchess of Cambridge for "her elegance".


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