*lets out a deep breath*

Boy, has it been a jam packed day in the big apple! With 20 shows and presentations, there was a lot to cover and so much to see!

After the Opening Ceremony, #NYFWM kicked off with several presentations taking place in the early morning. The first stop: Krammer & Stoud, a California-bred brand that blends west coast cool with New York sophistication. Here’s a couple pictures from the presentation:

At the next presentation, the room was filled with smooth jazz and great looking pieces. Paying homage to the jazz age, models accessorized David Hart’s collection with instruments. Hart also played to the diversity in modeling by having all black models in his presentation. Hart describes this presentation as “his coolest show yet.” See it for yourself:

 Leaving the jazz filled space to enter a presentation full of reflections. Carlos Garciavelez used his professional life and mixed it with his passions, a combination of architecture and design to give his show a new perspective with strategically placed mirrors. His combination of passions were truly represented in his collection, a relationship between the architecture of the body and the ephemeral. There are three pieces from his collection that I completely obsessed with and would love to get my hands on. Check them out:

The Edmund Ooi presentation brought his family’s background of tailoring to show us his take on well-fitting men’s day-to-day wardrobe. Check out the collection of well-tailored pieces mixed with science fiction influences and sportswear. The pieces were definitely some of my favorites of the day. The immaculate tailoring that Ooi shows in his collection captured the eyes of all in attendance. 

Minkoff may sound familiar to you, as Uri Minkoff introduced men’s handbags back in 2011 under the Ben Minkoff label. At this year’s NYFWM, Minkoff showed how his take on men’s apparel. There are some unique new ideas that may take some getting used to, but I think over all, Minkoff has done a great job at understand what a consumer wants and adding his own personal touch. Of course, he again proves that he is a master of a bag for men with his new deerskin backpacks and duffel bags. It’s a great start to a collection that will probably be developed further as the designer continues his initial start in men’s apparel:

The first runway show of the day was brought by Concept Korea: Ordinary People. The idea behind this brand is to help Korean fashion designers break into the US fashion market while promoting their designs. The looks down the run way were full of heavy coats, color blocking, monochromatic ensembles and unique ideas. Check out their squad:

When you’ve worked for design houses like Versace and Chanel, you know there are high expectations. Loris Diran lived up to those expectations with his FW ’16 collection, embracing “elegance with an edge” as a lifestyle. His combinations of casual and dressy are something I would never think to put together, but after seeing Diran’s collection, your mind is like, “why didn’t we try that before?” 

For the next part of the day, we were taken to a land of the finest fabrics. Starting at Suit Supply with a presentation of “live mannequin.” Models were placed in various positions and different heights to show of the European brand’s FW ’16 collection. As expected, the real suiting for real men that really fit killed it. The leather goods shown were also a favorite of mine. Did I mention the mannequins came to life and shut down one of NYC’s streets? Let’s not forget, they had the help of Voss Water for hydrating models and guest alike:

Luxurious, clean, crisp, and sophisticated are all words that come to mind when I think about the last show of the Day 1. Deveaux New York, a brand that debuted at last year’s NYFWM, is a men’s luxury collection that supports only the finest, high-end American manufacturers. Without a doubt, their collection represents a modern and sophisticaed American design. Oh, and did we mention this is the label founded by Carson Street Clothiers? Yea, so you know it’s good!

Day one of NYFWM wrapped up with several NYMD presentations full of greenery and standalone models from Robert James, CWST, Chapter, Lucio Castro, Matiere, and HVRMINN. Of course, what is opening night without a party? The NYFWM launch party helped Dockers celebrate 30th anniversary. A very chill and relaxed party atmosphere to help unwind. #DockersTurns30 was an incredible way to end a schedule filled day.  

 Want to be one of the firsts to see what’s coming in FW ’16? Stay tuned with my live feed on twitter as I post pictures throughout the day and give my immediate reactions to designer’s presentations and runway shows throughout #NYFWM. @thebowtiegent