Right on schedule, there’s a common discourse spreading through social media and industry circles as New York Fashion Week takes hold. The conversations are largely based on the perennial question: “Is NYFW dead?” You could argue back and forth about the current direction of the fashion capital, but the looks below were enough to convince me that this fashion week is alive and well and extremely good. (Beyoncé showed up, after all.) Established names like Thom Browne and Marc Jacobs took you to worlds that exceeded conceivable levels of stylistic storytelling – they brought feelings within the substances. Tory Burch and Altuzarra celebrated their anniversaries while continuing to innovate after both had monumental seasons in September. (The question that filled our group chats and coffee breaks was: “Will they be able to top the last one?”)
Proenza Schouler and Sandy Liang, perhaps the quintessential “cool girl” labels of the week (with a noticeably different aesthetic) offered more reasons to take notes from New York. Schouler taught inventive layering, while Liang took a grown-up step beyond the usual bows and Mary Janes with additions of tweed suit sets and cashmere sweaters. You can always count on emerging talent to give you something to believe in, and this season all eyes were on Zankov and Diotima for their attention to detail with knitting and crocheting respectively.
As for trends, the similarities between the collections ranged from corporate wear to dramatic furry coats that will only fan the flames of the controversial “Mob Wife” aesthetic. Keep scrolling to see the season’s themes and soon-to-be coveted items that prove New York Fashion Week isn’t. not dead.
The trends
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Many of the items most associated with corporate environments – suit sets, briefcases and tailored blazers were spotted on the catwalks, a continuation of what we saw at Prada and Saint Laurent last season.
Mango
Straight mini skirt with belt
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You may have grown tired of seeing “Mob Wife” on your timeline, but “the bigger, the better” was the theme for the outerwear designed by Gabriela Hearst, Khaite and LaQuan Smith.
Popped up
Goldie 5 faux fur coat
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Pencil skirts have been included in the business-inspired trend, but the variety offered made the item worthy of its own name. Pencil skirts are no longer the stuffy or boring garment reserved for the office, as evidenced by Tory Burch’s turquoise leather option or Brandon Maxwell’s sporty choice.
Vince
Lean pencil midi skirt
Opened it
Suitable midi column skirt
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Honey & Bond
Classic sweatpants
The row
Knitted Tack trousers
Mango
Knitted jogging style trousers
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Fashion people are usually attracted to silver or gold, but this season the latter takes the top spot.
The agency
Letitia halter top
J. Crew
Sculptural hinge bracelet
The “It Items”
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On TikTok, everyone seems to be making charm necklaces or adding personalized charms to their handbags — and Coach’s handbag style indicates that the trend isn’t going anywhere. For Coach, it’s New York or nowhere, as every charm was a tribute to the city, from ‘I Love NY’ mugs to shiny red apples.
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After Beyoncé appeared at the Luar runway show in Brooklyn wearing one of the brand’s bags, the style quickly sold out online. Luckily for you, the F/W runway featured new versions of the supersized Ana bag in gorgeous colorways like oxblood and caramel. Start saving now!
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There was a lot to admire at Altuzarra’s intimate show, from the jodhpur-inspired knit pants to the clownish ruffled collars. But the item that got most people talking was the modern pillbox hat, which adds the perfect finishing touch to any look.
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There were actual mini gasps throughout the room as Sandy Liang’s models came down the runway with small bowler bags in hand. While most of the collection consisted of pieces with a more subdued approach (think cashmere sweaters and suit sets), Liang stayed true to her love of girlhood with the bows atop the leather bags.
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Proenza Schouler always makes it clear what is considered “cool” in New York, and aside from the innovative layering, the next topic of discussion was the capes. The muted knits were pinned over the model’s shoulders, paired with matching dresses worn as skirts. The soft capes gave the collection an easy and relaxed tone, while still staying true to the vision of designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez that we all know and love.
(Image credit: Launchmetrics)
Everyone can’t stop talking about Tory Burch’s shoes, as evidenced by the perforated flats and heels that are constantly selling out. This time, Burch also wants to reinvent bags, with a tote version of the Lee Radziwill bag.
