The long-awaited 2024 New York Fashion Week occurred from September 6th to September 11th. New York Fashion Week, or NYFW, is a bi-annual show that happens once in February and again in September. It showcases designers’ innovative collections for the next season. One of my favorite collections in this recent week of shows, belonged to Jane Wade’s Spring Ready-to-Wear collection.
Oregon-born designer Jane Wade is based in NYC and reimagines the standard approach to office attire and corporate culture through avant-garde techniques. She typically displays asymmetrical drapings throughout her work and utilizes a palette of solid and neutral colors.
In her 2025 collection, “The Audit,” she focuses on the immorality of corporate greed and the issues faced in these destructive environments. She demonstrates this through her complex designs and bold silhouettes. In the collection, the asymmetrical draping gives each outfit a disheveled demeanor and depth that challenges the definition of professionalism in the workplace.
This season, Wade has partnered with Nike (as seen through Nike footwear and accessories). This partnership allows Wade to broaden her audience and raise awareness of her message.
Wade uses cool, metallic tones and accessories, such as earpieces and glasses, to give each outfit a futuristic atmosphere. In addition, She also utilizes chevron stitching, chainmail, and weaving in this collection which adds depth and attention to detail that draws the viewer’s attention to the garment. The natural fabrics give each outfit a certain personality through their different textures. To produce a similar trend as work wear, Wade uses fabrics with hardware textures such as canvas, denim, and cotton. Using these fabrics makes her designs practical and fashionable.
In this collection, Look 8, 9, and 30, in particular, were my favorite and particularly emphasized Wade’s talent. Look 8 showcased a dark blue dress with chevron and pinstripe stitching. The dramatic hourglass the corset created, paired with the asymmetrical skirt with light blue lining displayed Wade’s eye for bold looks. Similarly, Look 9 showed a white button-up with interesting folds and sleeves and a dye-dipped shredded paper skirt that were Wade’s real tax returns and contracts. Look 30 showed Wade’s use of layers and shoulder pads. The light blue blazer with white pinstripes has big shoulder pads which give the outfit an interesting look for the audience.
Overall, This collection was dynamic and interesting for the audience. I would recommend looking at her other collections if you liked this one. I loved this collection and hope to see more of Jane Wade in upcoming shows.
