What does the American dream mean in 2024? New York fashion week had thoughts

I’m writing this as New York fashion week comes to a close, and it’s been a whirlwind six days of shows and antics. Rihanna kept everyone waiting for almost an hour at Alaïa. Wu-Tang Clan popped up with a surprise performance onboard the Tommy Hilfiger ferry and Luar closed out the week with a front-row appearance by Madonna. As for the catwalks? There was one dominant theme that you couldn’t miss, from chinos to varsity jackets and knitted sweaters: preppy is well and truly back.

This way of dressing originally took its inspiration from Ivy League sports clubs and campuses. It is a trend that is heavily rooted in class and identity and it comes at a time when these issues are at the forefront of American politics, with the 2024 presidential election less than two months away. Politics was also, naturally, a hot topic on and off the catwalks. Prabal Gurung took his post-show bow in a T-shirt emblazoned with “VOTE” on the front and “Harris/Waltz” on the back. Anna Wintour and Jill Biden hit the streets of Manhattan alongside designers including Thom Browne, Michael Kors and Tory Burch as part of a non-partisan voting awareness march organised by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Vogue. And fresh from her appearance at the DNC, Ella Emhoff, the 25-year-old stepdaughter of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, was the model and front-row guest of choice for a string of designers including Burch and Coach.

But the preppy trend provided the most food for thought. It feeds into a wider commentary from designers on the American dream and what that concept means and looks like in 2024. Immigration is a key part of the notion, and it also happens to be one of the crucial policies that both US parties are grappling with.

Ralph Lauren, the son of Jewish immigrants who grew up in the Bronx and now has a reported net worth of £5.3bn, is often held up as the embodiment of the term. His picture-perfect spectacle on Thursday night in the Hamptons oozed an old-money lifestyle that is certainly one version of the dream. Speaking at a reception before the show, where waiters clad in white RL polo tops handed out champagne and miniature lobster rolls, the actor Laura Dern mused on Lauren’s version of preppy. “There is always deep iconography connected to America,” she said. “He loves American traditions and family has always been embedded in his stories. It’s always playful and hopeful. With everything going on, to feel hopeful is a nice feeling.”

If Lauren’s world is a version of the American dream as lived by the 1%, Willy Chavarria’s commentary was a little more democratic. Chavarria, who was born in California near the Mexican border, is the son of an Irish-American mother and Mexican-American father. The designer said he wanted to “celebrate immigration and those people who have built the country and are still the backbone of the country”. His show was held in a disused bank on Wall Street, and guests arrived to find a giant US flag hoisted above them and a copy of the American constitution on their seats. Chavarria said he added the accent to the show’s name, América, because this is how the word “is heard through the voice of an immigrant or the child of an immigrant”. The clothes riffed on uniforms – cargo pants and neat button-down shirts – and were said to be a celebration of the workforce. In a nod to farm workers, some wore bandanas wrapped around their faces. “The collection is a story of empowerment,” the designer said. And while Chavarria’s price point is out of reach for most blue-collar workers (trousers cost about £600), it did feel as if he was planting the seed for a new type of American style. “It’s really about the fact that all of us belong, all of us have purpose, and all of us have the ability to make change in this country, especially starting with the vote.”

With an invitation that mirrored the American green card, Off-White’s Ib Kamara was also thinking about immigration. Kamara said he had decided to show in New York rather than the brand’s usual slot at Paris because he wanted to bring the brand, which was founded by the late American designer Virgil Abloh, “home”. Kamara explained that, growing up in Sierra Leone, “America was a dream”. “If you want luxury, you come to America. It’s a dream place. You feel hopeful when you come.”

Stuart Vevers, the British designer and creative director of Coach, who sent Emhoff down the catwalk wearing an “I heart NY” T-shirt, also spoke about hope. “There’s a sense of optimism in the next generation,” Vevers said. “There’s a lot of hope. They’re going to change things.”

What’s hot – and what’s most definitely not – this week

Going up

BAR 8IE | Personalised number plates are having an unexpected moment. In case you were wondering, some, including “PEN 15”, “BO11 OOX” and “P155 OFF”, are banned by the DVLA.

Puff pastry | Sausage rolls never looked so good as when in the form of 22-carat gold-plated earrings. A new jewellery collection from Greggs is good enough to eat.

Dominoes | Frequently clattering in the Knowles-Carter household, apparently. Time to hit the tiles.

Going down

Level-headed style critiques | Who needs measure when you can have Diane Keaton’s far more fun way of judging her past outfits. “WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG,” is the title of one chapter in her new book, in which she writes: “Some of these outfits make me wonder if my family was worried about me.”

Mob wife dressing | Want to look smart at work this autumn? Try your hand at gameshow host dressing. Take your notes from Anne Robinson, the OG, whose razor-sharp Alexander McQueen suits were as cutting as her banter.

Pimm’s | The Honey Deuce – a mix of Grey Goose vodka, lemonade, raspberry liqueur and balls of honeydew melon – is apparently the drink of choice at the US Open. Just don’t ask what the score is.

Melanie Wilkinson, styling editor, solves your wardrobe dilemmas

Q: I’ve been wearing various big tees and combinations of a crop top and shorts to sleep in all summer, but now the weather is starting to turn I want to get some nice pyjamas. Where is good to look? I’m 5’8” and pyjama bottoms are often bit short. – Maddie, Hertford

A: My favourite pyjama brand at the moment is Chelsea Peers. The designs are really fun and colourful. A lot of the styles have relaxed, wide-leg bottoms, which are great if you struggle to get good length – I love these tiger ones. Eberjeyhas lots of good-quality styles that are super soft and comfortable (J-Lo is a fan). They are a bit pricey but they should last for years if you look after them. And finally, you can never go wrong with M&S. This style of pyjama has a T-shirt rather than a button-up top, which is often a bit more comfy. Ideal for the incoming autumnal weather in the UK.

Got your own style question? Send it to fashionstatement@theguardian.com.