New York, the edgy elder sister of the Fashion Week family, recently took its turn hosting the industry’s biggest designers as they showcased their latest collections for the upcoming season. Twice a year fashion enthusiasts flock to the city for seven days of runway shows. It’s extravagant, it’s exclusive, it’s ridiculous. I completely love it. Doomed to watch events unfold from my sofa, I spent the week glued to the likes of Vogue Runway, Twitter and Instagram.

Not a regular frequenter of designer outlets, I see Fashion Week as a source of inspiration and education. Not only does it represent fashion at its most creative and outrageous, it also brings important discourse about the diversity and sustainability of the industry to the fore. Most importantly, it is the epicentre of many of the trends that will soon be flooding the streets and trickling their way into our wardrobes. And, if you’re someone like me, whose favourite hobby is critiquing celebrity outfits while sprawled in bed wearing week-old flannel pyjamas, it provides quality content. That being said, here’s a roundup of my highlights of New York Fashion Week.

Marni

Marni made their New York debut memorable with an ensemble that is equal parts magical, visionary and disturbing. Models emerged from the arches of Manhattan bridge to a haunting orchestral score, all wet hair and glistening skin. The unifying motif of the show: the sun. Clothes in every shade of sunrise and sunset, from burning orange to mellow lilac. Skin-like crop tops featuring solar cut-outs paired with brief shorts. Slinky column dresses with interconnected sleeves and skirts. Everything was swathed in floor-length jackets of leather, latex and velvet. Deconstructed knits with visibly haphazard seams draped across the body to resemble a landscape at dusk. Shards of a broken mirror arranged mosaic-style to depict a shimmering body of water. Overall, a brilliant example of embracing minimalism to let the materials and construction of individual garments shine.

Coach

Coach served us American nostalgia while providing a masterclass on layering. The outerwear was to die for. My personal favourites were the double-breasted leather jackets in sultry earth tones. The visible distress to the material as well as the dashes of silver hardware gave them a utilitarian feel as if whisked straight from a rack of a vintage store. Giant cable knit sweaters with organic patches of colour looked like they had been abandoned in an attic and overtaken by some kind of vegetative life. Style takeaway: pair dramatic, oversized jackets with biker shorts, sentimental shoes and all-encompassing sunglasses for the perfect sporty chic look.

Sandy Liang

This collection was an absolute treat for fans of the downtown, ballet core and coquette aesthetics. Light, frilly and super sweet, yet grounded in certain darkness. The vibe of the show is perhaps best summarised by a graphic that appeared on several of its pieces: a bouquet of burning flowers tied together with a bow. A balance between light and dark is masterfully achieved. Liang’s ability to seamlessly combine the minimalism and functionality of business and sportswear with the indulgent excess of the Rococo era is truly admirable. She achieves this through accessorising, using delicate and feminine accents to soften the harsh lines of more structured garments. Bows, rosette earrings and headbands- each outfit was given a whimsical flourish that felt touchingly homemade, like something a real ballet dancer might add to her customary dancewear to make it more personal.

Fashion Week doesn’t have to feel so far away. Sometimes, it already exists in your own wardrobe

My favourite pieces included a bralette with a single pocket stitched onto the side, which struck me as an inverted version of the Miu Miu mini skirt with exposed pockets. Constructed from the same material as the suit trousers yet completely inappropriate for the workplace, the concept of business lingerie was both interesting and ironic. I also loved the pleated skirt layered over a petticoat, the lace trim just peaking out. The severity of the starched pleats was slightly undone by the appearance of the petticoat, giving it a touch of playfulness and scandal. This look would be easy to recreate using second-hand pieces, a way to give an old-school skirt a new lease of life.

For the average enthusiast, Fashion Week is an opportunity to witness the industry at its most fabulous. When trying to recreate a look from a particular show, break it down into its basic components. Any overarching themes and patterns that the designer seems to be following are your baseline. That way you can use things you already own to achieve a similar effect rather than having to shop for individual pieces. Take Coach’s sporty chic, you likely own variants of all the major elements. Combining them will create an outfit that has the essence of its inspiration yet remains within your own personal style. Fashion Week doesn’t have to feel so far away. Sometimes, it already exists in your wardrobe.