The vacant RKO Hamilton Theater in West Harlem, where Alexander Wang showed his Fall 2017 collection. (Courtney Vinopal / NY City Lens)
During New York Fashion Week, all eyes tend to revolve around Lower Manhattan, where most of the designer shows happen. But last Saturday, some of the biggest names in the industry came uptown to West Harlem for fashion designer Alexander Wang’s Fall 2017 show.
The show was held in the vacant RKO Hamilton Theater, which is located on 146th Street and Broadway, has been a cinema, boxing ring, church, and most recently the seasonal Halloween store in the neighborhood. On this particular night, it was the space Wang chose to showcase his latest collection.
As the line stretching around the corner of the theater grew and celebrities began to arrive, a crowd gathered to get a glimpse of the action.
Katie Searing, 26, who has lived in Hamilton Heights for three years, said she first heard about the show through social media, and had never seen a spectacle of this sort before in the neighborhood. She said it shows that more and more people are realizing that Harlem is a destination for arts, culture, and fashion.
“He definitely chose it for a reason,” said Searing of Wang’s decision to hold the show in the theater. “I think he knew that Harlem is starting to have a revival. It definitely proves that he’s on trend and everything.”
Recording artist and actress Teyana Taylor enters the show. (Courtney Vinopal / NY City Lens)
As the show grew closer to start time, celebrities began descending on Hamilton Heights, including ASAP Rocky, Ansel Elgort, Zoë Kravitz, and of course, the Jenner sisters, a reality TV show pair — Kendall walked in the show, while Kylie descended from a massive black van, prompting screams from on-looking fans.
Those still clambering to get a look of the arriving celebrities joked with some of the policemen and security guards trying to keep the crowd under control, even though many seemed unaware of the apparent celebrity status of the guests.
One policeman, in response to the news that Kylie Jenner had arrived with boyfriend Tyga, a rapper, joked with the crowd: “Tiger? I know Tiger Woods! He’s got those back spasms.”
