Presented by On
In the song “Seasons of Love” from the Broadway musical Rent, the chorus members belt out the ways in which a person could “measure” a year, ranging from the statistical (525,600 minutes) to the starry-eyed (sunsets, midnights) to the philosophical (laughter, strife). Anyone who’s spent enough time working the fashion week circuit might have a related thought: how does one measure the four-city, month-long circus that makes up the biannual seasonal collections?
Various figures could apply. The number of models seen traipsing down a particularly long show (99 at Matières Fécales)?
The number of bugle beads on an especially alluring frock? Maybe it’s the quarts of coffee you’ve chugged as you rush to shows, or the amount of money spent on Ubers to carry you between far-flung locations.
The possibilities are endless.
Still, sitting alongside the runway, certain questions arise, and with some of them, quantifiable answers. And so, we’ve gathered some of our favorite facts and figures from the spring 2027 collections to help us tally up the beauty, splendor, strangeness, and surprise of the month.
Certain metrics remain out of reach, however: how much joy you felt looking at a particularly alluring dress, how many times you giggled with a front row compatriot, how much you really needed a glass of wine after an especially grueling day. Those, dear friends, are answers that only the human spirit—not math!—can provide.
Regardless, we are here to ask: how do you measure a season in fashion? While we might not have an exact figure, here are some back-of-the-napkin facts and stats that help us map it all out.
28,798*: The number of yellow tulips planted as the runway centerpiece at Carolina Herrera
*The original number was 28,800, but Carolina Herrera designer Wes Gordon’s two children plucked a tulip each to take with them.
3,000: Approximate number of resin beads hand-crocheted together to make a high-neck, cap-sleeved mini dress at Celine.
11: Number of dogs* adopted from the Rachel Antonoff and Susan Alexandra fashion/dog show
*Including Apple Crisp, a Chihuahua, and Biscotti, a Pekingese mix.
34: Number of suspended “cars” placed on the Louis Vuitton runway
82: Number of jump ropes used by Nicholas Aburn to create a blue-and-white dress inspired by a recent acid trip.
“I think the formative moment was when I was looking around, and I saw everyone as a child, like with a kid’s head on their body, and it made me so happy. That feeling of innocence was kind of my feeling.” —Nicholas Aburn, Area
20: The height (in feet) of the large flower sculpture on the Thom Browne catwalk
6.5: The height (in feet) of Jordan Clarkson, the New York Knicks player sitting front row at the Thom Browne runway show
300: Last Crumb cookies baked for attendees of the TWP show.
16,967: Average steps per day taken by fashion news writer Alexandra Hildreth during New York Fashion Week
223: Number of copies of the book Casa Susanna placed on the seats of the Altuzarra show.
The book—by Isabelle Bonnet, Sophie Hackett, and Susan Stryker—chronicles the lives and loves of a group of mid-century men who dressed as women at a country retreat in the Catskills Mountains, and was Altuzarra’s seasonal inspiration. “I just love how joyful it was,” Altuzarra said.
“I really wanted the collection to feel joyful, to be all about color and this idea of freedom.” Each book had 42 paper clips and 1 binder clip to mark pages the designer considered especially important.
1,239: Number of shishas (small mirrored, hand-embellished ornaments that originated in India) applied to the opening look* of the Gabriela Hearst show
*Blazer: 278 shishas
Tank: 260 shishas
Pants: 277 shishas
Coat: 424 shishas
555: Number of shishas featured in performer St Vincent’s look*
*Blazer: 278 shishas
Pants: 277 shishas
$200,000: Price of a diamond-studded leather jacket worn by Dao-Yi Chow during his finale bow at Public School.
Made in collaboration with KAY Jewelers and featuring 550 diamonds.
63/63: Looks from the Prada collection that contained a skirt.
“The skirt for me is like a T-shirt. You can dress very easily with a sweater or a shirt. It can be…eccentric, but it doesn’t change you as much because it’s waist down.” —Miuccia Prada in a 2006 interview with Ingrid Sischy, which inspired her spring collection, where each outfit featured a skirt.
400: Number of extras used in Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo’s debut collection for Moschino to walk opposite the models.
6: The number of toes articulated on the anatomical flip-flops at MM6.
20: Number of crushed silverware pieces that made up a metal “vest” worn over a dress for look 46 at Maison Margiela.
The pieces were: 1 spoon, 2 teapots, 6 plates, 5 cups, 4 saucières, and 2 ashtrays.
200: Number of performers* placed throughout the audience at the Diesel show.
*From the artist collective known as (LA)HORDE, the dancers enacted various situations, including kissing, writhing in pleasure, and head-banging throughout the show.
535: Resin-coated stools* by artist Illya Goldman Gubin used as seating at the Bottega Veneta show.
*Each stool began as a cardboard box that was crumpled by the artist’s embrace and then cast in resin, with interlocking flaps that evoked the brand’s signature Intreccio weave. A handcrafted leather flower—tulips, peonies, lilies—was placed on each seat.
126: Total number of shows and presentations held during New York Fashion Week
70: Total number of shows and presentations held during London Fashion Week
142: Total number of shows and presentations held during Milan Fashion Week
102: Total number of shows and presentations held during Paris Fashion Week
440: Total number of fashion shows and presentations held during the spring 2027 collections