From romantic lace at Khaite to a full-blown birthday celebration at Coach, New York Fashion Week reminded us exactly why September belongs to fashion.
There is something about September in New York.
The sidewalks become runways. Hotel lobbies fill with editors, models and impossibly well-dressed strangers. Black SUVs line the streets outside unexpected venues. And somewhere between downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn, everyone seems to be running late to a show.
New York Fashion Week returned this September to unveil the Spring/Summer 2027 collections, bringing together the established names that helped define American fashion and a new generation determined to reshape it.
And this season, fashion seemed ready to have a little fun again.
Romance returned. Color returned. Glamour certainly returned. Designers played with nostalgia without becoming trapped by it, while sheer fabrics, exaggerated silhouettes, intricate embellishment and unapologetically feminine details appeared across the week.
If you weren’t sitting front row—or refreshing your feed between shows—here’s what you missed.
Ralph Lauren Reminded Us Why American Glamour Never Goes Out of Style
Before the official calendar even began, Ralph Lauren helped set the tone for the week.
For Spring 2027, the designer returned to the vocabulary he has spent decades perfecting: unmistakably American sportswear transformed into something polished, aspirational and luxurious.
There was navy and white, dramatic trousers, crisp tailoring, denim and eveningwear, all carrying the effortless sophistication that has become synonymous with Ralph Lauren.
It was the kind of collection that didn’t need to scream for attention.
It simply looked expensive.
And naturally, the front row matched the mood. Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana DeBose, Rachel Brosnahan, Eiza González and Elizabeth Debicki were among the stars who arrived to see the collection.
In a Fashion Week increasingly obsessed with what’s next, Ralph Lauren made a convincing case for knowing exactly who you are.
Coach Threw Itself a Birthday Party
Coach turned 85 this year—and Stuart Vevers wasn’t interested in celebrating quietly.
The Spring 2027 collection transformed nostalgia into fashion, drawing on memories, worn-in pieces and the beautiful imperfections that accumulate over time.
Oversized outerwear met slouchy tailoring. Sheer pieces and sparkling embellishment appeared alongside the leather accessories that remain central to the Coach universe.
Then came the confetti.
The celebratory motif appeared throughout the collection before eventually filling the runway itself, making the show feel less like a corporate anniversary and more like the aftermath of the best party in town.
That mood continued after the runway, when Coach transformed its celebration into a Studio 54-inspired birthday party.
Elle Fanning and Storm Reid were among the familiar faces helping the house celebrate its milestone.
At 85, Coach isn’t trying to act younger.
It’s remembering what made us fall in love with it in the first place.
Tory Burch Gave Us Permission to Have Fun Again
If there was one word running through Tory Burch’s Spring 2027 collection, it was joy.
And we needed it.
Burch looked toward mid-century glamour but filtered it through her increasingly playful design language. Crystal embellishments, feathers, unusual proportions and dressed-up accessories collided with the practicality of American sportswear.
The result felt feminine without feeling precious.
Beautiful without being boring.
There were pieces that made you want to stop scrolling and actually study what you were looking at—which may be one of the highest compliments you can give a collection in 2026.
Burch described the collection as an exploration of optimism, escapism and “opulent femininity,” and you could feel that intention on the runway.
The front row brought its own energy, with Lauryn Hill and Amanda Seyfried among the recognizable guests.
Tory Burch has spent the last several seasons quietly reminding the industry that femininity can be intelligent, weird, luxurious and fun all at once.
Spring 2027 may be one of her strongest arguments yet.
Khaite Entered Its Romantic Era
Plot twist: the Khaite woman is in love.
The label known for its cool, downtown edge softened considerably for Spring 2027—and the change was beautiful.
Kaia Gerber opened the show in a white bra paired with a high-waisted black leather skirt, immediately establishing the tension between sensuality and strength that would continue throughout the collection.
Then came the romance.
Flower-embroidered lace. Corsetry. Pastels. Lingerie references. Weightless fabrics. Ruffles that moved as the models walked.
It was still Khaite, but this woman felt different.
Less interested in hiding behind the armor of New York cool and more willing to be seen.
For a season in which femininity repeatedly emerged as a theme, Khaite offered one of its most compelling interpretations.
Carolina Herrera Celebrated 45 Years in Bloom
If you’re going to celebrate 45 years of fashion, apparently 28,798 yellow tulips is a perfectly reasonable place to start.
For Carolina Herrera’s anniversary show, the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center was transformed by thousands of flowers before a collection emerged that looked lovingly backward without feeling stuck there.
Creative director Wes Gordon revisited the codes that have defined the house: black-and-white polka dots, crisp white shirts, elegant trousers and sweeping evening silhouettes.
One standout styling moment paired Herrera’s iconic white shirt with cigarette pants, a cummerbund and a sheer ball skirt.
It was classic New York society glamour—with enough modernity to keep it from becoming costume.
The collection also looked back at the cultural world surrounding the brand’s beginnings in the 1980s. An Andy Warhol portrait of Carolina Herrera appeared on a shift dress, while another collaboration referenced The New Yorker cover published during the week of Herrera’s first show.
Martha Stewart and Tory Burch sat front row.
Forty-five years later, the Herrera woman is still getting dressed.
And yes, she still has somewhere fabulous to go.
Calvin Klein Brought the Cool Kids Out
Sometimes Fashion Week isn’t only about what happens on the runway.
Sometimes you need to look at who’s sitting beside it.
Calvin Klein Collection delivered one of the week’s serious fashion moments—and one of its most star-packed crowds.
Rosalía. Teyana Taylor. Pamela Anderson. Gemma Chan. Tate McRae. Sadie Sink. Iris Law. Lila Moss.
The guest list alone became a snapshot of where fashion, music, Hollywood and internet culture currently collide.
Under creative director Veronica Leoni, Calvin Klein continues to explore what modern minimalism can look like without simply recreating the brand’s ’90s past.
And that’s an important distinction.
Nostalgia was everywhere this Fashion Week, but the strongest collections didn’t simply reproduce old ideas. They asked what those ideas look like on women now.
Michael Kors Still Knows How to Work a New York Front Row
Few names feel as synonymous with New York Fashion Week as Michael Kors.
The designer has spent decades creating a fantasy of the woman who somehow manages to look glamorous while perpetually headed somewhere—and his shows remain one of Fashion Week’s reliable celebrity magnets.
Gabrielle Union, Lea Michele, Jane Krakowski, Judith Light and Lisa Rinna were among the guests spotted this season.
It was another reminder that the spectacle of Fashion Week extends far beyond the runway.
The arrivals, street style, conversations, flashbulbs and celebrities slipping into their seats seconds before the lights dim are all part of the show.
And the Front Row Deserves Its Own Moment
Of course, half the fun of Fashion Week is watching celebrities interpret the designers before the first model ever hits the runway.
This season gave us plenty.
Cynthia Erivo and Viola Davis brought star power to Ralph Lauren. Elle Fanning and Storm Reid joined Coach’s anniversary festivities. Lauryn Hill appeared at Tory Burch. Rosalía, Teyana Taylor and Pamela Anderson joined the crowd at Calvin Klein. Gabrielle Union attended Michael Kors. Demi Moore and Janelle Monáe turned up for Thom Browne.
And Bella Hadid made her return to the New York Fashion Week scene after an extended absence, stepping out around the city in a series of archival fashion looks.
At Fashion Week, the sidewalk remains almost as important as the catwalk.
So, What Are We Wearing Next Spring?
If Spring 2027 told us anything, it’s that fashion is loosening up.
After seasons dominated by quiet luxury, restraint and an almost aggressive commitment to looking effortless, New York appeared ready for personality again.
There was lace.
There were feathers. There were sheer dresses and corsets and enormous silhouettes. There were embellishments, flowers, party references and pieces designed simply because they were beautiful.
But the most interesting collections weren’t abandoning practicality altogether.
Tory Burch paired opulence with sportswear. Khaite balanced romance against leather. Coach made nostalgia feel youthful. Carolina Herrera proved that heritage doesn’t have to mean standing still. Thom Browne used traditional tailoring as the foundation for pure fantasy.
The message wasn’t that minimalism is dead. It was that getting dressed can be fun again.
And after a week running between Manhattan, Brooklyn and everywhere in between, New York gave fashion exactly what it always does at its best:
A little chaos, a lot of inspiration and the irresistible feeling that something exciting might be waiting just around the corner.
Welcome back, Fashion Week.
