RUNWAY: Raf Simons FW17

Belgian designer Raf Simons is a New Yorker now. Since taking the top job at Calvin Klein, he has lived in New York and has opted to show his eponymous collection here as well. In the few months since the announcement and his jaunt across the Atlantic, much has happened in America and there were hints of rebellion and solidarity in a protests that have occurred these past few weeks, see the "Any Way Out This" tees. Ultimately, his debut collection was a love letter to New York: a collection that saw a melting pot of old and new, rich and poor, the haves and the have-mores, and the hard and the soft. All these elements played well on the oversized coats, cinched at the waist by tape while opulent necklaces softened and feminized the looks which felt decidedly more grown up, even in a rakish and punk-y way.