After a long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, New York is opening its Spring/Summer 2022 Fashion Week with the return of in-person runway shows featuring big names like Tom Ford and Altuzarra.

But Covid-related curbs will deprive the series of some of its usual international flavor as it rolls out this week.

The pandemic overshadowed the last two fashion weeks, in September 2020 and February 2021, as both were dominated by virtual runway shows.

Steven Kolb, chief executive of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), says he sees room for both digital and in-person shows.

But “there is a real optimism and energy and enthusiasm about returning to live shows,” he added.

“There is, of course, nothing you can compare to a live show.”

In New York, whose fashion shows precede those of London, Milan and Paris, there is no shortage of iconic runway settings, as with