New York Fashion Week's Best Runway Looks (2023)

ByKerry Pieri, Alison S. Cohn, Faran Krentcil and Leah Melby Clinton, Carrie Goldberg & Shelby Ying Hyde

Getty Images/Shannon Finney

Hanifa

Anifa Mvuemba first captured the attention of the fashion industry after her virtual, model-free show went viral at the peak of the pandemic. But her namesake label, Hanifa has been around for much longer. As an homage to the last ten years, the brand made its runway debut for Fall/Winter 2021 with an opulent affair in Mvuemba’s hometown of Washington D.C.. The collection represents the past, present, and future of Hanifa. Jewel-tone coordinate sets and easy sweater dresses were just a few of the standout looks to come through the halls of the historic, National Portrait Gallery. Editors, influencers, and brand devotees flew in from all corners of the country to get a glimpse of the magic. There was also outerwear and elevated denim options with Y2K vibes. And in true Hanifa fashion, there was plenty of pops of colors, too. — Shelby Ying Hyde

Zimmermann

Dance has been on the minds (and mood boards) of many designers. But for Nicky Zimmermann — who skipped the traditional fashion month calendar and has long mastered the art of whimsy — it was all about highlighting the art form's duality. "This season we explored the ideas of strength and fragility," the creative director says of the new collection — calling it an "appreciation of the power and athleticism." With ballerinas dancing in the background, the clothes were infused with a black-tie appeal that made them as wearable as they are inspired. Heels and pants with ankle-tie fastenings were balanced with posh tailoring like blazers and vests. While full tulle skirts and ruched bodices are made modern with denim accompaniments and chunky leather boots. It wouldn't be Zimmermann without its fair share of prints and exaggerated frills, which made an appearance on the runway in the form of intricate skirts and gowns. —Shelby Ying Hyde

Oscar de la Renta

Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia's latest collection was presented in video and photo form as an ode to New York City on the eve of the Met Gala. Set to Billie Eilish's "Oxytocin" and starring Irina Shayk, Candace Swanepoel, Soo Joo Park, Kathy, Nikki, and Paris Hilton, and more—including Garcia and Kim themselves—the pop-toned, floral, and gown-filled collection fit right into the fast pace of the brand's hometown, strutting through Bryant Park. The collection ticks all the boxes of a standard de la Renta range, but this season had a vibrance and personality all its own, with looks that would suit ingenues in their 20's as easily as a brand devotee in her 70's. The eveningwear, per usual, stood out—most notably the raffia "feather" evening gowns, which are a part of the brand's new commitment to be feather and fur-free after joining forces with animal rights activist Eilish.

Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la Renta

Thom Browne

When it comes to designers who approach fashion as a true art form, any short list would have Thom Browne near the top. It's not that it's conceptual as much as cerebral, with every stitch and cut both carefully thought through and intended to make us, the viewer, think. Art was even more at the forefront of his work for spring, with trompe l'oeil folds that gave the appearance of draped and twisted gowns (and muscular torsos in a few cases). Sculpture was clearly on his mind too, with long, clean lines created by ankle-length skirt and top combos that evoked Doric columns; the preponderance of looks with asymmetrical sleeve lengths, or simply one missing altogether, evoked classic figures where the arms have gone missing (reference Vénus de Milo). After a period when we thought about fashion not necessarily less, but differently, it feels wonderful to return to a place where garments are meant to be thoughtfully examined. —Leah Melby Clinton

Thom Browne

Thom Browne

Thom Browne

Thom Browne

Tom Ford

“Instagram may actually be what saves fashion in the end,” says Tom Ford. Nearly two years into the pandemic, even he acknowledges that, these days, the main reason people get dressed is for the curated life they present on social media. And as he sees it, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Taking cues from former Bazaar editor Diana Vreeland’s maxim “I know it’s a lot but is it enough?” Ford presented a Spring 2022 collection that did not disappoint, complete with high octane glamour. He brought back the iconic red velvet suit he designed for Gwyneth Paltrow during his tenure at Gucci in the ’90s (and which made a recent appearance on Alessandro Michele’s Fall 2021 runway), this time in more vibrant hues like magenta and cobalt and a new relaxed cut. Indeed, there was a general ease about the collection which included lots of colorful casual-glam pieces like chartreuse and aqua silk cargo pants, a shocking pink neoprene track jacket, and lilac sequin basketball shorts that would back a visual punch on the grid. —Alison S. Cohn

Tom Ford

Tom Ford

Tom Ford

Tom Ford

Khaite

Cate Holstein gets how girls want to look before they even know. Her pieces are always wearable but never expected. A September show in the basement of a Lower East Side apartment building, darkly lit and overgrown with snaking greenery isn't exactly standard fare—but then again who wants anything standard? Holstein is giving the world the antithesis of that Insta life (post or it didn't happen.) Her Indochine bash discouraged social media, and her runway show made documenting for the 'gram quite difficult (even with those hi-tech phone cameras, the lighting was very dark). It's a refreshing perspective—and just plain cool. As for the clothes themselves? Also cool. Think: leather harnesses, crisp, full pleated shirt dresses, giant oversized bags with knit fitted dresses, heavy sequin mini shirt dresses, bomber jackets over gowns, down jackets inspired by comforters, and a knockout silver trench. All items that TBH would kill it on social media...if the girl wearing wasn't too cool to care. -Kerry Pieri

Khaite

Khaite

Khaite

Khaite