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nyfw spring 2020
September 12, 2019

Color Theory: Everyone's Wearing Optimistic Yellow

By Emilia Petrarca

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Photo: by Stevie Remsberg; Photos: Getty Images, Shutterstock

Fashion Week always feels like sensory overload, but the spring 2020 shows were particularly bright and colorful this season. They began with a bat mitvah and ended with a rainbow Marc Jacobs collection. The Marc show in particular billed itself as a “celebration of life, joy, equality, individuality, optimism, happiness, indulgence, dreams and a future unwritten,” as the designer’s heartfelt show notes read. It sounds like a tall order, but this really was the theme of the week.

Susan Alexandra’s balloon-filled event was an expression of unabashed, childish joy. At Area, every outfit shimmered with gold and jewels while a disembodied voice recited a positivity mantra over the loudspeakers. Sies Marjan ended with a confetti firecracker. Brandon Maxwell was all smiles (and at least one enthusiastic audience member). Models danced at Deveaux. Kate Spade and Tory Burch were easy and lighthearted. The Pyer Moss show lifted everyone’s spirit, following an energetic Tommy Hilfiger x Zendaya performance uptown. Rihanna’s Fenty x Savage show made Victoria’s Secret look like a robot parade. Even Eckhaus Latta showed sequins! Some might call it a cheap Instagram grab, while others will predict a return to ’80s extravagance. But perhaps it’s just a much-needed injection of sunshine to keep us from thinking about the end of the world. Either way, Spongebob Yellow was the color of the season. And who is more optimistic than the man who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

Some evidence, below.

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1 / 10 Photos
Marc Jacobs. Photo: Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Sies Marjan. Photo: Pixelformula/SIPA/Shutterstock/Pixelformula/SIPA/Shutterstock
Pyer Moss. Photo: FERNANDA CALFAT 27/Getty Images
Ralph Lauren. Photo: JP YIM/Getty Images
Oscar de la Renta. Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images
Vaquera. Photo: FERNANDA CALFAT 27/Getty Images
Coach. Photo: Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Sally LaPointe. Photo: Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Proenza Schouler. Photo: Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Sandy Liang. Photo: Courtesy Sandy Liang
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