New York Fashion Week’s Fall 2024 Trends Are Bold & Beautiful

The beauty of New York Fashion Week is that it is somehow the same and totally different every season. There’s always going to be a manic mish-mash of industry fresh faces and old guard media running around in the finest their wardrobes (or publicist friends) have to offer. And, of course, there’ll be front row seats and after-party tickets everyone’s competing for. But you can always count on a few surprise guest appearances, break out talents, and perhaps, most importantly, new trends to make it all feel special.

And special these past six days have felt: a certain mind-blowing Beyoncé (and Solange and Tina Knowles!) sighting at Luar aside, the Fall/Winter 2024 collections have been full of noteworthy ideas. Over at perennial cool girl favorite Proenza Schouler, the wardrobe prescription was an innovative approach to sheer via inventive layering, while Sandy Liang — she of big bows and Mary Janes — turned her sugary school girl sensibility on its head with saucy little dresses with faux fur skirts. Then, both Big Apple newbie Ludovic de Saint Sernin and toast of the town Tory Burch experimented with undergarment-inspired pieces made even more sultry by way of leather.

Keep scrolling for more on these straight-from-the-catwalk approaches to getting dressed and styles sure to dominate in six months.

Cover Stories

If the influx of sweeping capes on the catwalk are any indication, we’ll all be making more than a few dramatic entrances next season. For a more understated, everyday take on the silhouette, consider the grey cloak at Khaite — made elegant with the addition of leather opera gloves — or amp up the glamour with a burgundy fur-trimmed number à la Prabal Gurung. And if you want something similar but striking? Let the long black wrap seen at Carly Mark’s last RTW Puppets & Puppets show serve as your inspiration.

Frill Thrills

Girlish flourishes have been bouncing around the fashion-sphere for awhile now. But where the look has been more about tiered flouncy details and big bows, giant statement ruffles are entering the conversation via Elizabethan collars (at Altuzarra), sculptural accents (Ulla Johnson), and ethereal, fin-like shapes (Christian Siriano).

Wild Things

Muppet-core might just become a thing in 2024. This week’s runways were brimming with plush and cuddly faux fur textures, ranging from ultra-girly pastel fluff trim at Sandy Liang to the downtown cool shag collars spotted at both Eckhaus Latta and Michael Kors.

Gilded Age

Silver may be having a moment, but it’s sure to see some competition this fall from the bevy of glistening gold pieces to show this week. Take a cue from Bevza, Carolina Herrera, and Jason Wu and consider hitting your next black tie event in a shiny head-turning gown.

Breaking Dress Code

Picking up where Miu Miu left off with its pleated skirts and cropped waspy knits, heavy hitters like Tommy Hilfiger, Anna Sui, and Thom Browne played with the idea of what school girl style means now. The result? Something akin to what the most fascinating girl in your high school algebra class might wear... before getting sent home for straying too far from the school’s uniform policy.

Get Your Freak On

Lingerie dressing took an edgy turn this week by way of undergarment-inspired silhouettes crafted from sleek and sultry leather. Those seeking something with some serious bite (and sense of bondage) should look to Ludovic de Saint Sernin and Kim Shui for ideas, while Tory Burch’s croc-embossed bodysuit struck just the right balance between sophisticated and sexy.

See It Through

New York’s creatives are taking the sheer look to the next level by skipping one simple see-through piece (likely paired with a sleek bra and/or brief beneath) in favor of several layers of translucent fabric wrapped and twisted to create depth. Proenza Schouler went the streamlined route with a line-up of long-sleeve maxi dresses revealing various degrees of skin, while Helmut Lang — now in its second season helmed by Peter Do — played around with the idea of incorporating print. Lapointe, on the other hand, made color the main event with a floaty high-low confection of highlighter yellow tulle.

Right Round

Big sloping linebacker shoulder lines may not sound like something that should happen off the football field, but the proportions work wonderfully when balanced by the right bottom. Case in point: Collina Strada and Luar’s tapered pant silhouettes and the complete absence of bottoms at Willy Chavarria.

Let’s Go Out

Those who came of age in the Y2K era are likely familiar with the signature going-out top and jeans combo that dominated many a wardrobe way back when. It seems the club-night essential is getting a 2024 reboot that’s much more elegant. Gabriela Hearst, for example, sent models down the runway in high-shine gold single-shouldered corsets over sleek trousers while Coach went the more youthful route with bow bedecked camisoles to accompany slouchy straight-leg denim and moto boots. Brandon Maxwell took a step further and doubled floor-sweeping coats as tops, tucking them partially into jeans and letting the ends hang out for dramatic — and office-appropriate — effect.