New York Fashion Week 2025

(Cover Photo: Model Alex Consani walked for Marc Jacobs, who hosted an off-schedule show at the New York Public Library ahead of New York Fashion Week.  Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

New York Fashion Week: Highlights from the Fall-Winter 2025 runways

by Jacquie Palumbo via CNN

New York (CNN) – What is the state of American fashion right now? It’s a question at least partly answered by New York Fashion Week, which concludes Tuesday, where brands including Calvin Klein and Thom Browne are showing their latest collections in a season marked by major debuts, returns and decisive shake-ups for American designers.

Amid a wider industry reshuffling, several major labels and cult mainstays — including Proenza Schouler, Area and Helmut Lang — are absent from the schedule following the departure of their creative directors. Some heritage brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren skipped the season entirely, while others showed overseas or across state lines. (Willy Chavarria, one of New York’s most prominent designers, opted to show during Paris’ menswear week; Bode, though still officially on the schedule, debuted its collection in New Orleans as part of the football- and fashion-centric GQ Bowl.)

A pared-down week in New York has nonetheless seen doses of theatricality, including Marc Jacobs’ off-schedule procession of doll-like models in exaggerated silhouettes and Christian Siriano’s automotive-inspired gowns and flashy clubwear. But understated collections focused on wearability have been par for the course, from Eckhaus Latta’s “anti-snobbish” showing of leather bombers, cargo pants and casual asymmetrical dresses to Veronica Leoni’s highly anticipated first collection for Calvin Klein.

In the latter brand’s first runway show since creative director Raf Simons’ departure in 2018, Leoni seemed to issue a return-to-work order, with sleek business casual attire made weightless through wide tailoring and billowing silk.

“I really tried to explore beauty in the most authentic, clean, fresh and pure way,” she told reporters, including CNN, backstage. “We (were) inspired by the archive, but didn’t get into any nostalgia. We tried not to get stuck looking too much into the past.”

FKA Twigs arriving at Calvin Klein to watch Veronica Leoni’s debut. Raymond Hall/GC Images/Getty Images

Bad Bunny also showed up for Calvin Klein’s return to the runway. Michael Stewart/GC Images/Getty Images

Klein, now 82, was in attendance at his namesake label’s comeback. So too were Calvin Klein models past and present, including Kate Moss, Christy Turlington, FKA Twigs and Kendall Jenner, the last of whom walked the show in an ankle-length pinstripe coat dress.

Elsewhere, Ella Emhoff, Dove Cameron, actor Cole Sprouse and Japanese Breakfast singer Michelle Zauner showed up for Collina Strada, while Katie Holmes, Whoopi Goldberg and Julianne Hough sat front row at Christian Siriano. Actress and singer Keke Palmer made appearances at both Brandon Maxwell and Sergio Hudson.

Looking to longevity

Backstage, shortly before presenting his new codes of “opulent American sportswear,” Hudson spoke to the challenges facing American designers. “I don’t think there’s a lack of talent. I think it’s a lack of support,” he said, pointing to a shift in focus towards European fashion weeks. “There’s a lot of great designers here, and I just feel like they’re being ignored. We have to open up our eyes and see what we have at home.”

At Christopher John Rogers’ long-awaited return to the New York schedule after a five-year hiatus — a vibrant showing of color-blocked, striped halter dresses and tasseled button-downs and pants — the designer alluded to the difficulties in maintaining an independent label. “We haven’t been immune to the recent challenges of the industry and are grateful as a brand to be here now presenting this body of work,” he said in the show notes.

Elena Velez often looks to the complexity of womanhood for her shows; this time she turned to the nautical folklore of sirens, sailors and mermaids. Models were drenched in water before hitting the runway. Lexie Moreland/WWD/Getty Images

Ahead of Elena Velez’s runway, where mermaid and siren archetypes served as muses in netting, leather and wet, ruffled gowns, the Wisconsin-born designer called fashion “a longevity game.”

“It’s one of those industries where you have to claw your way into people’s realities, and you have to impose yourself in this space to be taken seriously,” she told CNN over a phone call.

In past seasons, Velez has done so through dramatic presentations — including a literal mud pit fight club — and atypical partnerships, including one with OnlyFans. In keeping with this season’s lost-at-sea mood, she said, fittingly: “There’s no plan b — I’ll sink with my ship.”

Related articleFashion mixes with politics at Paris Men’s Fashion Week

Shifting tides

Politics cast a shadow across the week’s proceedings. Less than a month into a turbulent new political administration, major fashion brands have been caught in the crosshairs of the budding US-China trade war; it is also unclear how new anti-DEI policies will impact an industry that has often struggled to be equitable and inclusive, both on the runway and behind the scenes. Designers used the opportunity to call for community in the face of the unknown.

“On the runway, we celebrate beauty and age and gender and body,” Siriano told CNN backstage. “We need fantasy. We need dreams. We need to show all of the colors and cultures that are here, especially in New York.”

Models for Collina Strada celebrated queer love, sharing kisses on the runway in thrifted and upcycled bridal gowns. Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

Collina Strada founder Hillary Taymour included protective and armor-like accessories as a nod to the uncertain political climate. Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

Prabal Gurung, whose previous collection celebrated the hope of a different political future, looked to forms of intimacy in his latest presentation.

“I think, you know, we are all in the same space, confused, uncertain, anxious,” he told CNN backstage. “But one thing that I refuse to give in (to) is being reactive and giving into cynicism… So I always feel like in confusing, dystopian times, what we’re looking for is connection.”

At Collina Strada, where founder and creative director Hillary Taymour celebrated a matriarchal vision of the “fempire,” two models in upcycled heirloom bridal dresses kissed on the runway, while others wore bug-eyed protective shades — “to hide our tears,” Taymour noted backstage.

“Community is everything. Love your neighbors, love everyone. Trans rights, protect women, protect everyone. It’s going to be a really hard time in society, and let’s take care of each other.”

Scroll down to see this season’s runway highlights, updated throughout the week.

Kendall Jenner backstage at Calvin Klein in an oversized single-breasted coat dress with double-pocket details. Kelly Taub/WWD/Getty Images

The CK One perfume bottle was reborn as chained mini-purse. Kelly Taub/WWD/Getty Images

Leoni’s menswear and womenswear collection explored quintessential New York archetypes, per Calvin Klein’s show notes, from college students and taxi drivers to American beauties. Kelly Taub/WWD/Getty Images

I wanted to redefine femininity and masculinity from my lens.

Veronica Leoni

Alexander Skarsgård, Kate Moss, Christy Turlington and Grace Burns sit front row at Calvin Klein. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Short hemlines, larger-than-life boots and tactile textures in Marc Jacobs’ collection. Kelly Taub/WWD/Getty Images

Winnie Harlow and Coco Rocha were among the models walking for Christian Siriano in highly architectural gowns inspired by automotive design. Nina Westervelt/WWD/Getty Images

The show is not necessarily very romantic. It’s a bit more powerful, bit cooler, a bit edgier.

Christian Siriano

Siriano’s palette included iridescent hues that resembled motor oil. Jonas Gustavsson/Sipa USA

Beyond voluminous gowns, Siriano also elevated more streamlined silhouettes, like this glittering crystal bustier. Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

Bill Nye made a surprise runway appearance in Thom Browne for the Blue Jacket runway show benefitting prostate cancer research. Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

Christopher John Rogers returned to the runway with a vibrant collection that leaned into texture and playful color combinations. Jonas Gustavsson/Sipa USA

Slouchy tailoring and whimsical tassel details created a sense of lightness. Jonas Gustavsson/Sipa USA

Kesha and Sam Smith at Christian Cowan. Lexie Moreland/WWD/WWD via Getty Images

Bode traded Manhattan for New Orleans with a collection presented at the GQ Bowl. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for GQ

The label, founded by Emily Adams Bode Aujla, returned to the runway after a two-year hiatus. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for GQ

Luxe neutrals were on display in Altuzarra’s collection. Nina Westervelt/WWD/Getty Images

Sergio Hudson elevated “opulent” sportswear with leather and mohair. Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Hudson included menswear looks for the second consecutive season, including a fur coat paired with tailoring. Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

We’re going through a lot of political change, but for me it’s just recalibrating and remembering that we have to find strength within our community and come closer together and support each other

Sergio Hudson

Fforme’s collection under new creative director Frances Howie was “a love letter to the female form,” focusing on movement and fluidity, echoed in screen-printed brushstrokes on several looks. Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Fforme’s collection played with textures including layering, fraying and flared pleating that transformed garments as they moved. Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Precious Lee on the runway for Prabal Gurung’s show, which took place amid the ornate architecture of City Hall. Gilbert Flores/WWD/Getty Images

American fashion is resilient simply because majority of us are independent designers without conglomerates backing us… We are the ones who want to tell stories, stories that matter.

Prabal Gurung

Prabal Gurung’s ready-to-wear collection was inspired by the chance encounters and interconnectedness of life in New York. Lexie Moreland/WWD/Getty Images

Gurung told CNN said he wanted the collection to feel “lived-in.” Lexie Moreland/WWD/Getty Images

Sandy Liang took notes from her childhood ephemera — quite literally from her diaries — as well as prize ribbons and dollhouse fashion. Filippo Fior/Sandy Liang

Heart mirrors repeated throughout the collection including this oversized version on a dropwaisted white dress. Filippo Fior/Sandy Liang

Elena Velez’s muses were both the seafarers and the sirens who lure them. Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images

“It is a very American brand — as the daughter of an immigrant who came to the States — and then also, just the attitude with which we all design. It’s very scrappy and intrepid and naively optimistic, in a sense. And I just think that New York needs a voice like ours.”

Elena Velez

Statement hats and collars at Campillo, which played with exaggerated tailoring and outerwear. John Lamparski/Getty Images

Eckhaus Latta’s runway was intentionally anti-fantasy: a down-to-earth ready-to-wear collection shown in the airy interior of a walkup building downtown. Rodin Banica/WWD/Getty Images

The label’s less-is-more attitude was a “sanity-first” approach to designing, per the show notes. Rodin Banica/WWD/Getty Images

Stay tuned on FM24 for more Fashion Week news!