02/14/2012 03:36 pm

Luxury on Display in New York

Inside the tent in midtown-Manhattan, the organizers of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York pulled out all the stops to see its largest crowd ever at last week’s Fall/Winter 2012 collection showings.

With over 90 designers showing their wares over the course of eight days, more than 100,000 guests rotated in and out of the tent to see what New York’s top fashion brass has in store for the coming winter.

The styles parading down the catwalks showcase a trend toward the dark and moody come Fall/Winter 2012 – a sharp contrast to the breezy neons that made up the Spring/Summer collections show just a few months back.

But that doesn’t mean the fashion world’s in for a depression. Just the opposite. Designers like Diane von Furstenberg, current president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, used the occasion to highlight the return of luxurious looks and the need for special occasion dresses.

Men were also taken more seriously in New York. Though noticeably absent from Donna Karan’s DKNY show, which sent women down the runway in top hats and tails, Men were front and center in Tommy Hilfiger’s show, among others.

Whether for men or women, with high necklines or plunging décolleté, the haute couture in New York last week signified a return to sophistication. A marked shift away from fast fashion back toward timeless luxury.

As Alessandro Trapolino, DHL’s Head of Luxury Goods in Milan, noted, “Luxury goods will never go out of fashion.”

Keep up to date on DHL’s Fashion Week partnership by liking us on Facebook or checking back here in the coming weeks.

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