Heritage and a comeback play a role in weekend shows

It’s technically not February NYFW if a bit of snow doesn’t fall. As shows wound down on Saturday night, NYC was greeted by a fast-moving snowfall that promised to fall into Sunday, making for an enjoyable show commute. It may also be an ideal time to jump on one trend already emerging from the week: fur (though it tends to be faux or by-product pelts.) Prabal Gurung was one designer who led this style—he, along with Ashlyn and Michael de Paulo, was among those who showed up on the weekend.

Last September, Prabal Gurung showed his collection underneath a grand archway outside City Hall in an effort driven by hope for a female President and skewing on the designers’ Eastern tendencies. (Prabal Gurung was born in Singapore to Nepalese parents, raised by a single mother in Kathmandu, and was schooled in New Delhi.)

A lot has changed since that show, including the designer’s seasonal aesthetic, which felt heavier on traditional Western sportswear for the day (while his evening styles explored embellishment and fantasy of perhaps leaning towards his Eastern side).

Held at the Surrogate Court building at 31 Chambers Street, the landmarked Beaux-Arts building is still active as a probate and estate proceedings facility, adding to Gurung’s opulent vision.

Backstage, the designer spoke to FashionNetwork.com about his impetus for the collection. “This particular moment of looking at what is familiar to me started with my upcoming memoir that comes out in May,” he said, adding, “In this crazy chaotic time, what we are looking for is intimacy and comfort either through a friend or a one-night fancy.”  

To that end, the designer offered cashmere as a comfort, with knits being a strong message. A chunky cable knit sweater extended as a scarf and was draped across the back of louche cargo-pocket trousers and a shirt or became a plaid turtleneck paired with polka dot style tied around the waist. Fine-gauge cashmere was paired with leather and worn under shearling coats or tightly layered over pleated silk with a gold metallic polka dot dress reminiscent of traditional Indian styles. Embellished polo neck sweaters also stood out.

The designer expresses faux fur as an oversized ‘fox’ or in a mint green above-knee Mongolian fur coat. Gurung’s perspective of NYC comes from the 5 a.m. vantage point where he sees the office professional and party girl collide. This season, his frocks featured sheer panels to reveal a midsection, cutouts to create exposed hips, and many exotic feather details.

Well before the final walk, an interesting catwalk choreography took over, whether intentional or not, that resulted in models repeating their turn down the runway. There were also a lot of different ideas and one-off looks in the collection. Thus, the flow and message of the show were complex to take in at times, as it was a bit disorienting. That Gurung, who has always been outspoken politically speaking, chose to mimic what many Americans have been experiencing intensely for the last three weeks on the runway also displayed the depth the designer explores in his collections.

For designer Ashlynn Park, the shape is everything for her sculptural and esoteric designs. For her Fall/Winter 2025 Ashlyn collection, Park looked to the exotic persimmon fruit and its luscious curves. According to show notes, the designer’s transformation from flower to fruit over cold winters is an analogy for reality in Park’s view that “hard-fought beauty holds the deepest meaning.”

She also drew upon her Korean culture to infuse her collection with elements of Bojagi, a symbolic cloth wrapping discipline that helped Park devise a ‘puzzle’ textile technique. It involves a square that is cut and reassembled in three-dimensional forms, which, according to Park, recontextualises familiar elements in something new. If it sounds a bit cerebral, you are on the mark. Practically speaking, the result wasn’t that tough to grasp.

A central shape was a peplum ‘blouse’ primarily made of Merino wool to make it appear more jacket-like with rounded sleeves. The peplum was central throughout, whether on fitted waist styles or looser silhouettes. Pants and skirts recalled the orange fruit in their fitted waists, bulging hips and legs, then restrained by tapered hemlines. The shape was especially intriguing, as was the reimagined trench coat, halter-style cable knit sweater tops, and bright Persimmon-coloured overcoat with a simple leather cord belt.

Park launched in the pandemic—aided by a managing partner whose CV includes Comme des Garçons and Prada—with an installation at the Cristina Grajales gallery and used the gallerist’s new Tribeca space, adorned with home fine art pieces curated by the designer to add to the art connoisseur aesthetic.

Eveningwear designer Michael DePaulo launched his collection in 2012 but has enjoyed running his business dressing ladies either for a fundraising ball or the red carpet in California for the past few years. He returned to NYFW with his “Mystical Garden” collection for a presentation in one of the Rockefeller Center event spaces, a newly popularized destination for the famous New York City commercial, retail, and entertainment plaza.

DePaulo told FashionNetwork.com that he envisioned a woman at a gala who would wander into the dark night to explore the garden and grounds. Shimmering crystals on a blue tulle A-line recalled the night sky while decorative yellow flowers on a black short playsuit style recalled the garden.

The mysterious and mystical came into play with black fabrics and floral motifs that were intriguing in a black lace catsuit, a strapless taffeta dress with a gathered and rounded tier hemline, and a sheer floral black dress over a nude-toned classic Fifties-style silhouette each proved enticing.