Style gurus and Dior die-hards anticipate Fashion Week like children anticipate Christmas. The lucky ones get to sit around the runway and wait for the spring surprises to unfold under the glittering spotlights. For others, like myself, we watch the YouTube videos during lectures and focus on the folds and rolls of every draped A-line skirt more than macroeconomics.

Waiting for the first look to walk out onto the runway, that first savory hint of the runway show, far surpasses any first glance under the tree Christmas morning. However, some runway shows are like the clothes your grandma may buy you for Christmas: ugly and something you wished you hadn’t seen. Despite all the great looks that graced Spring/Summer 2019 New York Fashion Week, some infamous runways made a statement in all the wrong ways.

Michael Kors

If I could summarize Kors’ 65-look collection in one word, it would be vomitory. His 1960s, Jackie O- inspired surfer collection featured pink and green floral bucket hats paired with matching suits, flat forms and tote bags in the same grandmother-esque print. Hidden beneath wisps of black, green and pink were graphic tees that could only be found in the clearance juniors rack at Gap. Drapey, Pepto-Bismol-pink, doily dresses engulfed the models and gave them an oval, almond-like figure.

There was negative cohesion in this collection, featuring seven black looks for his final looks, that included generic black leather blazers, maxi-length flouncy skirts, ruffled-hemmed pants and mesh pants. Gigi Hadid walked the “show stopping” finale look: a black leather bikini top dress that would have been too cheap-looking for a Vegas escort.

Gypsy Sport

Rio Uribe has always pushed the boundaries and standards of modern day fashion, incorporating sustainable and unconventional materials within his craft. However, his edgy and cool spin on reworked denim was overlooked in comparison to his craft-project-gone-wrong styling in his Mother Nature inspired spring collection. The first model looked as if she had wandered from a shipwreck with tattered jeans, a crochet shell top and green leaves sprouting from her boots. People of all shapes, colors and gender identities pushed the boundaries of androgynous dress, with women freeing the nipple and men dressed in skirts.

Uribe’s unique transformation of Levi’s belt bands into halter dresses, denim corsets with frayed edges and flowers embroidered in contrasting denim showed his creative take on sustainable fashion. Despite this, the pink and green hair extensions, vines and leaves dangling from teased hair, and head and face paintings didn’t mesh with the cool urban vibe he created. What really perplexed me, aside from the clunky Big Bird sneakers and seaweed intertwined hair, was the seashell jockstrap that gave a futuristic mermaid vibe, and secured the title of worst Spring/Summer 2019 NYFW look.

Jeremy Scott

Jeremy Scott has always surprised Fashion Week with his quirky creations that transcend traditional fashion shows and conventional standards of trends. This show delivered the same amount of drama and pizazz as his past collections. He showcased his go-to bright neon orange, pink and green colors in pop art words that appeared tacked on with velcro on almost every sheath and sweatshirt dress.

What puzzled me the most was a maxi dress patterned with hundreds of Jeremy Scott’s faces, taking the idea of self-branding above and beyond the norm. The neon hockey-style leg guard boots were odd, yet intriguing, while the neon Birkenstocks just looked out of place on the runway. For the most part, the motorcycle jackets with neon piping and matching skirt or pants look like the uniform of a futuristic motorcycle gang, revamping this collection and making it the “best” of the worst.

Even a rough runway show is thrilling to many during the most wonderful time of the fashion year. Hopefully, we can learn from these fashion designers’ mistakes: Don’t mix denim and seashells, grandma-florals are never in and your face never makes for a great textile. For now, let’s hope Milan Fashion Week later this year showcases different designs that are easier on the public eye.