Sex, Drugs, and Rockin' Raves: The Cast of Characters at Spring 2015 New York Fashion Week

 

Clockwise from top left: Versus Versace, Rodarte, Jeremy Scott, Marc by Marc Jacobs

Now that New York Fashion Week is officially over (mourn! rejoice! shove off to London! go take a nap!), we can take a step back and survey the eclectic cast of characters who made a showing this season. Not on the sidewalk outside Lincoln Center and Milk Studios (enough of you so-called street-style stars), but on the runways. Here's who to look out for, and possibly fear, come Spring 2015:

Versus Versace 

Who: The Sexed-Up (and Possibly Coked-Up) Rocker Babe 
Where: Versus Versace
What: The unholy union of Donatella Versace and Anthony Vaccarello is such a natural one, it's almost surprising they haven't put their eerily similar, aggressively sexual, unapologetically body-conscious aesthetics together before. This girl belongs backstage at the head-banging heavy metal concerts of a bygone era, where she gets exactly what she wants using her long legs, long hair, and highly suggestive wardrobe of power blazers (don't you dare tell her to put a blouse or even a bra underneath), medallion-topped mini-dresses with skin-flashing details, and metallic-gold separates. And what does she want? Wild nights filled with satisfaction, naturally. Everyone knows the truly sexy don't need color; hence, the mostly monochrome nature of the new Versus chick's wardrobe. Black rules the night, and so does she.

Rodarte

Who: The Street-Tough Urban Mermaid
Where: Rodarte
What:  Kate and Laura Mulleavy love reaping inspiration from their Southern California childhoods, and this time they reminisced on the Monterey tide pools they used to visit. Enter their mystical, hardware-loving, pavement-pounding siren. She embraces shimmer, sparkle, and sheerness, by way of tattered strips of chiffon and wide fishnet overlays, ripped-to-shreds silk and chunky sequin clusters. When dressing up, she opts for ethereal dresses with a collaged, almost haphazard breed of whimsy, but she's not a total girly-girl (some of the pieces even have custom Rodarte bottle tops and soda-can tabs hanging from them). When her mood strikes the flipside, she's got a swashbuckling alter ego, one who walks hard in her wide-lace, thigh-high boots (perfect for wearing over super-skinny pants), embellished military jackets, and enthusiastically ruffled tops. Sure, she's no Captain Hook, but that doesn't mean her metal-and-leather belt can't double as a fish-spearing weapon.

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Who: The Androgynous Club-Crawling Raver Kid 
Where: Marc by Marc Jacobs
What: Well, it's official. It's been so long since the actual '90s took place, ravers are back and they are serving as the inspiration for Luella Bartley's and Katie Hillier's second collection for MBMJ, aka Marc by Marc Jacobs. Warehouse parties, get excited. This kid adores Björk, the East London club scene, and has no desire to look sexy, at least not in the traditional sense of the word. Instead, she prefers to steal oversized skater T-shirts from the guys and mash them into her bandeau tops and bustiers for a belly-baring effect that makes you raise an eyebrow, and keep her glossy latex (the designers even enlisted fetish professionals House of Harlot to produce it) relegated to a few mere flashes, via polka-dot skirts or layered beneath tees and asymmetric kooky-girly dresses. She doesn't even need to carry a bag. Instead, the hefty supply of pockets on her flight suit and anorak jackets keeps her going-out essentials safe. Her vibe is a little dark, almost dangerous. That is, until you catch sight of the teeny pixie-ish knots of hair atop her head. No, she's not so edgy after all.

Jeremy Scott

 

Who: The Psychedelic Wild Child Who Was Barely Born in the '90s But Wishes She Was Alive in the '60s 
Where: Jeremy Scott 
What: Jeremy Scott is very good at applying bad taste, and with Miley Cyrus helping out with accessories (look out for "Dirty Hippie" party hats), his youthful, "screw you, fashion" aesthetic is at an all-time high. This girl pops tabs of acid and pills of ecstasy (because they didn't have molly in the '90s), dances at Burning Man, and tears up the strobe-lit after-hours club like it's no big thing. She performs her favorite activities while wearing flower-powered babydoll dresses, hyperactive Doc Martens, marble-print bike shorts, tie-dyed tees, beaded leis, and crop tops fit for a five-year-old, all in shades that complete the spectrum of the Day Glo rainbow. She is Lady Miss Kier meets your old Delia's catalog on crack meets the kid who smears glow-in-the-dark bodypaint all over your face at your next party. Oh, and she loves Shrek. As in, the cartoon ogre with Mike Meyers' voice.