A Day at Tommy Pier
WORDS BY LAUREN RAE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ISRAEL PETERS
Tommy Pier, the fashion carnival, opened this September to promote the eagerly awaited collaboration between designer Tommy Hilfiger and ‘it’ model Gigi Hadid.
New York Fashion Week isn’t only for showcasing the latest in runway couture, in fact it is also an amalgamation of festival and fun activities surrounding the main event. With a number of cool pop-up events to attend during the fashion month, it was inevitable that I find myself at the most instagrammed, tweeted and talked about event – Tommy Pier.
This season the brand have teamed up with model of the moment Gigi Hadid to create an exclusive range of nautical and military themed pieces for Autumn Winter 2016. Launched during New York Fashion Week, Gigi and her fellow models stormed Pier 16 at the South Street Seaport which had been transformed into a nautical fairground, continuing the theme of the collection. Models paraded the pier wearing oversized thick knits, sheer printed dresses, embellished bomber jackets, baggy tracksuits, and classic military jackets. Fringed bandanas, branded waistbands, buckled boots and gold charms in the form of necklaces and badges completed many of the looks, accentuating this contemporary take on all things nautical.
Following the show the streets buzzed with excitement as the pier opened to the general public. Queues ran through the entirety of the event as individuals waited patiently for their turn to eat giant donuts and experience the free rides. When given the opportunity to enjoy the last of the summers breeze and what with Septembers in the big apple being scorching hot, there was no option but to indulge!
Located in lower Manhattan, the colourful event stretched the length of Pier 16 and featured an array of fun carnival games, assorted foods, fun fair rides including a 40-foot ferris wheel - and clothes from the collection available for purchase, embracing the emerging See-It-Now, Buy-It-Now trend. There were also a number of freebies to grab throughout the day, the fun was endless. Not to mention each and every stall at the event was labeled with the Gigi and Tommy brand making it clear who the event was in aid of… you know, in case you forgot.
