As New York Fashion Week kicks off, here's our guide to all the Autumn/Winter 2015 action you need to know about in every city…
New York Fashion Week…
It's the first fashion week on the calendar and it’s gonna be a biggie. Peter Copping will be showing his first collection for Oscar de la Renta after leaving Nina Ricci in October last year. This will be the brand's first show since Oscar himself passed away in October 2014, making this debut even more meaningful
American high-street brand Banana Republic will be joining the NYFW schedule, doing a Whistles (or a Topshop Unique) by showing on the runway for the first time ever.
AW15 is all about relocation, relocation, relocation in New York, as it's the last season designers will be able to show at their beloved Lincoln Centre. Sobs.
Meanwhile Tom Ford (being Tom Ford) is bypassing the fashion map altogether, opting to tag a Los Angeles-based show on to the end of the NYFW schedule instead. Now the fash pack will have to choose whether to attend Ford’s show, or the first day of LFW (on Feb 20). Decisions, decisions…
(Oscar de la Renta SS15) London Fashion Week…
Everyone loves a (designer) birthday. And outlandish Brit Gareth Pugh is coming home from New York for his. To celebrate his brand's ten-year anniversary, Pugh will be returning to London Fashion Week this season, promising a surprise-filled spectacular with ‘theatrical elements’. Ooh ahh.
Glam Aussie brand Sass & Bide is also re-joining the schedule, promising a glittering return to make up for its absence.
And did we mention that YOU can get involved in the action, too? The British Fashion Council and River Island will be screening fashion films from Pugh, as well as House of Holland and Jean-Pierre Braganza too.
You don’t even need a FROW-side ticket these days. Get into the spirit at Oxford Street’s Fashion Showcase – there's denim customisation at GAP and styling sessions with TV presenter Laura Whitmore. Yes, please.
(Rhianna with Gareth Pugh)
Big news in Milan. Armani is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a celebration fit for its mega-brand status.
Former head of accessories Alessandro Michele has been promoted to the top job at Gucci after Frida Giannini’s shock departure, and the pressure is on to revamp one of the country's most-loved fashion houses.
Central Saint Martins graduate Natasa Cagalj is also presenting her first collection for Ports 1961, topping off the roster of fabulous debuts.
Don't forget, too, to keep your eyes on the new guard of hot young Italian labels. Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean is known for her bold artisanal prints and feminine silhouettes, while Marco de Vincenzo's SS15 collection saw an array of silk-fringed check pieces. Dreamy.
(Stella Jean SS15) Paris Fashion Week…
We can’t wait to see Guillaume Henry’s debut collection for Nina Ricci, after departing Carven last season.
Another fashion post filled as well last year was the appointment of Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski (previously design director at the Olsen twins' luxury brand The Row) – new artistic director of Hermès, who'll showcase her first collection for the brand this March.
But as ever during fashion month, there are goodbyes with those hellos. This time it's Viktor & Rolf bidding adieu to its ready-to-wear collections to focus forever more on couture. Sigh.
(Nina Ricci SS15)