What is Fashion Week anyways?

It's that time of year again. Nope, not Fantasy Football season, but Fashion Week season.

For the not-so-fashionably-inclined, you might be wondering what fashion week even is. Fashion Week, or more specifically New York Fashion Week, is a week for designers to showcase their collections for the upcoming seasons in one of the epicenters of fashion, New York City. Apparently, what gets super confusing for people is that spring clothes are shown in the fall while fall collections are shown in the spring. Naïve to trend people might think, “Well this is dumb, why don’t they show clothes that fit the season we are actually in?” And to that, I say, get with it. Having spring collections shown in the fall and visa verse allows a whole six months to prep stores and customers for the upcoming seasons, as well as provides time for you to get a one-up on the fashion game.

If you want to be one of those people who just so happens to know the trends before everyone else does, then Fashion Week for you. All you need to do is watch some of the shows during the week (which are beyond easy to stream online), and spot repeated trends throughout multiple shows.

The Shows:

BCBG Max Azria: They’re the closest thing to a broke girl’s high-fashion name purely because we can afford to splurge on a BCBG dress during homecoming or prom in high school. Unfortunately, there were no gowns that scream, “I’ll wear this to a school sanctioned event that won’t be nearly as fun as I amp it up to be." However, what is trending in BCBG Max Azria this season is patchwork bucket hats, tie-dye, and structured jackets full of embroidered patterns. At first glance, this collection may look a little “much,” but if taken piece by piece, the attention to detail, especially the embroidery, makes this collection oh-so fabulous.

DVF: All the models of this generation were out to play for Diane Von Furstenberg’s Spring/Summer show. Karlie Kloss opens the show where fringe, metallics, and bright pink coated the runway. Kendall Jenner killed it in a white and golden seem, strutting to the background music ranging from Nicki Minaj, Drake, and The Weeknd. Jourdan Dunn and Gigi Hadid also stunned in their metallic outfits. Just when you thought the show couldn’t get any better, the models strutted down the runway during their final walk to "I Can’t Feel My Face" while The Weeknd casually watched from the front row. It was too real.

DKNY: “FINALLY A MODERN DKNY,” raved fashionistas everywhere. For the first time since the beginning of Donna Karen New York, the DK in DKNY will not be the mind behind the clothing, but rather two new #trendy creative directors Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow. Gone are the days you ever see DKNY’s clothes at the Goodwill because people think they are “ratchet,” and in are the futuristic and asymmetrical silhouettes fit for a modern and powerful New York woman. Sleek, powerful, and almost industrial, the only pop of color to be seen was the occasional red lip scattered throughout the models, leaving a cool and collected first impression for the new DKNY.

Tommy Hilfiger: "Not Your Prepster’s Average Fashion Show" should have been the title of this Tommy Hilfiger event. Inspired by his island vacations, a Rastafarian theme echoed throughout the collection with a red, yellow, black, and green colors scheme. The collection featured swimsuits, embroidered tops and dresses, and even bucket hats with the beachy vibe completed by a straight “beach” in the middle of the runway.

The Trends:

Bucket Hats: That's right, you heard me, bucket hats. Seen at both BCBG and Tommy Hilfiger shows, these hats aren’t just for game days anymore, so get ready.

Fringe: Whip out your Minnetonka moccasins and spray paint them gold because fringe is coming back in a big way.

Metallics: Speaking of spray painting gold, metallics are still alive and thriving in the fashion world, but not in the aggressive way they were in the early 2000s. Metallic bucket bags, gladiator sandals, and fringe accessories were the highlights from this year’s designers. My advice to you is to stick to one metallic accessory per outfit to avoid a clash that will land on your local version of Fashion Police.

Muted Pastel Tones: "Pastels for spring," as Meryl Streep would say…groundbreaking. The new twist for this upcoming season is muted pastels, meaning you won't look like a walking-talking Easter egg if you wear these colors. In collections such as Prabal Gurung and Erin Fetherston, painted pastels and soft gray tones were what eased the pastel colors into soft and welcoming looks for spring.

Embroidery: BCBG Max Azria, Tommy Hilfiger, DVF, and many more featured thick, yet intricate embroidery that wasn’t quite tribal, but rather fun, flirty and diverse patterns that are perfect for the upcoming seasons.

Monochrome: For those of you who were blissfully unaware, monochrome refers to the black and white scale. Prominent in collections of Nicholas K, Public School, Proenza Schouler, and DKNY, the black white, and gray color scheme was all over the runways for the upcoming spring/summer season.