On Friday morning, the second day of New York fashion week, designer Carolina Herrera announced that she would be stepping down from her post at the age of 79.
Herrera’s fall 2018 runway show on Monday at the Museum of Modern Art will be her last. Family and friends — including Bianca Jagger, who’s been there since the beginning in 1981, and Mr. Calvin Klein himself — will be in the front row to send her off.
Wes Gordon, the 31-year-old designer who has been acting as Herrera’s creative consultant for the last 11 months, will take over as creative director. Herrera will assume a new role as global brand ambassador, and hopes this new position will allow her to spend more time with her 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Gordon began his career as an intern for Oscar de la Renta and Tom Ford. After graduating from Central St. Martins in 2009, he founded his own eponymous label, which has been described as embodying an “uptown aesthetic.” This makes him an ideal match for Carolina Herrera. His first day as creative director is February 13.
“Just don’t say I am retiring,” Herrera told the Times. “I am not retiring! I am moving forward.”