There was one overarching message to the Fall-Winter 2022 New York Collections season that  wrapped up Wednesday evening: Celebrate!

Make no mistake, this wasn’t some generic call to go out. Designers worked the theme in various. Take LaQuan Smith, for example, whose clothes were about celebrating yourself. This message was delivered in his new take on the ‘Revenge Dress,’ worn effectively by newly single – liberated if you will – Julia Fox. The Revenge Dress, for those too young to know, has its origins in the British monarchy. The night Prince Charles admitted to adultery on national television, Princess Diana stepped out to a  Serpentine Gallery dinner in a vavavoom black number by Christina Stamboli, potently throwing shade at the whole situation. Smith’s cutout number may well be the most important black dress we have seen in a while. File it with Elizabeth Hurley’s safety pin Versace gown and Audrey Hepburn’s ultimate Givenchy LBD served with coffee and a croissant at Tiffany’s.

Both Michael Kors and Tory Burch delivered love letters to New York with lineups fit for a night out on the town and show sets that put you in the mood for exactly that (Tory’s electrifying skyline view and Michael’s star performer Miguel amped up the sentiment).

Off-runway, there is something in the New York air that entices revelry. New additions to the scene, like Casa Cipriani and The Nines, make you want to get dressed. Ditto the revival of Temple Bar, and, of course, the evergreen, hotter-than-ever Indochine. During an outdoor lunch last week, a colleague and I couldn’t help but marvel at the renewed sense of confident chic among the passers-by. Bye bye, athleisure.

Peter Do had the perfect looks for this new era of modern elegance, as did Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Altuzarra’s Joseph Altuzarra, and Gabriela Hearst. Victor Glemaud, Khaite’s Catherine Holstein, Puppets & Puppets, and Duncan’s Michelle Duncan brought new codes to the quintessential New York wardrobe, and Elena Velez, Maryam Nassir Zadeh, Eckhaus Latta’s Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta, subverted them for powerful renderings of NYC’s current cool.

Speaking of, Eckhaus Latta marked its first decade in business – a perfect excuse to go out and celebrate!