A wide range of artistic perspectives were on display on Day 2 of New York Fashion Week. The fanciful Hotel of Imagination by Alice + Olivia has vivid, lively designs. In her Cyber Nostalgia collection, Grace Ling paired futuristic textiles with vintage silhouettes.
Khaite’s collection featured ethereal yet structured pieces that reflected the dramatic tones of rock music. The vivid, Holi-inspired designs by Prabal Gurung honored female leadership.
Jonathan Simkhai paid homage to his mother’s wedding gown in his collection by using delicate lace and sentimental elements. While Who Decides War combined historical textiles with new designs, collaborations, and a live performance, Tibi provided a sleek, modern elegance.
ALICE + OLIVIA
The Hotel of Imagination, Alice + Olivia’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection, showcased fanciful and inventive designs. Stacey Bendet designed unique ensembles to symbolize various rooms in an imaginary hotel.
In addition to statement pieces like dramatic capes and candy-colored rugby shirts, the collection featured pieces that were both versatile and bold, such as tiered dresses and rigid corsets.
GRACE LING
Grace Ling’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection for New York Fashion Week was inspired by the theme Cyber Nostalgia, merging futuristic elements with a nostalgic longing for the past. This concept blended advanced technology with vintage aesthetics, featuring sleek, high-tech fabrics alongside retro-inspired silhouettes.
The collection showcased vibrant colors and bold patterns, aiming to evoke both a sense of innovation and a nostalgic appreciation for bygone eras. In her second runway presentation, Ling embraced a primitive chic theme. Many of the sheer, body-con designs featured scorched edges, and the tailoring appeared to decay on the body.
Fierce visual elements were highlighted with claw-like hardware integrated into knits and waistbands. The dramatic finale was a couture-inspired minidress resembling a chrome bird’s nest.
KHAITE
Dramatic rock music, especially November Rain by Guns N’ Roses, served as an inspiration for Khaite’s Spring/Summer 2025 show at NYFW.
Khaite’s characteristic combination of soft, ethereal fabrics and rigid tailoring reflected this mood. The rock anthem’s harmony of strength and sensitivity was echoed in the collection, which also alluded to fragility and revolt.
Designer Catherine Holstein persisted in examining themes of introspection and personal progress. Her skill was evident in the sculptural designs, striking outerwear, and flowing gowns that evoked ephemeral, melancholic moments as they floated down the runway.
PRABAL GURUNG
Prabal Gurung’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection radiated optimism and hope, drawing inspiration from Holi and celebrating feminine leadership. The Nepalese designer embraced his signature blend of Eastern and Western influences with a theme centered on Holi Hope.
The collection featured airy slip dresses, sheer blouses, and flowing drapes that maintained his whimsical and ethereal style. The festive spirit was captured in vibrant, party-ready pieces, including a multicolored fringe minidress and a metallic floral-print dress with a bubble skirt.
SIMKHAI
Jonathan Simkhai drew heavily from personal and familial inspiration for his NYFW Spring/Summer 2025 collection. The collection, which returned after a three-season hiatus, was an emotional ode to his mother Orna and her wedding dress, which featured elaborate lace manufactured at his grandfather’s mill in Iran.
The entire collection, which looked at ways to update the textured lace from the wedding dress, was inspired by this intimate relationship. Simkhai embellished dresses and skirts with natural features like butterflies and floral designs.
Innovative knitwear and exquisite embroidery showcased his workmanship, and the collection also introduced menswear to the Simkhai runway.
TIBI
The Tibi SS25 show at New York Fashion Week blended modern femininity with a balance of strength and softness. Featuring sleek lines, adaptable silhouettes, and a mix of structured and flowing fabrics, the collection offered a contemporary take on classic tailoring.
With muted tones, subtle patterns, and a splash of red, designer Amy Smilovic emphasized practicality and effortless elegance in pieces that transition seamlessly from day to night.
WHO DECIDES WAR
Celebrating their 10th collection, Ev Bravado and Téla D’Amore, designers of Who Decides War, showcased a dramatic reinterpretation of textiles through the lens of Black Americana. The event also included collaborations with Pelle Pelle and Jordan Brand, along with a live set by Cash Cobain.
This opulent collection transformed 19th-century fabrics such as cotton, linen, terry, denim, leather, and lace into modern designs. Highlights included hourglass-cut cotton shirts for men and crinkled cotton dresses for women, blending historical elegance with a contemporary twist.
Stay tuned for day three of NYFW.
