Vogue Editors Go Behind The Scenes at NYFW

0:28Hello, I'm Chloe Mao. It always feels like a reunion, and it naturally kicks off the wider fashion month. We're talking about the fall 2025 shows, and our colleagues will be off to London, Milan, and Paris in a few days. Our colleagues, including Nicole Phelps. But today, we are capturing the magic, and frankly, the mania, of attending New York Fashion Week by recapping the shows and hearing from the Vogue editors firsthand who saw the amazing moments in the flesh. My name is Nicole Phelps. I'm Marc Caducci. Hi, my name is Leah Faye Cooper. My name is Jose Crealism Sueta. And New York Fashion Week is the moment.

1:11So, welcome to a very special bonus episode of The Run-Through.

1:24Everybody was so excited for Christopher to be back on the runway after two years. And, I mean, he's become even more sophisticated with color. Christopher said it was Willy Wonka film noir, which is a lot to think about. I'm going to think about that all the way home and try to figure out what that means. New York Fashion Week, of course, began last Thursday. Christopher John Rogers was the headliner of the day. And it's been a couple of years since he's been on the runway. That felt like such a starry, dramatic moment. It really felt like a pinnacle of the week drama-wise, even though it was the first day.

2:04It was at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which everyone was grumbling about. But then—and it was quite chilly in there because it was in one of the big hangers. And then the drama of the show starting in this huge space and his signature rainbow hues and taffeta and stripes, and it just felt like a big fashion moment. I agree. And it's nice to see him come back after a pretty long pause, really having thought about his work a lot. He was a young designer when he first started getting attention. And I think over the years, we've really watched him grow. Why did he take a break? After the pandemic, he had decided to show on the off schedule, like on the resort sort of preseason collection.

2:49And in fact, it was actually aligned with the Met Gala one year. But in the end, I think the halo effect of New York Fashion Week attention is just too big a lure to ignore. And I think it's better for him to be in the mix in the conversation. Yeah. Because he really stands out, I think, in New York. This week was, you know, a lot about American sportswear, but you could say it's a week of gray jackets and sweaters and stuff.

3:16And he is such a bright spot. It felt like that.

3:24Thursday, I hustled into Kalina Strada a few minutes late and saw the end of young toddlers playing with toy kitchens, which I was happy about because it coincided with our toddlers playing with childlike accessories shoot that went live the same day. Synergy. Synergy. And everyone loved the Kalina two brides kissing, which I thought was a really sort of fun punk version of the Chanel bride. And then we all had a very fun group bus ride on the CFDA bus from Kalina Strada to Christopher John Rogers, although we did wait for Lynn Yeager and Mark Holgate. Thank you, CFDA. Best invention. It really is.

4:06We started, Laya started a Google Doc of overheard on the CFDA bus, which I really want to turn into something. That's a great idea.

4:18I'm Mark Aducci. I'm the creative editorial director of Vogue. Whenever a new designer is coming into a storied house, we always hear about them going into the archives. And one thing that we've heard a little bit about is that she will have some of Calvin's iconic casting. So whether that's Kate Moss, who was famously a Calvin girl, or Chrissy Turlington, who had an exclusive contract with Calvin in the 90s, I think we can look forward to seeing some iconic Supermall moments.

4:52So Friday was also a big day. It was the debut of Veronica Leone at Calvin Klein. We actually had Veronica on the podcast earlier this week, and I encourage everyone to listen to it because she— It's such a good interview. Calvin definitely felt like the big moment and the most anticipated debut of the season. The invitation came in a big box that took a dramatic unwrapping. When we arrived, it was one of the most celeb-packed front rows I've seen at New York Fashion Week in a while. There was Greta Lee in floor-sweeping sort of fog-colored satin. There was Bad Bunny in a St. Bart's hat, FKA Twigs and her boyfriend.

5:36And, of course, Kate and Christy. Of course, Kate Moss and Christy Turlington, Christy Turlington with her daughter. And then, most importantly, Calvin Klein himself came with his ex-wife Kelly Klein and Anna Wintour were flanking him on either side. It was very sweet. There was a huge scrum of photographers around him, almost as much excitement as Bad Bunny. The real marvel, right, as you say, was Calvin Klein because he retired about 20 years ago and he really did disappear from the New York Fashion Week scene. I don't think I've really seen him in person in a couple of decades. And it was special to be in the room and to see people who worked with him reconnect with him.

6:21And actually, people were quite emotional. It was like, you know, as you say, it was a reunion moment. And New York Fashion Week is often full of those. but that was a really special one. It wasn't the only debut that day, though. Frances Howie is the new woman at Form. And it's a very rare moment when you have two new designers starting and the two new designers happen to be women. And I think the narrative might be changing a little bit after the months we spent online lamenting the fact that there were not enough women in creative director roles in fashion. mostly in Europe. But, you know, it's nice to see that New York is leading the way in that.

7:05Yes. And Friday, I actually couldn't go to form finally because I had to finish something. I actually had to write my scene report about Calvin Klein. But I did feel like there were people were going to a lot of fun appointments and seeing interesting things on Friday. There was obviously the Bodie show in New Orleans, which was a big to do. I also I went to Edie Parker's burlesque spectacular in Nomad, which had Countess Luanda Lessips performing. And the boys were going wild for the Countess, let me tell you. It was quite a specific and delightful New York Fashion Week event.

7:49Well, we're going to come back in a few moments and talk about more special moments from the weekend.

8:24Freehingen, or some of my extraordinarily well-informed colleagues at The New Yorker. So join us every week on The New Yorker Radio Hour, wherever you listen to podcasts.

8:37Okay, we're back. So the weekend had some very big distractions. Go Eagles! And also great shows. We saw Al Tuzara, Anna Sui, Kate, which was a standout. What do you remember? It feels like a long time ago already, but. I always love Altazara. I love that he shows it at his showroom. I love that it feels salon-like. I love that he sort of scrapbooks books at everyone's seat, wrapped in fabric from the season. What book did we get this season? Wuthering Heights. Very exciting. I was really marveling at the fact that that book is going on 200 years old and still has a lot to teach us. Yeah. I also really liked Anna Sweet.

9:21on Saturday at the National Arts Club, which is that beautiful space on Gramercy Park. And, you know, she really is an antidote to, you know, the American sportswear that we saw so much of. She is so completely herself. This season, she was looking at the sort of screwball comedies of the 30s. She mentioned Bringing Up Baby, the Katherine Hepburn. So there was a real 1930s line to these beautiful floral Leme tea dresses and just sort of kaleidoscopic layering. And her shows are so rich, and I really love her for that. I'm very excited. She is having a retrospective in Arizona in April. So anybody in Arizona, make sure you go see that.

10:15I love her stuff. I couldn't go to Eckhaus Lada, but I thought that that seemed like it had a great energy and that people were very responsive to that. And it felt – I thought the whole thing was sort of no mood boards. It's all about real clothes that you'd see out on the street, someone you'd see on the subway, not something that looks like a fantastical runway creation. Was that what you – Yes. Yes, that's exactly right. All of them could have walked right off the runway and onto the street. And I think that Catherine Holstein at Kate was trying to do that a little bit too. Sometimes Kate's shows can be— The uptown version?

10:56Yeah. Well, they can be a little bit, you know, like who is that woman? She's this—you know, she describes her as this stealth New York woman. And sometimes, to me, it seems more cinematic than it is realistic, like a movie set in her mind. But the fact that she added jeans to the mix and the more relaxed kind of attitude to me signaled that she knows it's just as important to dress us or to give us dreams for every day as it is to make you dream about a— And that was a very dramatic setting. I mean, it was at the Park Avenue Armory, and it was a round runway that was— Do you know it was supposed to be the yellow brick road?

11:38What? Yes, she was talking about David Lynch. Well, I thought it seemed like a sound bath, like a TM kind of. Well, that's really interesting because she, David Lynch is one of her favorite directors, and she had been thinking a lot about him since his passing. And I didn't know this. Maybe everybody else does that The Wizard of Oz is David Lynch's favorite movie. I didn't know that either.

12:03Nicole, I had a real crisis of conscience where I tried to go to the Carolina Herrera show and my husband yelled at me because it was the info session at our new kindergarten at the exact same time. You can't miss that. You can't miss that. Well, yes, it was a little bleary eyed early morning. Hey, this is Stephanie and I'm about to go backstage at the Carolina Herrera show. The early alarm was rewarded by the 48th floor view of the solo buildings expanse. You know, you could see all the way to the George Washington Bridge from up there and the snow in Central Park. It was really one of those New York moments that, you know, Carolina Herrera, Wes Gordon, who designs there, can give us.

12:45And the close-ups should be in the other elevator. Perfect. So we just are walking out of the show. What did you think? Well, it was true. Carolina Herrera, such beautiful colors, lots of florals and lively tulip prints. And he made a point of saying that he likes tulips because even though obviously they bloom in spring, they're a flower that you plant in fall. And this is a fall collection. The set was equally cinematic. He was inspired by this movie. Maybe you've seen it called Being There, 1979, Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine. It's about Chauncey the gardener, who is a simple gardener with deep thoughts or apparently deep thoughts about the economy and politics.

13:32And he saw it as a young boy, you know, rented with his dad. And I think it made an impression on him. And in any case, there were thousands of ranunculas planted in the floor of this raw office space at the top of the Solo building. So very, very pretty. Oh, is that why I saw people clutching? Yes, people were allowed to take ranunculas. But, of course, Stephanie and I were mad to get out to finish our live taping at the podcast so we didn't get any flowers. And then our colleague Mark Holgate went to Zankov's presentation. Henry Zankov, celebrating five years working as a designer with his own label, Zankov, which, you know, is quite an achievement when you think where we've been over the last five years.

14:20Always think of him as a kind of beacon of creativity and individuality and kind of just beautiful artisanal craft. I mean, I think that's one of the things that he is exceptionally gifted at. Ooh, that looked fab. Yes. I loved those sweaters and the sort of the sequin sweater tied around the waist. Henry Zankoff, a CFDA emerging designer winner last year on a real role. He, you know, is really an exceptional knitwear designer and very inventive and, you know, lots of color. We see people in the Vogue office wearing his pieces a lot and really just mixing them in with their own wardrobes. There's an ease to knitwear that makes it really desirable, I think.

15:06seeing you in your V-neck and me in my turtleneck. I mean, it is winter, but... Nicole, what's the difference between a presentation versus a show? A presentation could be something that a young designer or emerging designer does who doesn't have the hundreds of thousands of dollars or the sponsorship money to put on a show. It can be budget-based, but presentations don't often get as much attention as shows, but it can be a good way for a designer to really get to know their audience and vice versa. A lot of times you're able to talk to the designer at a presentation and hearing what they have to say can be obviously super illuminating about what you're seeing and you learn a lot about a designer that way.

15:59I always enjoy presentations because I like models sort of roving through the space. So it feels like you could see how the clothes would actually interact in the world.

16:17I can tell you where we are, which is the Park Avenue Armory at 65th and Park. But it looks entirely different. Coach was a show. Coach was a real show. At the Armory, everyone was hot anticipation for who was going to be the musical guest because in the middle of the square runway was a sort of band setup. It had a very moody, fun performance by a trio, Nation of Language. I mean, I am a 90s kid. I came to New York in the 90s like Stuart Vevers did at Coach. And so it looked familiar to me. You know, a slip dress over a pair of jeans will, you know, it always will take me back to the grunge moment.

17:08I think a lot of the jeans were actually made out of upcycled denim that he'd repurposed. And some of them also had patches of upcycled suede applicate onto them as well, which I thought looked terrific. Okay, we're going to take one more quick break, and then we're back for Diotima, Luar, Tory Burch, and the final day of New York Fashion Week.

17:44Hi, I'm Rebecca Ford, Senior Awards Correspondent at Vanity Fair and co-host of Little Gold Men. Oscar season is upon us. Little Gold Men takes you behind the scenes of the race for the biggest prize in Hollywood. There's a hundred wrestlers in the room, but only one can be Oscar nominated. Whether you're a movie lover or an industry buff, Little Gold Men from Vanity Fair has everything you need to know about this year's Oscar race. Follow and listen to Little Gold Men wherever you get your podcasts.

18:21My name is Jose Creleman Sueta. Hi, Diva. Okay, so paint a picture of Diatima. What did we walk into right here? Diatima. We walked into a very romantic, very moody, very beautiful set. Rachel said that this season she was thinking a lot about the matriarch and how flattering her story has often been told. Rachel Scott won the Women's Wear Designer of the Year Award and has become known very quickly for these incredible crochets that she has made in Jamaica by women in Jamaica. And they're sort of, you know, these trophy pieces and very, very signature. You like look at it and you know it's diatema.

19:03And so the challenge for her is how to grow from that. And she said that at the presentation yesterday that she wants to be known for more than just crochet, which she's always done, but it hasn't really been what people have latched on to. Now is the time where she's trying to make that message clearer. So she focused on tailoring and then also on some draped evening dresses. And I thought that they really held up to the crochets. There's sort of a languor to the draped evening pieces that was quite nice. And then the suiting is a good counterpoint to the softness of the other things that she does.

19:48No, I thought it was really pretty and felt very elegant, sophisticated, and like evening clothes you could see. I don't know. For me, sometimes I feel like with Diatima's clothes, I don't feel like I'm cool enough to wear them. And these, I felt like an older woman could wear them as much as a young, cool person. You're not an older woman.

20:11I think that what people will take away from this Diatima show is that Rachel Scott is the one in your fashion rank. And then we were back a couple hours in that same building for Loire. I mean, Raul always puts on like a show with a capital S and a capital W and like a lot of W's. You know what I mean? Like a show. And that show was in the lobby. And so very, you know, they turned that room over really fast in between Diatima and Loire. And, gosh, that was tons of energy. You know, a late night show, but an incredible turnout. Raul Lopez's shows are really the place to be. Like, you want to see it.

20:58I'm Laya Garcia-Furtado, and I'm the senior fashion news editor at Vogue Runway. The name of the show was El Pato. Pato is slang in a lot of Caribbean for somebody who's gay. You know, the show is really about sort of claiming that term back. And it was just sort of, there was a hint of that 80s over-the-top deliciousness that we love. But it was grounded on this very, like, his own point of view. And it was just, like, such a good show. And I feel like after a Loire show, you're just, like, buzzing with energy. And this was just, like, this just delivered. The funny thing is, I saw a charcoal gray sweater, speaking of sweaters, that has my name all over it.

21:39Oh, we love to hear that. So I bet everybody listening. Shopping from the front row. We'll be very surprised to know that I now consider myself a Luar girl.

21:58Okay, I know you are a big Tory fan. So what did you think of the show? I am a big Tory girl, I have to say. And it was so fun to see our producer, Chelsea Daniel, talking to Leah Faye Cooper. There were so many great textures, lots of brushed wool, lots of velvet. Everything looked really like plush and cozy, but also very sophisticated and elevated. I like when there's sort of a beginning, a middle and an end to a show and with different moments in the clothes. And I really felt like that was the case for this, but not in a sort of overly dramatic way. I just liked a lot of the pieces and I feel like we're going to be seeing them and that people will actually want to wear them.

22:38I loved also we were sitting across from their robust celebrity front row. And it was fun to see what the young girls were taking pictures of and reacting to and what Martha Stewart was filming. The sequined blazer was a big hit for Martha. I bet. I bet. It's a show that really rewards closer inspection, right? You have these soft knits that the seams were open on the sleeves so you could sort of pull up the sleeve and drape it across your shoulders like a scarf. And, you know, Sam Sussman, our intrepid social editor, backstage caught a picture of the tights. And on the ankle, there is a little rat.

23:27Yes, it's so cute. Oh, my God. It's the only kind of rat you want swirling around your ankles in New York City is Tory Burch's. But that's the kind of thing. They're little surprises, like little Easter eggs, I think, that people will like looking through the detail shots to discover. And I also – there was just enough weird. Like there was these very pretty draped dresses, a floral dress, and then these weird sort of rabbit's feet hanging off of them with sort of odd threaded loops. It felt very confident in that way. We're recording this on Tuesday morning. We are hours away from a couple more big shows that will put the cap on New York Fashion Week.

24:15Michael Kors, we're headed there shortly. And then at the end of the day, we'll see Tom Brown. Nicole has seen, she's like the wizard who's seen the things before they happen. Tell us, give us a little preview of Michael Kors and Tom Brown. Well, interestingly, Tory Burch and Michael Kors were on the same wavelength. They both said to me that they find it strange that New York, like sportswear was born in New York, but somehow America is always like sort of the second city or New York is the second city to Paris in fashion. And yet we created the look of the world Americans did. Interesting. Like everybody's in sweatpants.

24:59Everybody's in jeans. And this was what America gave fashion. And so both of them really sort of were digging into this idea of American sportswear, Tori twisting it in funny ways like we've already talked about. And Michael Kors, I think when people see it today, will feel like that is a Michael Kors show. There's no arguing it. It'll look familiar, but new, I think. You know, he had—and a little bit 90s, too. He had Uma Thurman, Sharon Stone, Glenn Close, all these women getting off a plane, say, in the 90s in their oversized blazer. Oh, fabulous. And chinos and easy shirts and just really feeling comfortable in their in their clothes and in their skin.