Fashion Month 2016: Everything You Need To Know

It's just a matter of days before fashion's it-crowd moves en masse to New York to begin a month of schmoozing, Instagram opportunities and - of course - brand new ready-to-wear collections. While it's hard to predict what our favourite designers have up their statement sleeves for A/W'16, here's what we do know so far.

When does fashion month start?

Fashion month kicks off on February 11th in New York, then heads to London and Milan before coming to an end in Paris on March 9th. Here are the dates for your Anya Hindmarch diary:

New York Fashion Week: February 11th - February 18th

Key shows include: Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, Victoria Beckham, Proenza Schouler

London Fashion Week: February 19th - February 23rd

Key shows include: Burberry, Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, Mary Katrantzou

Paris Fashion Week: March 2nd - March 9th

Key shows include: Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Chloé, Céline, Miu Miu

Kanye is dropping an album AND a ready-to-wear collection

Kanye West does not do things by halves. So, it follows that the master of the self-deprecating understatement is launching his much-hyped (albeit mainly hyped by Kanye himself) album, WAVES, and his third collection of high-end Yeezy sportswear in a double whammy of an event at New York’s iconic Madison Square Gardens. Oh, and Yeezus has deigned to open up proceedings to us mortals, with seats available on Ticketmaster and live cinema broadcasts planned across the world for February 11th. Whatever happens, we can expect a front row appearance from Kim and little North.

Kanye has also taken to Twitter to tease a preview of Yeezy Season 3, and apparently it's all about crop tops, distressed knitwear, snow boots and the sort of athleisure pieces that it's not hard to imagine being worn by Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid. Here's your first look.

Kendall and Kylie are getting involved, too

Kanye isn’t the only member of reality TV’s first family to get caught up in the fashion week circus. Both Kendall and Kylie Jenner have previously taken to the catwalk at NYFW, but this season the girls are set to show their first standalone collection (which is separate to their PacSun and Topshop collaborative lines – keep up at the back!) at an industry soiree on February 8th. Naturally, Kylie has already taken to Instagram to tease some pieces from the collection, including a cut-out black bodycon dress (because… obviously), while WWD reports that it will combine Kendall’s ‘more classic, feminine style’ with Kylie’s more edgy streetwear,’ in a palette of ‘mostly black and white with pale pink and blue accents.’ It’s apparently already been picked up by prestigious stateside retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.

Alexander McQueen is coming home

Alexander McQueen was born in London, trained on Savile Row and studied at Central Saint Martins, but the late designer’s eponymous brand has held catwalk shows in Paris since the early 2000s. Now, under the helm of creative director Sarah Burton, the label is back on the London show schedule for one season only. After the smash success of the V&A’s retrospective exhibition Savage Beauty last year and the recent announcement of a McQueen biopic, it seems that public interest in the designer is still at fever pitch, and the McQueen show is set to be the hottest ticket of the season. Expect glorious spectacle – and a scramble for standing room spaces.

Mulberry are back with a new creative director

Previously one of London’s hottest tickets thanks to an irreverently British aesthetic and catwalk showboating (remember the English country garden? Or the retro fairground? We could go on…), Mulberry has been largely absent from the fashion week schedule since the departure of creative director Emma Hill. This month, with ex-Celine designer Johnny Coca in the driving seat, the brand will be making a much anticipated return. Coca is the man behind Celine’s coveted Trapeze tote, and we’re intrigued to see what he brings to the quintessentially English label.

Rihanna makes her fashion week debut with Puma

It’s been a year since Rihanna was announced as the creative director of Puma, and this season will see the star staging her first show at New York Fashion Week. In classic RiRi style, details remain vague, but it’s thought the presentation will take place on the evening of February 12th, and we’re pretty sure she’ll have invited an exclusive coterie of pals to sit front row. It’s not the first time that the ‘ANTI’ singer has had her name on the fashion month schedule : Rihanna previously launched her sell-out collaboration with River Island at London Fashion Week three years ago.

There'll be an Instagram 'pit' at the Tommy Hilfiger show

In the social media era, a row of smartphones held aloft during a catwalk finale has become the ultimate seal of approval for a fashion designer, and even the most storied fashion houses are starting to stage their shows with the perfect ‘Insta-moment’ in mind. This season, Tommy Hilfiger has introduced a novel solution to the obstructive wall of Apple products that springs up at every show: an ‘InstaPit’ for ‘Instagram content creators,’ which the brand describes as ‘an exclusive space for Instagrammers to capture the looks as they premiere on the runway.’ Sharpen your elbows, pick a filter and pray for a decent wi-fi connection….