New York Fashion Week Diary, Part I
Excerpts, screenshots, pins and observations from my notes.
It’s kind of an awkward time of year: the autumnal tease. It’s imperative to grab the fall clothes you want, but the temps are still… balmy. We’re shopping for sweaters and boots but not granted the impunity of wearing ‘em.
I’m in New York, here for a series of work-related events, many Fashion Week-adjacent. I have noticed there is this whole “less is more” attitude about posting from Fashion Week right now. While the “New York is BACK” energy is palpable, it’s tempered by groans echoing from the peanut gallery. (One Tiktokker even likened it to SantaCon. A roast if there ever was one.)
It’s a lot of pick-me energy if you ask me. I (personally) will never be “too cool” for New York, too cynical to balk at the privilege of being invited to something as special as a fashion show, or too bored to be grateful for a killer lunch at 11 Madison Park. And if these things held no magic to me, then I’d need an attitude adjustment. Yes, it’s exhausting work, and YES it for sure activates FOMO and body issues and raises a lot of questions about an industry rife with problematic bullshit. But I am still lucky to be here.
Was I not invited to a single party, I’d still enjoy New York this week because the things happening off the runway are just as interesting. The city has a litany of “cool girl” (are we tired of this term yet?) micro-trends right now that are easy for me to flag coming from a city like Atlanta. I’ve been jotting off my observations since last Thursday:
It’s time to invest in a new leather jacket. No, not that old cropped one you had from Vince six years ago. I’m talking oversized: swallow-you-up and throw-on-over-everything. You’re going to get at least four seasons out of this if you buy one now because it will truly peak next fall. No, you’re not going to look like you joined the Hell’s Angels. This one from Dorothee Schumacher is excellent. It hits in that perfect spot below your hip, there isn’t too much hardware, the strap is removable, and the shoulders aren’t too broad. I also love this longer cut from Khaite, which I’d wear with a shorter hemline and tights.
Fashion week screenshots: styling ideas for the Khaite denim shirt I just purchased, the hunt for these oversized Bottega earrings Kendall Jenner wore to the US Open and LSD in *that* Awake Mode dress. Everyone seems to have bought this Awake Mode skirt a few months ago and saved it for Fashion Week.
Yes, that Prada tank is everywhere. No, I don’t think you should buy it.
90’s minimalism is still going strong on the street. …But should you look to Prada for inspo? By all means. 90’s nostalgia is still in full swing. Case in point: Blackstreet playing at Isabel Marant was just *chef’s kiss*. And look at Kendall Jenner’s most recent looks. She’s the highest-paid model in the industry, and she looks like she fell into the GAP. (Well, except it’s The Row.)
(Clockwise) The Row loafers, Khaite dress, Balenciaga boots, Khaite clogs, Skims uni, Balenciaga bag, Marni dress KJ is a great barometer of impending commercial buying habits, regardless. I really liked her looks this week. Her style’s got a permeable layer of “I could do that” accessibility, finished with just enough “I can’t afford that” aspirationalism. In short: all the girlies are taking style cues from her, whether they like her family or not.
I think Kendall’s US Open look in particular is a great example of this. Her stylist Dani Michelle is great at grounding looks with styling tricks that feel low-effort. Here: a ball cap, a sweater over the shoulders, a minimal sandal. But the Bottega earrings and bag set it all off to remind you that for most, it’s all juuuuust out of reach — she is still Kendall Jenner, after all.
Back to black: head-to-toe black looks are dominating these streets y’all. The trick’s in mixing textures and materials.
As if we haven’t discussed her enough already, she’s been wearing these loafers by The Row on repeat. I own these loafers myself. They’re really, really comfortable. And terribly chic.
Loafers by the way! They’re everywhere. Get yourself some loafers! The twentysomething set is doing them with socks, but I still think they look cool sockless too. Oh, and we aren’t tired of Bottega yet, miraculously.
There is nothing more Dystopian than a BeReal notification going off and seeing half the people around you freeze to take a selfie in unison.
Everyone is reading Token Black Girl.
Everyone is still talking about that Meghan Markle interview in The Cut.
Something that’s trickled down from the rich Mom set: get a French hairpin and learn how to use it, and forever abandon that ponytail elastic around your wrist. Deborah Pagani’s are the (literal) gold standard. I’ve written about them often, but now they’re also going viral with the youths if you need another co-sign.
Put pesto on your green beans. This has nothing to do with fashion, I just love eating at Via Carota, and they do this. Pesto on green beans! Why didn’t I ever think to do that?
Speaking of food, at a beautiful lunch MyTheresa threw with Gabriela Hearst last week, I learned what Celerac was. A sleeper vegetable! A food pyramid B-side, if you will!
Glitzy everything: sparkle is back and still going strong. Think crystals, diamante details, rhinestones, and anything glinty. The more it looks like it came off Paris Hilton or an estate sale, the better. Both aesthetics are acceptable.
Big earrings: beyond the statement, the styles I’m loving most are outright 80’s. Saint Laurent set the tone. It’s also a great moment to look for vintage pieces. My boyfriend’s Mom gave me some very cool vintage Chanel clips for Christmas last year (I know, coolest Mom ever) and they look every bit as current as what’s in stores.
Vintage is only going to continue surging. I went to a Millenial Decorator pop-up yesterday that was nearly sold out after only an hour. And shopping at Treasures NYC is so in demand, I had to book an appointment. Even The Real Real is having a messy moment.
I know, blazers for fall… groundbreaking. But the vibe is power-dressing. The tailoring is oversized and ushering in a trouser renaissance. (Leggings though, are going nowhere.) My personal, perennial favorite is the Bea blazer by the Frankie Shop.
Transparency: mesh, crochet, anything sheer — styled with slips, bras, and other barely-there layers. The nips, my friends, they are finally free. Before you get spooked, it’s best styled with something thrown on top — a cool blazer (ahem) does the job. Or perhaps a…. leather jacket?