My favorite looks from New York Fashion Week 2024

Every year as summer ends, the most highly anticipated week in the fashion world begins: New York Fashion Week. 

World-renowned and emerging brands, designers and fashion enthusiasts gather in the Big Apple to showcase their collections for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2025 season. Each year, those of us who spend our free time obsessing over fashion decide to become judges. It’s a recurring question every season: What’s the state of New York Fashion Week? 

After a week of keeping up with all the shows, presentations, celebrities and events, I can officially say that New York Fashion Week is more alive than ever. 

What is New York Fashion Week?

New York Fashion Week, often referred to as NYFW, is a weeklong event that happens twice a year, once in September and once in February. It includes shows and presentations that allow designers and brands to showcase their collections, gain recognition and establish trends for the upcoming season. 

It was established by one of the first fashion publicists Eleanor Lambert. It started as “Press Week,” and only fashion designers, editors and buyers were invited. The event has grown into one of the most anticipated weeks of the year by the fashion community. The invite list has been extended to celebrities, influencers and stylists. 

One of the most asked questions about NYFW is the difference between a show, a presentation and a preview. A presentation is more intimate and direct. It allows guests to see the collection up close and meet the designer and team behind it. A show is your typical runway show. This involves models walking down the runway wearing the clothing. It is much quicker and a lot less personal. A preview is a showroom that guests can view after the show. It has the same clothing that the models wore during the show. This is where a lot of stylists pull clothing and inspiration. 

My favorite shows and collections

Keeping up with New York Fashion Week is a hobby for me, so here are my favorite shows and collections from this fall.

Christian Siriano debuted his Spring/Summer 2025 collection in the Pierre Hotel in New York City. This collection was absolutely dreamy; it was like a true fairytale. What better way to create this vibe than to include a huge whimsical weeping willow tree in the middle of the hotel?

Another favorite of mine is Luar’s 2024 ready-to-wear collection. This show was hosted at the Brooklyn Warehouse in Bushwick and included none other than Beyoncé herself in the front row. She had an iridescent version of Luar’s signature Ana bag in hand. This collection included all the upcoming fall trends, like brown, leather, suede and maroon. It gave me very grungy vibes, and I can’t wait to see more from this brand. 

The next collection is by Ralph Lauren and was probably my favorite. The inspiration behind this collection comes from Lauren’s own summers in the Hamptons with his family.  

“For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren has gathered with his family in the Hamptons. The natural beauty and sophisticated ease of his beloved seaside retreat inspire his Spring 2025 vision of coastal elegance and timeless American style,” said a post on the official Ralph Lauren website about the collection. 

I loved the inspiration behind and aesthetic of this collection. This summer I found myself obsessing over the coastal vibe, and I think this collection showcases that well. It’s timeless, classic and chic. 

Emerging designers

I think that one reason that this September’s New York Fashion Week was more alive and influential than ever was due to the emerging designers that made their debut. Here are some that I think should specifically be highlighted. 

Up first is Vain, a Finnish brand that made its debut at Copenhagen Fashion Week last year. This year, the brand made its New York debut. Vain was founded by Jimi Vain, who is known for his meaningful and impactful designs. Vain just recently collaborated with McDonalds to upcycle the fast food chain’s old work uniforms into a new fashion collection. I thought this was so unique and a bold statement that is rarely made in the fashion industry. 

Another emerging brand this fashion week is Off-White. Although already well-established, Off-White made its NYFW debut this September. Off-White was founded by the late Virgil Abloh, a huge influence in the fashion industry, and is now run by IB Kamara. 

The brand’s debut show was titled “DUTY FREE.” The collection pulled lots of trends and inspiration from the early 2000’s. I saw tracksuits, low-waisted bottoms and funky belts. I thought this was one of the more fun shows we saw this week.

The last emerging designer I want to highlight is Cotte D’Armes. Although it is New York-based, this was the brand’s official NYFW debut.

I think the reason this brand had such an emergence during fashion week was partially due to its recent collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger and the Mercedes Formula 1 team on a collection worn by drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Something I love about the brand and this collection, in particular, is that it aims to blend the everyday practicality of denim with innovative designs.

The Summer 2025 collection takes denim to a whole new level and I love it.

Best celebrity appearance

One of my favorite parts about New York Fashion Week is the celebrity appearances.  

My favorite celebrity look from the whole week had to be Rihanna.  She was spotted in a completely bedazzled cape covering a corset bodysuit. She looks stunning and quickly became one of my favorite looks of the whole week. I know I can always count on Rihanna to look iconic no matter where she goes, and what better place to show off this outfit than at New York Fashion Week? 

Cover photo by Victor Virgile/Getty Images