Every season there’s been a debate about the state of New York Fashion Week: Is it good? Is it bad? Is it dying? Well, after this past week and a half of runway shows, off-calendar shows, shows that were actually dinners, presentations, appointments, cocktails, and parties, we can unequivocally say that New York Fashion Week is not only alive, but it’s better than ever. Or at least more fun than ever. The weather was crisp, the skies were sunny, and there was an unmistakable buzz in the air that kept editors, buyers, and other industry folk energized even through the more-packed-than-packed schedule (seriously, where did the hours go?). Among the team here at Vogue, there was no show left unattended, so who better to report on the current state of New York fashion? Read through to learn about Vogue editors’ best-of picks for the week.
Courtesy of Alaïa
The Alaïa show at the Guggenheim. We may have been in New York, but it was giving that elusive “Only in Paris, folks” feeling. Stephanie Seymour, Linda Evangelista, and Naomi Campbell—all delighted to be there. And those remarkable clothes slowly, slowly slinking their way down that famous spiral. Pieter Mulier’s talent is really something, and so are his ateliers. The way those finale dresses hinge together is a marvel, but what I especially loved was his very French take on all-American jeans. —Nicole Phelps, Global Director, Vogue Runway
I have two NYFW moments. The first is a bit self-congratulatory, but I can’t help myself: I met the fabulous Kid Cudi at his Members of the Rage presentation. Not only were the clothes super upbeat, but he gave me a sweet shout-out on Instagram afterward as the “awesome @virginiafsmith” and was kind enough to chat with my son. It was every fashion mom’s dream. But enough about me. Moving on to the fabulous Off-White show, where Ib Kamara has really found his vibe—it was full of energy, great clothes, and a starry front row. Special note to Jarred Vanderbilt, whose chic scarf-hat combo caught the attention of the Vogue team. —Virginia Smith, Global Head of Fashion Network
I’m a New Yorker who drives a car in the city—you could say it’s my whole personality—and this week I’ve been chauffeuring colleagues all over town. The best conversations always happen between shows, like the one I had with Virginia Smith after Tory Burch as we were crossing the Williamsburg Bridge at sunset. I’ll never tell what we talked about! —Mark Guiducci, Creative Editorial Director
“Best in Show,” Rachel Antonoff and Susan Alexandra’s delightful dog and fashion show, really was the best of shows for me. What an absolute joy to see a pack of motley mutts trotting around St. Ann’s Warehouse, promenaded by everyone from Sandra Bernhard to Naomi Fry wearing matching toile puffers and beaded poop bag carriers. A round of a-paws all around. —Chloe Malle, Editor, Vogue.com
Diotima and Zankov on Monday, September 9. I thought about being sly or snarky or faux cynical about my NYFW highlight, but I just couldn’t in the end. Something about the gorgeous temperate sunniness of the week was able to soften even the sternest curmudgeon. (Uh, me.) And never did New York look more sunny than at the shows of Zankov by Henry Zankov and Rachel Scott’s Diotima. Both were winners of last year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, and I was so happy to see how all that they hold dear, and all that we should hold dear—absolute creativity, sensitivity, and empathy—was writ large in their excellent collections. So much promise not only fulfilled but surpassed. Why join the naysayers when there’s such beauty to behold? —Mark Holgate, Global Network Lead & US Fashion Features Director
I had the pleasure of sharing a car with Hamish Bowles and Virginia Smith the first season I went to Milan as a Vogue editor. It was a crash course in fashion history, Milanese design, where to find the best tiny sandwiches, and hilariously pithy one-liners about collections—all from the backseat. I never wanted to get out of the car. Fast-forward to the 2025 spring shows, and the CFDA kindly provided a bus for those traveling between shows—also known as my fashion carpool experience on steroids. In full back-to-school vibes, I guided one friend to the back of the bus between Off-White and Jason Wu for an off-the-record conversation. Between Wiederhoeft and Michael Kors, Mark Holgate and Nicole Phelps shared the Goldfish they’d received at Kate Barton’s show with me. Whether it was trading gossip about creative director rumors, swapping snacks, or catching up with friends across titles, it was all happening on the bus this New York Fashion Week.—Willow Lindley, Fashion Market and Collaborations Director
Music sets the mood of the show. Guests were treated to back-to-back live orchestral performances at Prabal Gurung and Who Decides War. At the latter, students from the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts accompanied a soundscape by the amazing Cash Cobain. It was major. Another highlight was the mixed-media poetry of SC103. It was never better on display than in a tilting, red-brick, skylit warehouse in Brooklyn. —Laird Borrelli-Persson, Archive Editor
I’ll never think that planning a NYFW show outdoors is a good idea; it’s far too risky in a city with such temperamental weather. That being said, when the weather is good, an outdoor show can be sublime. This was the case at Prabal Gurung, where the cool breeze was seemingly working on commission, blowing silk scarves and dress trains into artful, billowy flutters under the arches of the Manhattan Municipal Building, named for former New York City mayor David N. Dinkins. At Coach, on the High Line, the crisp air and sunshine mirrored the feel of the fun, youthful designs Stuart Vevers sent down the runway. I usually try to exit a show as quickly as possible, either to get to the next one or get back to the office, but I found myself lingering. If it weren’t for my deadlines, I would have stayed all afternoon. —Leah Faye Cooper, Digital Style Director
Blame it on the weather or blame it on the fact that we have really great homegrown designers, all of whom are at the top of their game right now, but this NYFW had a real buzzy energy that felt different from other seasons. The Women’s History Museum show, which took place the night before the official start, set the tone for me. The clothes were conceptual and sometimes outrageous, but Amanda McGowan and Mattie Barringer, the duo behind the label, design with a real honesty that’s simultaneously pragmatic and theoretical and the results are obviously fantastic. It’s the same kind of energy that powers Eckhaus Latta, who had the funnest happening: a dinner that was actually a fashion show, but it was really just a dinner where guests played “fashion show,” emceed by the genius Kate Berlant. The food was good, the company was fabulous, and at the end of the night, the back of my head physically hurt from laughing and smiling so much. And the clothes? Obviously great, but the night was really about experiencing that Eckhaus Latta je ne sais quoi in a real, tangible way. —Laia Garcia-Furtado, Senior Fashion News Editor
This sounds like a confession, and in a way it is, but I simply love Fashion Week—and this NYFW is the most fun I’ve ever had. I have a few favorite moments. I loved singing along to Juan Gabriel at the Willy Chavarria show with my colleagues Laia Garcia-Furtado and Karla Martínez de Salas, and again the next morning with Karla, only at the Campillo show and to Bronco. I loved the CFDA bus and the magnificent opportunity for gossip and the safe haven it proved to be. I loved Madonna at Luar. I loved Cole Escola walking Presley Oldham. I loved co-conspiring with Addison Rae to have our whole table record a TikTok to her latest song at the Thom Browne dinner. I loved Alaïa showcasing extremely rare Andy Warhol photos of Azzedine Alaïa in New York at their re-see. I love all of these New York minutes, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be interviewing Presley backstage at his show minutes after he had found out he’d been nominated for a CFDA award this year. The look in his eyes and the slight crack in his voice… It’s why we do what we do. —José Criales-Unzueta, Fashion News Editor
I’m a total sucker for a star spotting, and this New York Fashion Week had plenty. A moment I will forever recall was at Christian Siriano. The show was almost an hour late, and it became very clear that we were waiting for a celebrity to arrive. We waited and waited; nobody came. The show began, and about halfway through the mysterious star in question arrived: It was Lil’ Kim, flanked by three bodyguards who proceeded to escort her to her seat, walking on the catwalk in the process. Some guests were confused. Is she part of the show? Her confident, strut-worthy entrance would just as well have been a part of it—but she sauntered to her seat, right next to Cyndi Lauper, completely distracting the crowd in the process. Talk about making an entrance! —Christian Allaire, Fashion and Style Writer
This season I got to sit at the shows with two of my favorite people at the office, Mark Holgate and Sammi Tapper. Being at Kim Shui with Mark has become one of my favorite Fashion Week traditions because not only do we experience the craziest moments—once, we had a seatmate who vaped throughout the show, though to be fair, everyone at that show was smoking something. For some reason, this season people kept coming up to us telling us we were in their seats; was it our regular jeans-and-a-sweater ensembles that made it seem like we didn’t belong there? Meanwhile at Off-White, I got to sit next to Sammi Tapper, the first time we’d been to one of the big shows together. There was a cool breeze blowing, and they sat us behind Frances Tiafoe, which was so cool for us because the two of us recently took tennis lessons together, and now we’re super into the sport! —Irene Kim, Production and Editorial Associate