The Fall 2024 season of New York Fashion Week has come and gone. While we wait for the dispatch from Europe, it's time to take stock of the trends that have already emerged. Per usual, New York's runway shows and presentations had something for everyone, minimalists and maximalists alike.
For the former, wardrobe basics like hoodies and sweater dresses were made to feel new. In a surprising number of cases, scarves came anchored to clothes, another utilitarian win. And for the look-at-me, look-at-me set, there were (faux) fur coats fit for a #mobwife, coordinating graphic print ensembles and hyper-layered, argyle- and plaid-heavy, schoolgirl-inspired looks. That's far from all, though.
Ahead, we break down the 11 biggest New York Fashion Week Fall 2024 trends.
Sweater Dresses
There was no shortage of knit dresses on the runway this season. Gabriela Hearst, Altuzarra, Ulla Johnson, Jason Wu, Hervé Léger, Luar, Helmut Lang and more all sent out pieces that looked deliciously cozy yet put-together. We saw a vast range of silhouettes and designs, from chunky woolen turtlenecks (Wu) to collared polos (Altuzarra) to cut-out-detailed cable knits (Hearst) to long, lean, hardware-accented maxis (Léger). Style yours with tennis sneakers, Mary Janes, lug-sole loafers, sleek knee-high boots, heels...the possibilities are endless.
Cheery Chartreuse
The Fall 2024 runways have proposed an unusual, but very cheery, hue du jour for the new season. In New York, chartreuse, an eye-catching greenish yellow with a perky, retro feel, popped up in many a collection. LaPointe showed sheer, flowing chartreuse gowns, Jason Wu a crepe slip dress. Collina Strada and Kim Shui incorporated it into their floral prints with touches of pink and brown, respectively. At Wiederhoeft, a pair of baggy, boxer-style shorts in yellowy chartreuse came embroidered with the words CUSTOM across the front. Happily, the shade pairs well with fall's usual darker blues and browns.
Sky-High Slits
Micro short lovers, rejoice. We're in for another leggy season. The skirts and dresses at New York's Fall 2024 shows frequently had one detail in common. They came with a thigh-high slit. At Dauphinette, Kim Shui and Puppets and Puppets, we'd even call it hip-high. Something tells us Khaite's method of styling, with thigh-high suede boots and an oversize shirt, will resonate most with the fashion crowd.
Mob Wife Coats
New York designers are going all in on the mob wife aesthetic, the most basic formula for which involves throwing a fur coat, real or faux, over an all-black outfit. That or they've noticed the street style set's penchant for statement outerwear. Whether you're channeling Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface or Hailey Bieber in Aspen, Khaite, Proenza Schouler, Prabal Gurung, LaQuan Smith, Kim Shui, Bibhu Mohapatra, Gabriela Hearst and more have you covered.
Dark and Not-so-Dark Academia
Dark academia, another popular "aesthetic" — albeit one that dates back to Tumblr days — likewise hit the runways at New York Fashion Week Fall 2024. With a focus on what life might've been like at British and New England prep schools and colleges in the 19th and early 20th century, its followers are known for their early Harry Potter and Dead Poets Society-esque ensembles. Think neckties, chunky knits, tweed blazers, pleated skirts, argyle and plaid everything. At Thom Browne, Adeam and Alice + Olivia, gothic boarding school was definitely the vibe. Melke and Libertine updated their Ivy League ensembles with pops of color and cheery accessories, respectively.
Going for Gold
There's a lot of gold in the Fall 2024 collections coming out of New York, most often seen in head-to-toe ensembles. Ukrainian designer Svitlana Bevza used gold apron dresses to evoke the color of ripened wheat fields. At Proenza Schouler, a paneled lamé slip dress graced the runway. At Aknvas, a high-shine golden trench coat came paired with matching boots. At Jason Wu, a figure-skimming, molten-gold evening dress with a peplum waist gave the impression of having been molded on the model.
Haute Hoodies
Warmth, comfort, coziness, boundless layering possibilities — there's nothing not to like about a hoodie. Judging by the Fall 2024 collections, New York designers more than agree. At Helmut Lang, Peter Do took the conventional sweater silhouette and updated it with a balaclava-like hood. Tory Burch embellished knit hoodies with tonal brooches. Sandy Liang coquette-ified hers with cotton rosettes. Collina Strada showed a deconstructed mauve take. For Tommy Hilfiger and Michael Kors, it was the styling choices that made the sweatshirts unique. At Hilfiger, hoodies came sandwiched between layers and tucked into bottoms. Instead of the usual button-down, Kors paired a black hoodie with a belted wool skirt suit for a Wall Street look with Silicon Valley edge.
Built-In Shawls
Behold the next step in the evolution of the giant scarf trend. At New York's Fall 2024 shows, new forms of neckwear emerged, including the shawl-sweater, a shawl-coat, a shawl-top or a shawl-dress hybrid. Brands like Jason Wu, Christian Siriano, Tibi, Proenza Schouler, Prabal Gurung, Brandon Maxwell and Monse blessed us with a sartorial solution to our seasonal battle against high winds and short-term memory loss.
Sheer Layering
Layers are always on the docket for fall. Yet despite these being cool-weather collections, sheer skirts (Tory Burch, Ludovic de Saint Sernin), tops (LaPointe), dresses (Tibi, Eckhaus Latta, Alex S. Yu) and even pants (Helmut Lang, Luar) remained a popular way to add interest to multilayer ensembles. Yet another effect of global warming.
Surprisingly Cool Cut-Outs
Speaking of summery fall trends, the recent New York shows confirmed that cut-outs will be sticking around for at least another season. Be it an exposed side, abdomen, clavicle, underboob, leg or armpit, flashes of skin appeared all over the runways. Go modest in a keyhole babydoll dress from Monse or leave nothing to the imagination in Luar's The Fifth Element-reminiscent bandage bodysuit.
Prints on Prints on Prints
This may be New York, but several designers gave us a break from the monochromatic outfits. Brands including Bach Mai, Libertine, Ulla Johnson and Helmut Lang dressed their models in top-to-bottom coordinating prints to dramatic and extremely fun effect.
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