Modest Looks Reign At New York Fashion Week

Image by Getty Images
Whether a designer debuting or a veteran of runway shows, one thing is clear: modest dressing is an important trend during this week’s New York Fashion Week. As we prepare for our Jewish New Year with food, fun and fashion, this year’s looks allow one to imagine dressing for Rosh Hashanah in looks directly off the runways.
From Day One of NYFW, it was apparent that long sleeves, maxi lengths and overflowing loose dresses were going to be seen in show after show. What made each runway unique were the textures, patterns, fabrics and the creative ways each design house featured the dress on a runway.
Designer Ionica featured several looks for both day and night with simplest blouses in whites and bold colors. She also featured wide-brimmed hats as the signature accessory. They will perfect for Passover, Shavuot and many summer occasions.
Jessie Zhao seemed to pay homage to the classic Hermes silk scarf patterns. She featured both over the knee and ankle length dresses with prints in soft pastel colors intricate patterns. Many in the audience admired what seems to be comfort and style, as many models walked the runway wearing flat sandals and few accessories.
Many shows featured both men and women in coordinating outfits. Most of what I saw on the men were sport jackets and suits.
Designer Henry Picado debuted new pieces in three collections, Este & Chlo, Henry Picado Haute Couture and Henry Picado Men’s as part of a journey fashion festival. Picado, a name synonymous with fashion brands who previously catered to both the traditional working woman and conservative yet stylish party goer, said, “The desire to look classic, sophisticated and trendy is not just for a limited audience. It was easy to create looks for both men and women because requests from clients internationally are greater than ever before.”
Here are some of the standout trends that were shown in variations from show to show:
White, white and more white.
Either alone or as a background, tones of white were everywhere, including shoes, hats and bags.
Lots of denim.
For both men and women, were seen in show after show.
Sheer fabrics
With many patterns and in almost every color were on display everywhere.
The designers used their talents on how they layered, used ruffles, beads and pieces of silks and leathers to make their blouses, skirts, dresses and pants standout.
Modest dressers should take note that the clothed were the stars. Makeup on faces was muted in natural tones, and hairstyles seemed simplistic, with natural waves and curls. There were few jewels, few handbags, and even almost no big belts and overflowing scarves.

Tory Burch NYFW Sept 2017.
Designers presented shows in restaurants, lounges, museums, hotels and in some of the most creative ways. Tory Burch showed in the gardens surrounding the Cooper Hewitt Museum and Malan Breton opened at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.
Over 100 designers will showcase their creativity in close to two weeks of shows. Modest dressers have much to choose from as almost every collection featured classic, back to basic, wearable pieces of art. The problem won’t be where to find pieces for their wardrobe, but rather, that there are too many great dresses, skirts and blouses to select from.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion My Jewish moms group ousted me because I work for J Street. Is this what communal life has come to?
- 2
Fast Forward Suspected arsonist intended to beat Gov. Josh Shapiro with a sledgehammer, investigators say
- 3
News Student protesters being deported are not ‘martyrs and heroes,’ says former antisemitism envoy
- 4
Politics Meet America’s potential first Jewish second family: Josh Shapiro, Lori, and their 4 kids
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Jewish family killed in New York plane crash
-
Fast Forward Israelis can no longer enter the Maldives after Palestinian-solidarity ban goes into effect
-
News Harvard is defying the Trump administration — after its own crackdown on academic freedom
-
Opinion The Passover attack on Josh Shapiro was terrifying. But don’t assume it was antisemitic
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.