We’ve become accustomed to Lady Gaga, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz and co providing a pinch of glamour to the style agenda via the seemingly innumerable red-carpet events of awards season. But last night, as New York Fashion Week autumn/winter 2019 opened for business, fashion staked its claim on showbiz. Kim Kardashian West, Heidi Klum and a coterie of models who have graduated from the catwalks to blockbuster campaigns all turned out for the seasonal amfAR Gala.
The gowns! Perhaps the industry’s great and good have also become sick of dry January and all its not-so-merry accoutrements, but the dresscode was all-out fabulous.
For the New York Fashion Week opening, Kardashian West wore a plunging black Versace number that would have made Elizabeth Hurley blush; Klum was all shimmering tassels as always in Paolo Sebastian; Leomie Anderson was prom-perfect in blush-pink Khyeli; Duckie Thot looked statuesque in floral Oscar de la Renta; and Candice Swanepoel tapped into the “business at the front, party at the back” trend via a voluminous bow-laden Rasario dress. Catriona Grey, who was crowned Miss Universe in 2018, even wore her pageant sash for the occasion.
The gala, which honours individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the fight against HIV, has become the unofficial kick-off event for the New York shows, and the international fashion weeks that follow. Paris might have its painfully cool street style, but America will always have its insatiable appetite for a little after-hours razzle dazzle. And if Kardashian West’s little black dress raises awareness for a good cause, bravo.
