Everything that happened at New York Fashion Week

The NYFW has just come to an end. Just over four days in which American (and other) designers, from Michael Kors to Gabriela Hears, brought their SS24 collections to the catwalk, anticipating the fashion, beauty, hairstyle and shoe trends of the hot season. The balance of these first presentations of fashion month is rather dull, between a certain return to bourgeois glam and 90s minimalism, but there were a few moments that caught the general attention. From Peter Do's debut as creative director of Helmut Lang, which was criticised by many, to Ralph Lauren's return to the catwalk, from Sia's surprise appearances at Christian Siriano to Collina Strada and Kim Shui's collections with their alternative femininity.

Peter Do's debut at Helmut Lang's

Before his debut as Helmut Lang's new creative director, hype and pressure weighed heavily on the shoulders of Peter Do. Lang, a seminal figure in contemporary fashion history, left the industry in 2005 to pursue the art world. Since then, the label that bears his name, acquired by Fast Retailing in 2006, has been in search of a designer who can rival a fashion legend and make the brand palatable to Generation Z. Not an easy task, one that many critics say even Do failed at, unable to convey the nihilistic minimalism of his more famous predecessor. For the most anticipated event of this NYFW, Do chose to revisit some of Lang's works and inspirations, such as Jenny Holzer's writings from the historic 2000s, Helmut Lang's perfume and the typical yellow New York taxis. Lang was the first to put his name on the advertising strip on the taxi roof. Before 1998, no other designer had come up with this idea. So Do covers the bottom of Essex Crossing's Skylight as well as T-shirts and shirts with white lettering of Vietnamese author Ocean Vuong and draws magenta and yellow stripes in allusion to car seat belts on suits, shirts and trousers. The result is a faded copy of Lang's original, but Do will find a way to make up for it.

Kim Shui and Collina Strada's femininity statements

Kim Shui and Collina Strada presented two distinct collections linked by a particular vision and narrative of the concept of femininity. For her SS24 collection, Kim Shui drew on memories of her childhood to heal her inner child. Growing up as a Chinese American in Italy, she often felt different, not Chinese or Italian enough. Only as an adult did she learn to love even the most complicated parts of herself and to use her "otherness" as a weapon. These experiences, combined with visual inspiration from the themes of mythology and femininity by artists Hannah Lim and Faye Wei Wei, led her to design a collection that redefines what it means to be "female" and explore different identities. The result? 37 pieces including corsets, sexy bare-shoulder silhouettes, sequins, tulle, lace and taffeta. Hillary Taymour, the creative director of Collina Strada, instead presented models on the catwalk with a sinister 36-tooth smile. The reason for this? "As we grin and bear the excruciating present, in which the world burns and reproductive, trans, and general human rights are under threat, we summon the strength of radical softness to defend ourselves. We delve deep within to reconnect to the universal feminine energy, reminding ourselves that there is daring in delicacy, power in the pretty, and grit in the girly. Femme is fab. We call her Mother Earth for a reason."

Surprise appearances by Sia and Ice Spice

Fashion weeks are not only synonymous with the clothes we will wear, but they often offer a unique opportunity to meet celebrities and attend captivating shows where fashion, art, music and performances by the most interesting artists of the moment come together. At this NYFW, there was a surprise appearance by Sia and Ice Spice. Sia took to the catwalk in a pink cloud version to celebrate Christian Siriano's 15th anniversary. The singer sang her hit Chandelier as Coco Rocha closed the show, under the watchful gaze of the front, which included Janet Jackson, Laura Linney, Laverne Cox, Kesha and Avril Lavigne. For Ice Spice, however, it was her first time standing front row at NYFW. The artist attended Tommy Hilfiger's exclusive dinner, LaQuan Smith, Tia Adeola and Dion Lee's after parties. After attending Dion Lee's fashion show, Ice Spice sang Deli and Princess Diana at the designer's afterparty at The Standard in Manhattan. Her look? A pair of thigh-high black combat boots, a sheer skirt and a lace bustier top.

The return of Ralph Lauren and Christy Turlington

Ralph Lauren returned to New York Fashion Week after a four-year hiatus. A warehouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard was chosen as the location, decorated ad hoc with wooden planks, hollow gold frames draped with linen sheets and dramatic chandeliers to resemble a bit of an atmospheric artist's loft and a bit of the designer's Colorado ranch. A host of celebrities sat in front to applaud, including Diane Keaton, Julianne Moore, James Marsden, Cara Delevingne, Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Lopez and Keri Russell. The denim pieces, black double-breasted jackets and boho glam dresses were worn by iconic top models such as Natalia Vodianova and Christy Turlington, who closed the show in a gold lamé gown.

Naomi Campbell as designer

When it was announced last July that Naomi Campbell would be designing a collection for PrettyLittleThing, the model was showered with criticism for choosing to work with a fast fashion brand. To kick off NYFW, the Black Venus presented the fruits of her new labour: slip dresses, dinner jacket jackets and 90s-inspired mini dresses. Naomi also walked the runway in a glittery long dress to close the show. In the end, however, the most-watched look of the show was the nude look of Julia Fox, who sat in the front row alongside Emily Ratajkovski and Leni Klum.