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Tommy Hilfiger Brings the Circus to Town

Peace Onyuike tries her hand at the Cat Rack during the Tommy Hilfiger carnival. Mr. Hilfiger opened his fashion show and amusement park to the general public, offering approximately 1,000 tickets to consumers.Credit...Casey Kelbaugh for The New York Times

This season, unsatisfied to merely hold a runway show with global reach, debut a capsule collection with the social media phenom Gigi Hadid, and adopt a see-now/buy-now business plan that made all items shown on the catwalk immediately available for purchase online, the designer Tommy Hilfiger also decided to host a party.

And not happy with the typical fashion week celebration, Mr. Hilfiger rented out a pier in the South Street Seaport neighborhood and hosted a two-day carnival, complete with a Ferris wheel, that drew enthusiastic crowds on a sweltering Friday night.

“The experience itself is really incredible, but I actually love the line,” said Erica Aulds, who runs a lifestyle blog, Erie Nick, and who bought a turtleneck sweater and a nautical-style brimmed hat ($65) from the collaboration with Ms. Hadid, called Tommy x Gigi. “I had to get a memento for the experience,” Ms. Aulds said as shop clerks with iPads in hand helped ring up customers and replenish racks.

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A sudden rainstorm forced many guests into a Tommy x Gigi retail space during the carnival.Credit...Casey Kelbaugh for The New York Times

Ms. Aulds isn’t a buyer from a department store or an editor at a magazine, and that’s the point. In addition to the usual Annas and Glendas, Mr. Hilfiger opened up his fashion show and amusement park to the general public, offering approximately 1,000 tickets to consumers.

“He’s been around forever, and he’s one of the classics, but I feel like he’s done a great job being present,” Ms. Aulds said. “I wouldn’t say he’s making a comeback, because he’s always been there, but he’s done a good job of staying of-the-moment.” Teaming up with Ms. Hadid, who comes with a built-in digital fan base (22.7 million Instagram followers and counting) certainly doesn’t hurt.

The circus atmosphere and public spectators brought an enthusiastic energy to the event, making it more festive than usual fashion week goings-on, where outrageous spectacles can be met with polite smiles. The event was populated by young women who think of Ms. Hadid as a role model.

“I’ve always liked her,” Gigi Melchiorre, 15, said of Ms. Hadid. “She’s really sweet and genuine, which is different for models.” Gigi Melchiorre said she particularly liked the track suits in the show, and was familiar with Mr. Hilfiger’s recent work because the pop star Rihanna wore one of his dresses in the music video for her song “Work.”

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Left, Emily Rivas, at the Tommy Hilfiger carnival, and, right, Erica Aulds, in the Tommy x Gigi retail space.Credit...Casey Kelbaugh for The New York Times

“I wanted to get inspired so I came to see the fashion and look at Gigi and think about what to wear this winter,” said Emily Rivas, 15, who came with her parents. “She slays when she walks, she literally lights up the runway,” Emily said. She particularly liked the knee-high socks, oversize sweaters and the TH Logo athletic jerseys, and was wearing a white Tommy Hilfiger logo tank top.

Emily was standing in line to play a whack-a-mole-type game, which included stuffed animal prizes, at one of the many game booths on the pier. In addition to traditional carnival diversions, there were classic rides, food vendors serving hot dogs, doughnuts, Popsicles and numerous shops. Strangely, there was even a tattoo parlor. The first night, the food and games were on Mr. Hilfiger.

“I think the collection had a twist to it, but it still honored Tommy’s roots,” said Lesley Kirkpatrick, 30, who also runs her own blog, Blare June, and came from Nova Scotia to attend the show. “I think it’s young and fresh. It’s a fun version of a classic look. I want the navy sailor hat, but they don’t have my size in stock. But the Fifth Avenue store has one, so I’ll go get it there tomorrow.”

Nestled near a hot-dog stand and small arcade was a vintage shop, curated by Drew Heifetz, owner of Frankie Collective and F as in Frank Vintage and featuring 1990s-era Hilfiger pieces, which look alarmingly modern.

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The Teen Vogue editor Elaine Welteroth in one of the retail spaces at the Tommy Hilfiger carnival.Credit...Casey Kelbaugh for The New York Times

“He’s really getting into the ’90s stuff,” Mr. Heifetz said. “He’s reproducing it and getting excited about it.” He noticed Tommy Hilfiger gear with the classic logo gaining traction three or four years ago and is happy to see the brand making use of its emblem again. “The designers come looking to us for inspiration,” he said, even if that means the inspiration just happens to be their own work.

Elaine Welteroth, editor of Teen Vogue, perused the racks at the vintage shop wearing a shoulder-baring top. “The show was very Teen Vogue,” she said, all smiles. “We’re all about eclectic personal style that’s creative and expressive and fun, that doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

Ms. Welteroth was one of the few editors left at the carnival, which was thinning after a burst of rain hit about 9 p.m. “It was a great way to kick off fashion week,” she said. “The energy was very optimistic. That’s great. That’s what American fashion is all about.”

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A version of this article appears in print on  , Section D, Page 9 of the New York edition with the headline: For Tommy Hilfiger, the Circus Is in Town. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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