The Best Looks From New York Fashion Week Spring 2017

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have joined rank with designers holding their runway imagery until the collection is available at retail—which means that this is the first glance at Spring 2017 for anyone not seated at the show that took place at the brand's 71st Street townhouse this past September.

Which means they missed a collection of mostly black and white looks—save for some khaki pieces—paired with simple white trainers in the spirit of Keds.

That inherent The Row ease is present in each look—whether in white poplin separates or a strapless black dress that can only be described as a forever piece.

The idea of layering longer pieces like dresses and coats over trousers played into that achingly effortless aura The Row girl seems to exude.

But the take-away is that simplicity does not translate to boring—thanks to inspired textures and play with volume and proportion. 

The hanging lightbulbs on Marc Jacobs runway had barely cooled before the social media-verse took umbrage over the colorful dreadlocks models were on the runway. What critics were missing was Jacobs, a devote of pop culture, paying homage to '80s, 90s and current fashion. (Jacobs also had models from every continent on the catwalk.) And let's not forget how Jacobs' seminal 1992 Grunge collection was panned and derided at the time, only to be celebrated in years to come as ahead of its time, a provocateur and translator of the zeitgeist. 

Here, Jacobs stirred up a pot of his favorite motifs: cheeky sweaters, unforgivingly high shoes, kooky styling and wearable ready-to-wear mixed in with over-the-top looks and exaggerated silhouettes. 

Bombers shrunk, and so did printed, patterned and sequined dresses. Meanwhile, sweaters got long, jeans-like pants got skintight. Animal prints, camo, rugby stripes, girly intarsia knits and over-the-knee socks were worn by girls who looked like characters in in a Jacobs dream—where Marie Antoinette, club rats, '80s cartoons and emojis frolic.

As with any Jacobs collection, it can usually be boiled down to cool, covetable clothes. Velvet and brocade party dresses and leather boots with lemon emojis will speak to the millennial set.

Sure it was crazy, but when NYFW sticks to the norm, Jacobs brings the fun, the zany, the irreverent. There will always be girls (and boys) who would happily slip into a pair of those Ziggy Stardust boots. 

Clothes to stop traffic in—that's what Ralph Lauren had in mind when he shut down the entire block in front of his Madison Ave flagship near 72nd Street to show his second Fall 2016 collection. It was available to purchase right after the show in the store. Where February's fall referenced English country fare, this fall brought things back to America and that favorite of favored Lauren motifs...the cowboy.

This cowboy though, was no poke. She was a mix of business and glamour, quite literally, with men's suiting striped pants detailed with swirly embroidery or western shirts tucked into sequined skirts. Buffalo plaids, fringed suede jackets, Mexican blanket-style toppers—Lauren rounded up the best of western.

Even the evening dresses got a western wash, accessorized with a boot, a gallon hat, harness belt and so on. The most interesting evening extra was a distressed leather flight jacket thrown over a satin gown in earthy hues.

But even if the customer is not into cowgirls, she will appreciate the tailored pieces —which were out in full force. After 49 years in the business, the man knows how to cut a jacket, trouser and shirt to perfection, and there were many version in pinstripes, winter white and black here, including a few wide-leg pairs with a blanket motif.

And then he turned on the neon juice. Kind of out of nowhere came a finale of slick purple, pink, red, yellow and blue gowns and evening suits that touched on Seventies louche, '80s OTT and '90s minimalism. Even in the wild west, a girl needs some outsized glamour, eh?

Derek Lam isn't one for schticks, tricks and overt references, whether obvious or esoteric. His clothes speak for themselves. They're luxe, made well and women want to wear them. They got an up-close view of his collection when he bypassed the runway in favor of a tightly edited, elegantly executed presentation at the Greenwich Hotel, inviting only 60 buyers and editors. It's yet another show strategy shakeup. And in this case, other than the ruffled feathers of the uninvited, it's a financially good one for Lam. All the money spent on the runway will go towards marketing. And the tight guest list? Adding an air of exclusivity.

Citing the earthy, gently bohemian style of Georgia O'Keefe, Lam pulled from '70s sportswear—gentle A-line skirts and dresses, slouchy pants and great light coats in soft ivory. To complete the O'Keefe picture, he styled with headscarfs, oversized sunglasses and red suede ankle wrap wedges and leather strappy sandals with sturdy heels.

The quiet colors allowed the focus to turn to smart and interesting details, like softly pouffed and folded shoulders, color blocked patchwork tanks and O-ring embellishments.

Effortless was the overall message. Silhouettes were ultra relaxed yet not oversized or exaggerated. And even them most laid back look had a grown up polish—from the striped canvas jacket over a knit skirt with net inset to a white tunic mini and breezy tunic dress worn over pajama pants.

Lam's take on evening was similarly relaxed and understated. Two gowns, one in white, the other a salmon pink with a soft fold at the bust. It was quiet and lovely.