New York-based fashion designer Frederick Anderson set the stage for his spring 2025 runway show at The Baryshnikov Arts Center. It was a fitting venue, given the institution’s founding by legendary ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov (although those in the fashion world might know him better as Carrie Bradshaw’s Russian boyfriend from Season Six of “Sex and the City”).
Given that many women who have come to wear Anderson’s designs are patrons of the ballet, classical music, and other lively arts and institutions around New York City, the venue was practical for Anderson, despite the venue’s theatrically high ceilings. Anderson’s customer is often a New York society woman. She is on the board of various charities, she’s off to the Hamptons in the summer, and in winter, she’s in St. Barts. For the various endeavors in her life, Anderson attempted to provide her with full wardrobe styling for his spring 2025 collection.
The show, titled ‘My Africa,’ opened with a quiet luxury look, featuring a white wrap top with a low neckline and tan pants with a matching lightweight coat that made an excellent seasonal transitional outerwear staple. Anderson was inspired by travels in Africa to design this multifaceted, but cohesive collection.
With the trend of quiet luxury still going strong, Anderson was timely with this garment that said minimalism on a safari, but with coat in hand for deboarding a flight to New York in early April. Quiet luxury is a movement championing understated elegance, which many Upper East Side women who shop Anderson’s clothes embody.
Of course, Anderson’s goal wasn’t a full-scale minimalist collection. He quickly shifted to printed resort-ready dresses in silhouette options, including maxi, high-low, and cocktail, with safari-inspired floral prints and leopard prints. The choice to accessorize these looks with sunglasses was also reflective of how these looks are appropriate for sunny days and warm travels. Still, no wardrobe is complete without the evening wear pieces.
Anderson also went trendy with eveningwear, showcasing a little black dress where half the dress was skin-baring lace, in honor of the return to the naked dress trend. Glitter and sparkle are also prominent trends for spring 2025, and to that end Anderson unveiled a sparkling black glitter jumpsuit with a plunging neckline.
Among this season’s many notable trends, fringe also had a moment. One of Anderson’s standout pieces was a black dress draped in flowing fringe tassels, giving the appearance of a modern jet-setting girl’s take on the flapper dress.
Images courtesy of vogue.com
As Anderson has grown his retail footprint, now counting Saks Fifth Avenue as a retail partner and having his brick-and-mortar store on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, he’s become more intentional about adopting trends that will sell, while keeping his core customer in mind. She’s a woman of sophistication, and she needs an outfit for every occasion, from the gala to her tour of the savannah.
Kristopher Fraser
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