It’s hard to imagine looking forward to next fall, but New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2025 kicking off next season leaves no room for discussion. It will be a Fall to look out to, or at least for fashion. Even though the week felt anything but complete. Cover image: courtesy of Khaite, Collina Strada, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein
Also read: FASHION WEEK SCHEDULE 2025: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE RUNWAY
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK FALL/WINTER 2025
The missing links were omnipresent during New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2025. Where did Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Proenza Schouler, Helmut Lang, and Willy Chavarria go? The answers were clear; some moved their show overseas, others are amid creative director swaps, and others opted out for the winter season. “It’s a little lonely, everybody is overseas,” Tod Snyder reported to Business of Fashion. Although the luxury industry struggles to keep its head above the surface, not hosting a show for one season doesn’t have to be a consequence of houses not making ends meet. Instead, it could signify that they spend their money wisely, signaling that the fashion calendar is finally becoming outdated.
There were great shows, collections, debuts, and stories to tell, though. Elena Velez proclaimed, “The age of the antihero is upon us,” where Luar celebrated homosexuality and heritage. Collina Strada addressed the challenges of being a woman in today’s world.
TALK OF THE TOWN: CALVIN KLEIN
A handful of shows you know will change how we dress even before they occur. Veronica Leoni’s debut collection was one of those shows. With Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren absent, all eyes were on Leoni’s Calvin Klein Collection. And she didn’t disappoint.
Calvin Klein has always been about sex, or “sexitude” – the attitude that belongs to feeling sexy, as the creative director prefers to call it. Calvin Klein, founded in 1968, went viral – before going viral was a thing – in the 90ies due to its famous campaigns, celebrity clientele, and sense of hedonistic minimalism that appealed to many. It’s safe to say that it’s hard for a creative director to capture the essence of a brand so strong as Calvin Klein. However, Leoni passed the exam. She flipped the perspective from Klein’s designs he created in his latest years at his eponymous brand. “My goal is to define an ultimate and definitive expression of monumental minimalism and purity through form and craftsmanship, bringing Mr. Klein’s original vision and signature approach into the present,” Leoni explained.
MARC JACOBS’ PRE-NYFW SHOW
Marc Jacobs is one of fashion’s most stubborn yet successful players. Lately, his TikTok game is stronger than ever, he’s been the guest editor-in-chief of Vogue, and things are going well for the 61-year-old designer. As the initial driver of the grunge look in the early 90ies, Jacobs is no stranger to starting fashion movements. His latest inspiration? Inflation – in its most literal form. His “Courage” collection was about limitlessness and imagination without limitation. Equally dystopian and hopeful, Jacobs made his spectators rethink what fashion should look like.
Even though very different, Khaite pumped up the volume, too. According to data gathered by Tagwalk, out of the 42 designers, Khaite had the most viewed show, followed by Tory Burch and Calvin Klein in the third spot. “What if David Lynch remade a Merchant Ivory film?” creative director and founder Catherine Holstein wondered. Her Fall/Winter 2025 collection reimagined the enduring influences in appealing and novel combinations. KHAITE signatures are advanced through touch: heightened tactility, genius manipulation of material, and the juxtaposition of the raw versus the refined. Silhouettes come to life by the person wearing the garments. They had a specific deconstruction and fluidity, including references from the 60ies to the 80ies. Holstein admired Lynch for resisting people who wanted him to change – or at least would like him to do his job differently. Even though Holstein advocates quiet luxury avant la lettre, there are similarities between the two. Holstein embraced her stubborn, wilder side with pony hair designs with leopard motifs and undone corset tops that diverge from previous Khaite designs. Leather took center stage, just as voluminous shapes and silhouettes. The ultimate sign Khaite is moving to a new, exciting chapter.
NOTEWORTHY AND BUZZING
Zankov is one of the most noteworthy and buzzing brands of the season. Young designer Henry Zankov won the CFDA American Emerging Designer of the Year prize in 2024 and showed a bespoke knitwear collection on the 37th floor at the Hudson Yards. Polka dot crew necks, glittery pullovers, and jacquard fabrics set the tone for a festive take on Fall.
Coach designer Stuart Vevers opted for flapper dresses, a statement of emancipation about a century ago. The dresses juxtaposed the massively oversized pants models wore at the show’s beginning but were combined effortlessly with them. Michael Kors showed his collection at what once was The Tunnel, a notorious nightclub. The collection was anything but related to the previous destination of its venue; instead, it was timeless and minimalist, with a hint of party here and there. Tory Burch showed at an equally famous but less notorious place: on two floors of MoMa. The clothes were toned down but made with a rich color palette, quintessentially Burch, and undoubtedly in favor of its customers.
Usually, Luar is associated with hysteria, but the designer toned it down this season. Julez Smith, son of Solange Knowles, walked the show for the second time—a buzz-worthy event. As did Paloma Elsesser, one of the few plus-size models walking the runway during New York Fashion Week. The designer’s life inspired Luar’s collection in the ’90s and early aughts, making the show less extravagant than usual. The 90ies and 00s were part of the designer’s punk era, being a little rebellious while still feeling the need to fit in with his family. He argues that his kind of punk is a feeling rather than a specific look; it’s a way to stand out from the crowd and present your authentic self. Undoubtedly, he’s a designer that you will hear much more about, and not only because Madonna is one of his most prominent fans.
Thom Browne closed New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2025 with a dose of theatre, which the designer does best. This season was centered around birding. “Because of what’s going on politically, I wanted it to be a hopeful reference,” Browne explained. He used freedom in the sense that it should be as expressive and creative as you wish, without listening to the opinions and restraints of others. “Classic in the ideas, not so classic in the execution,” Browne explained further. It captures his spirit well: unlike others, Browne creates a personal universe, a legend, if you will. And when he commits to a theme, story, or idea, he gives it 200%. And so, Browne created a fairytale-like ending of the week.
