New York Fashion Week’s Show-Stopping Season

Last night, New York Fashion Week (NYFW) came to a close with Thom Browne’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection, which he presented at the cavernous Hudson Yards venue The Shed, this time with a grassy garden set and metamorphosis theme. Browne, who is the chair of the board of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), typically shows just once per year in New York (though usually not in September), and the theatrics always deliver the right caliber of drama and artistry to end the week.

NYFW often gets chided for its predictability. Not so this season.

An incident at Sunday’s Cos show — which involved CFDA CEO Steven Kolb physically interfering with Peta protestors — became the story of the week, as the video of the altercation circulated social media. By Monday afternoon, Kolb posted an apology to his Instagram Stories while the CFDA board released a statement saying that he will be on leave pending further review.

Considering the future of one of NYFW’s leaders is up in the air, there was somewhat of a vibe shift as fashion week soldiered on in the midst of the media coverage that followed.

But attention on the ground, for the most part, stayed on the clothes. Designers delivered: two of New York Fashion Week’s newest entrants put on two shows each: Rachel Scott and Henry Zankov (for Proenza Schouler and Diotima and Diane von Furstenberg and Zankov, respectively); newcomers to the schedule, like Magda Butrym, Aisling Camps, Jamie Haller, and Giovanna Flores, the latter of whom took appointments from her Brooklyn living room, stood out; and New York’s establishment celebrated milestones (like Carolina Herrera’s 45 years and Coach’s 85) and presented clear and confident collections (see Veronica Leoni’s fourth for Calvin Klein Collection, and Joseph Altuzarra’s return to form).

Off-calendar, newcomer Catalogue generated lots of chatter, as did Marcus Allen’s Society Archive Collection debut. Ralph Lauren showed a collection that spoke to the spectrum of his influence on American design, from preppy suits to lavish evening gowns.

“There’s a bit of irreverence that Ralph wanted to inject in the collection,” CEO Patrice Louvet said after the show. Louvet says the company’s highest priority categories are womenswear, outerwear and handbags, and this season was entirely womenswear.

“Ralph Lauren felt so distinctly Ralph, but completely right for now,” says Moda Operandi president April Henning. “The shrunken jackets, the flower brooches and the beaded wrap top put an elevated spin on of-the-moment silhouettes.”

Designers went into the week optimistic, seeking to offer a sense of joyousness and play in what many acknowledge are hard times. Tory Burch leaned into joy, optimism and escapism with a colorful mix of textures and patterns, while Tommy Hilfiger’s big bash at the Plaza tapped into all-American nostalgia.

“The shows feel energetic, the streets are packed, and there’s a renewed confidence in what New York fashion does best: great clothes, big personalities, and a certain irreverence,” says David Thielebeule, Bloomingdale’s fashion director.

For some, like Lii and Advisry, this meant harkening to bygone eras, times of youth or ‘better days’. Altuzarra took inspiration from photos in Casa Susanna, which documents the Catskills retreat that allowed men to escape the city and spend time dressing as women.

“I just love how joyful it was,” he told Vogue Runway. “I really wanted the collection to feel joyful, to be all about color and this idea of freedom.” For others, it was a matter of drawing on a more recent depiction of joy.

Campillo’s collection stemmed from a sunset in the mountains of Mexico on a hiking trip with his mother. Area SS27 was a direct result of designer Nicholas Aburn’s first-ever acid trip — a “beautiful, informative experience”.

Here’s what else you missed at New York Fashion Week.

Designer Hunger Games

In a week that always feels too long, a full schedule both elevates New York’s standing and weighs it down. Designers are always fighting for attention, calendar slots, and resources.

Cult Gaia founder Jasmin Hekmat said that it can feel like “designer Hunger Games”, as big New York brands call dibs on certain celebrity guests and models. This was Hekmat’s second time showing in New York (though it was on Wednesday, ahead of the official calendar) and she said doing a runway show finally taught her the importance of playing the industry’s game.

So what makes a show worth it, outside of the typical song and dance? Designers used their time in the spotlight to push certain categories that indicate where there’s growth — see the return of the PS1 at Proenza Schouler, the first big handbag push of Scott’s tenure.

Conner Ives’s New York homecoming featured a “Bring Back Shame” T-shirt, landing back in the US with a statement. Runway moments also offer a way for designers to announce collaborations or establish partnerships with brands.

Eckhaus Latta turned its Friday night show into a double feature, first with its core collection and then — after a brief pause for confetti — its new collection in collaboration with J.Crew, a step forward for a New York favorite into the mainstream.

For Heirlome’s Stephanie Suberville, it was about communicating the brand’s story in a bigger way. But it’s not always a straightforward task: Suberville had hoped to include the models she usually works with on her shoots in Mexico, only for them to lose their US visas within the last six months.

“I always want to continue supporting people in my country, and so I was excited to bridge all those different things we do with our brand into one,” she said.

It may pay to play the game, but there are ways to bend the rules, too. Sanderlak hosted a preview off-calendar that mixed all of the designer’s past seasons into one, showing the full breadth of his work as one story.

Emily Dawn Long eschewed the runway in favor of an extended presentation slot — though rather than actually host a presentation, she took over Chinatown restaurant Bridges to play her short film, The Crack of Dawn, on loop while attendees chatted, drank and snacked on popcorn. Thielebeule saw it as a reminder that you “don’t need to shout” to make an impression.

Trend watch

This season in New York was all about the waist — or rather, what’s decorating it. Kallmeyer, TWP and Heirlome all offered fresh takes on the cummerbund, taken out of its classic tux formula and placed in the context of the New York woman.

Brandon Maxwell’s jeans were topped with a denim wraparound that tied at the waist. Meanwhile at Ashlyn, and again at TWP, skirts-as-belts laced the waists of models.

At Lii, pouches around the waist weren’t just decorative, but could be fashioned into anoraks when opened up. Diotima’s Scott, meanwhile, leaned into wavy peplums, as did Catherine Holstein at Khaite.

Khaite’s chiffon peplum tops and mini skater dresses are high on the wishlist of Tiffany Hsu, Mytheresa’s chief buying and group fashion venture officer, who says they perfectly capture the season’s new proportions.

Ever the practical fashion week — New York brands are frequently applauded for their functionality; the fittingness of the clothes for the subway as much as a cab — this season took things up a notch in the realm of functional dressing. Lii’s anoraks-turn-dresses were an obvious example, while other designers incorporated functionality in less obvious ways.

TWP’s blazers have a hidden elastic to ensure the sleeves stay rolled up, and many of the brand’s pants this season can be fastened in various ways. There’s a modular blazer, should the wearer be in the mood for a dress or pants.

This NYFW, designers bared it all. Altuzarra and Khaite both leaned into undone looks with undergarments peeking out, with Hsu noting a general “shift toward a more sensual and expressive femininity, without losing the ease and modernity that New York does so well”.

Thielebeule references Proenza’s “looser, sexier” aesthetic, and offered similar praise for TWP’s take on American sportswear. It wasn’t just sensuality.

This season, many brands, including Aisling Camps, Zankov and Diotima, took inspiration from the sea. This manifested in board shorts (at Zankov and Society Archive Collection) as well as wetsuit-like pieces (at Attersee).

And as far as references go, the ’60s reigned supreme. Zankov looked to 1960s Russia, the period when his mother was in her twenties in Saint Petersburg, and when the world was on the precipice of a new era.

Michael Kors’s moodboard for the season featured midcentury inspiration and the likes of Edie Sedgwick and Nico. Fforme’s Frances Howie looked to the decade for its geometric, sharp shapes.

And in his show notes, Zane Li of Lii talks about the inspiration found in ’60s teen idols, informing his use of “surreal colors, touches of vinyl, mini-dresses and spongy fabrics — bold relics of a time that offer a childlike optimism needed for today”.

Do you party?

There were more parties this season than any one person could reasonably attend, so each day’s chatter became about what event everyone opted for the night before — and, vitally, if it was any good. Go to Bvlgari’s Serpenti Infinito celebration?

How about that Net-a-Porter party — it was packed. Did you see the new Moncler store?

Or get inside Acne Studio’s soirée to watch 070 Shake and Fcukers perform at the Julian Schnabel-designed West Village apartment Palazzo Chupi. Did you go to Players for Eckhaus Latta and J.Crew and play beer pong?

It was actually fun.

Vogue’s parties editor Freya Drohan confirmed herself — while at Saturday night’s Mytheresa party at Café Chelsea, of course — that the number of parties and events this season felt unprecedented, and that she had roughly 50 on her radar. One PR referred to it as a recession indicator: brands are using their budgets now in fear they could lose them later.

However, a rosier view is that, even if New York Fashion Week typically ends up overshadowed by the time Paris ends, brands are putting stock in the US customer, by opening stores and securing face time with the local set here in the city, some gatekeepers to what happens in retail across the country.

This season, there were lots of media-brand party link-ups, too. Emily Dawn Long hosted an arcade night with Highsnobiety, and Aritzia toasted NYFW with i-D, in celebration of the magazine’s September issue.

And, not a brand with a mag, but a brand with a film studio, Dior celebrated its just-announced two-year partnership with A24 with a soiree at Cherry Lane theater, featuring a performance by cabaret star Justin Vivian Bond. Other brands brought back old haunts: Vanity Fair revived legendary nightclub Bungalow 8, and Carolina Herrera harkened back to the beloved Upper East Side restaurant Mortimer’s.

It brought a raucous vibe to a season that shifted quickly from optimism to uncertainty. What’s next for New York fashion? Who knows. Might as well have a drink.