Fashion show settings quite literally set the tone each season for the collection to come. The space in which designers choose to present can be equally as important as clothing in expressing their overall vision for the season in focus. For fall/winter 2015, The Row showed a tightly edited collection, high above New York City in midtown Manhattan, on the 35th floor of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s midcentury architectural masterpiece, the Seagram Building. The experience alone of entering the building’s massive travertine and marble lobby on a quiet Sunday – no men in suits, no hustle and bustle of work week office life – set the tone for the sophisticated serenity captured in each of the show’s 29 looks.
The collection, composed of primarily blacks, creams, and a sprinkling of navy, focused heavily on texture and the different values of neutral hues achieved through materiality and fabrication. Designers Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen presented a standout offering of separates, cozy sweaters, beautiful outerwear and easy looks for evening, all while building on the brand’s carefully crafted DNA that keeps their loyal clientele coming back each season. Oversized clutches and relaxed, tubular handbags in suede and leather with hints of exotic skins were styled with nonchalance ease, as were the simple Charvet slippers on models’ feet – the brand introduced footwear of their own the following season. The understated magic encapsulated in each look of the collection was brought to new heights presented affront a jungle of towering skyscrapers outside the 35th floor’s windows, with sun beaming through the carefully drawn venetian blinds. No brand understands the importance of crafting a complete environment quite like The Row, and even they outdid themselves for fall/winter 2015.

References
- 1
- 2
Irving Penn
Photograph in Vogue, February, 1949

Ward Bennett
Apartment at The Dakota

Marcel Breuer
Cesca Chair

Constantin Brancusi
Madamoiselle Pogany, 1913

Mies van der Rohe
In Chicago, 1960

Hector Guimard
Table Lamp, 1900

Brice Marden
Epitaph Painting 5, 1997-2001

Horst P. Horst
Tall Fashion, 1963

Dan Johnson
Travertine and Walnut 'Gazelle' Cocktail Table, 1955

Arne Jacobsen
Rodovre City Hall, 1954-1956

Frank Stella
[Title Not Known], 1967

Eileen Gray
Le Destin, 1914

Hiroshi Sugimoto
Seagram Building, New York City, 1997

Marcel Breuer
Cesca Chair

Jean-Michel Frank
Table Lamp Mounted on a Quartz Base,1925

Ward Bennett
Apartment at The Dakota

References

Irving Penn
Photograph in Vogue, February, 1949
1 of 21

Ward Bennett
Apartment at The Dakota
2 of 21

Marcel Breuer
Cesca Chair
3 of 21

Constantin Brancusi
Madamoiselle Pogany, 1913
4 of 21

Mies van der Rohe
In Chicago, 1960
5 of 21

Hector Guimard
Table Lamp, 1900
6 of 21

Brice Marden
Epitaph Painting 5, 1997-2001
7 of 21

Horst P. Horst
Tall Fashion, 1963
8 of 21

Dan Johnson
Travertine and Walnut 'Gazelle' Cocktail Table, 1955
9 of 21

Arne Jacobsen
Rodovre City Hall, 1954-1956
13 of 21

Frank Stella
[Title Not Known], 1967
14 of 21

Eileen Gray
Le Destin, 1914
17 of 21

Hiroshi Sugimoto
Seagram Building, New York City, 1997
18 of 21

Marcel Breuer
Cesca Chair
19 of 21

Jean-Michel Frank
Table Lamp Mounted on a Quartz Base,1925
20 of 21
