Yeezy Season 5 Could Be the Start of a New Era for Kanye

Yeezy Season 5 was no Yeezy Season 4 — and we mean that in the best way possible. Kanye carried on certain traditions from prior seasons, but only the best ones. For starters, there was spectacle: Kanye presented his entire collection via massive live video projections; real-life models hit the catwalk for the finale. As always, there was a remarkable level of model diversity. Most notably, former Miss Minnesota USA contestant Halima Aden walked the runway. In addition to being a hijabi, the Somali-American model was born in a Kenyan refugee camp.

And that’s where the similarities end. This time around, there were no clear thigh-highs or neutral leotards or ripped-up sweaters. Rather, the rapper-cum-designer presented Americana staples — camo, shearling jackets, faded high-waist denim — alongside some incredible athleisurewear-slash-merch. (Some pieces repped “Calabasas,” the exclusive Californian enclave from which the Kardashians hail, others read “Lost Hills,” the name of Kanye and Drake’s upcoming musical collaboration.) Another happy development? Kanye has abandoned his metal-inspired, passé Life of Pablo font for more cleanly spaced, all caps lettering, a la Calvin Klein’s new logo. Oh, and there’s a Kanye-stamped #normcore sneaker afoot.

Amina Blue for Yeezy Season 5; Image: Courtesy

Based on public and critical reaction, the entire collection is bound to sell out quick. We’ll be scrambling after the forest-printed baggy cargo pants modeled by Yeezy vet Amina Blue and the striped crimson tracksuit begging to be paired with a sleek camel coat.

The new and improved Kanye West — the Kanye West who calls CFDA chief Steven Kolb and personally apologizes for seemingly crashing the fashion calendar — opted not to take a bow at the end of his presentation. He banned cell phones, photos, video, social media and the press from the presentation. (Still, the journalists, reporters and basically everyone in attendance who didn’t boycott the show still managed to snap, tweet, gram and live-blog the entire event.) According to WWD, Yeezy Season 5 started only 23 minutes late, which, by fashion world standards, is practically punctual. Even more encouraging is the fact that Kylie Jenner and her beau Tyga arrived at 3:28 p.m. EST to find Kanye had not held up the show for them. No models fainted. Fashionista called it “possibly one of the tamest fashion shows this week.” (After all, Kanye kept things pretty apolitical.) It seems Kanye’s designs and manners have improved. For now.

Check out the full Yeezy Season 5 collection in the slideshow below.