Vogue Editors Recap Their Favorite Shows (and Parties!) of NYFW

16 Sep 2025 · 37 min

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Podcast Summary: The Run-Through with Vogue

Episode Title

Vogue Editors Recap Their Favorite Shows (and Parties!) of NYFW

Episode Overview In this episode, hosts Chloe Malle and Nicole Phelps recap the highlights from New York Fashion Week (NYFW), discussing favorite shows, trends, and parties. The conversation emphasizes the juxtaposition between clean minimalism and vibrant, fun designs showcased during the week, while also reflecting on the cultural events surrounding NYFW.

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Key Highlights

New York Fashion Week Experience

  • Venue Influence: The hosts emphasize the importance of location in fashion shows, noting shows that took advantage of NYC’s landmarks for an immersive experience (e.g., Kalina Estrada's show at a helipad).
  • Mood and Trends:
  • Observations of a trend towards *clean, pure minimalism*, moving away from the notion of “quiet luxury”.
  • Scandinavian design influence noted, with brands like Cos and TOTEME showcasing muted palettes.
  • Notable mentions of vibrant collections from Ulla Johnson, Off-White, and Area.

Notable Designers and Collections

  • Area (Nicholas Aburn's Debut): Focused on fun and enjoyment, featuring playful elements such as pom-pom purses and tinsel.
  • Quote from Aburn: "I do want people to have a good time when they’re wearing my things."
  • Calvin Klein: Showcased a relaxed, New York City morning aesthetic, connecting street style with high fashion.
  • Ralph Lauren: Celebrated classic Americana with an escapist feel, coinciding with Taylor Swift's engagement news.
  • Michael Kors: Presented a collection full of escapism and color, influenced by his travels.

Party Highlights

  • Celebrities spotted at shows and parties, such as Oprah and Gayle at Ralph Lauren.
  • The excitement around various celebrity attendees and notable events, including parties hosted by Jacquemus and Valentino.

Emerging Trends

  • Themes of Fun and Playfulness: Noted across collections, with designers aiming to instill a sense of joy in their pieces.
  • Functional Fashion: Discussion on practicality in design, such as the inclusion of see-through bags and wearable wallets.
  • Cultural References: Incorporation of literary elements, with models seen with books during shows and bags designed to hold reading materials.

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Key Takeaways

  • Fashion's Duality: The show illustrates the ongoing conversation in fashion about balancing minimalism with vibrant self-expression.
  • Cultural Engagement: The discussions highlight how NYFW is not just about the clothes but also the cultural happenings surrounding the events, emphasizing the social aspect of fashion.
  • Celebration of Diversity in Design: The episode showcases a variety of design philosophies, particularly the empowering presence of women designers leading the charge in the industry.

Conclusion The episode of "The Run-Through with Vogue" serves as a vibrant recap of the key moments from NYFW, providing insight into the evolving landscape of fashion and the importance of cultural context. With discussions ranging from the aesthetic choices of designers to the celebrity culture surrounding the events, the hosts present a comprehensive view of a dynamic fashion week.

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Production Credits

  • Hosts: Chloe Malle, Nicole Phelps
  • Produced by: Chelsea Daniel, Alex DePalma, Stephanie Cariucci
  • Engineered by: Pran Bandy, James Yost
  • Mixed by: Mike Kutchman
  • Head of Global Audio: Chris Bannon

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This summary captures the essence of the podcast episode, highlighting key discussions and reflections while maintaining a structured and accessible format.

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Transcript

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0:28This is The Run Through. I'm Chloe Mao. is very good at this historically. But to me, New York Fashion Week is the best when it really takes advantage of New York City landmarks and makes the setting as much of an excitement as the collection and makes the whole experience of being at the show feel like something you have to do. Because now that we see everything on our phones, all we really can get in person is the experience. Yes, I am thinking of Kalina Estrada's show at the helipad on the East River. Oh my God, that backdrop, incredible. And the birds playing along with the runway show. I got some good footage of the penguins.

1:02I was worried the birds were going to have an accident.

1:07It is always good to be in the studio with you, Nicole. And we are recording this on the second to last day of New York Fashion Week. One more day to go. Yes, a big day. A long day. What is, tell me your schedule today. What do you have left? Well, after this, we'll head to Coach, where I understand from Mark Holgate, who has previewed with Stuart Vevers, that he is thinking about the morning in New York City, which is interesting because Veronica Leone was talking about the same thing at Calvin Klein, this idea of just walking out of the apartment to go get a coffee or the newspaper to the bodega.

1:47You know, what are you wearing? That sort of relaxed ease. The morning show. The morning show. Which just came back. So there we go. All right. Making connections. And we're going to Diotima after that. And exciting for Rachel Scott following her Prenza schooler sort of prelude. This is her first full Diotima runway show. So she's had a very big week. I know. It's exciting. And then it's sort of popping down in a line from, I think it's Diotima to there's something in Williamsburg. And then Tory Burch is at One Hands in Place. So it would be a great day for a city bike. Yes. I don't ride the bike in the city.

2:26I'm too clumsy. Way too nervous. Yeah. Funny enough, Diatima and Loire, I know this because Laya Garcia Furtado has previewed both of those collections, are thinking about carnival and celebrations and festive feelings. Interesting. So it sounds hopeful and optimistic. Well, I feel like that's one of my favorite trends of the season is Jose Crealis and Zuita reminded me of one of the great sages of our time, Lexi Featherston from Sex and the City, who before she plummeted out a window said, whatever happened to fun in New York City? Right. And I do think that sometimes fashion can be a little too self-serious.

3:11And there have been some great moments this week, I think, of people, of designers really having fun with what they're doing. One example of that for me was Nick Auburn at Area with his debut. And he said in his preview with Laya, people should always be having fun when they wear my clothes. And you really got that sense. I mean, there were actual pom-poms. There were pom-pom purses. There was tinsel. There was enormous sequins. It just felt like you were in the fun friend's house for their birthday party. Yeah. To me, that was the highlight of the week so far. He came from the Balenciaga Couture Studio and was sort of an unknown quantity here in New York.

3:56I don't think a lot of people knew who he was. So he just made a great introduction, like so full of energy, so full of ideas, so full of clothes that women are really going to want to wear, both for, you know, casual. He had great denim and also like their biggest night out in those bejeweled, strappy little cocktail dresses. Or a mixture of the two, which was my favorite, which was the midnight satin hoodie, which I thought was a great way to do casual evening wear. Yes, yes. To me, that's what athleisure should really be is like glamorous sportswear. Yeah. Where else did you have fun? What other shows did you like?

4:35I had fun with the Calvin Klein pom-poms. I loved the sort of full pink suit at Calvin. I thought it was felt like it had a bit more personality to it, which I'm always happy to see. And I really enjoyed a lot of Rachel Scott's pieces at Parenza. I thought that a lot of the dresses felt like things you would want to wear. And I liked that she created this world with a design artist who did the hanging installations and that spoke to the different materials she was using. I felt like it was a great launch into this brand for her and respecting Jack and Lazaro's codes that we really think of as classic Proenza-isms, but still infusing her own personality into that and point of view.

5:22After Prenz a Schooler on Wednesday, later in the day, Ralph Lauren did a show at his headquarters on Madison Avenue, and it was probably the starriest. I was across from Oprah and Gayle, be still my heart. And they were having a great time. Speaking of whatever happened to fun, just go to Oprah and Gayle. Yes, yes. They were tapping their high-heeled feet. Yeah, and that show, to me, felt sort of like an escapist show. Like, I want to get away to the seaside and I want to feel easy and breezy and— Big hats. Beautiful hats. I feel like it was also sort of—obviously, this had been pre-designed and everything was pre-planned, but I did feel like it was a nice coda to the Taylor Swift engagement news where she wore a Ralph Lauren dress that sold out within five minutes of her posting the photo because it really felt like classic glamour.

6:20glamorous, but easy breezy Americana. So the Taylor effect affects us all. It's a real thing. The next day, Michael Kors felt like he was doing something similar. He had been all around the world this summer. He was in Morocco, he told me. He was in Big Sur. He was in Utah. And there was an escapist feeling to his collection, too. Beautiful caftans and everything really, really swingy. It felt I did appreciate a sort of Donna Karan Zen reference. I know that they're longtime friends and it felt like this conversation between classic American designers a bit. I loved the heavy gold amulets that were sort of swinging back and forth.

7:11I feel like we've been seeing a lot of sculptural gold and silver jewelry, heavy pieces hanging from long pendants. There were also chic sort of tassels to carry keys. And it also I do feel like there is this theme of what you need to leave the house in the morning. It's like getting ready in the morning. How are you carrying things? There's a lot of see-through bags to sort of what are women actually taking with them? How do you remember what you're taking? It's a very rational approach to what are the steps to get dressed and get out of the house in the morning. And did you notice that there were a lot of books in those see-through bags?

7:48There was the Sheltering Sky in the Michael Kors books. Oh, my God. Well, speaking of traveling, I didn't know that. That is so chic. Yes. And then there were books in Rachel Scott's bags at Prenz's Schooler, too. And those were like French feminist theorists. We should do a New York Fashion Week reading list because it's— I didn't know that—see what the books were at Kors or Rachel Scott. But then Joseph Altazar always puts a book front row. And this was a sort of Japanese thriller from the 90s, I think, sort of a beloved feminist mystery text, apparently. And I loved seeing Doreen St. Felix and Rachel Tashin both just reading novels front row at Anasui waiting for the show to start.

8:34And it does it feels like a reader's week. And then Brandon Maxwell, who was celebrating his 10th anniversary and really making a push with his handbag collection. He has done this quite sort of like ladylike frame bag, but it has these straps that you can slide like a newspaper into or a magazine. And maybe even a book. So there's a lot of pro-reading feeling. It's a good argument for paperbacks. These are not Kindle friendly. No. So you don't want to drop your Kindle on the sidewalk. I do feel like there's been a lot of sort of subverted denim because Aria was sort of the two waistband thing.

9:19At Cal Slota, there were great carpenter pants that were in denim that I thought looked really good. Then where was it? I guess Aria also was jeans knotted around your waist, which I thought was very cheeky. At Cal Slota, I thought was a great show for them. It felt very mature and evolved but true to who they are. I thought the little evening dresses were great. I loved how the models had such personality and we knew all of them. Camilla Deterre smoking a joint because they were sponsored by a marijuana company. I mean people making things work the way they need to. Jane Mosley walked in the show and her six-month-old baby was watching from the seat.

10:05I do think babies, the best seat in the house is your mother's lap is sort of a takeaway from the week for me. People often will bring their toddlers in up, but this has really been an infant palooza this fashion week. Zoe Lotto walked down the runway holding her brand new looking baby. And teenagers. Virginia, I suppose Virginia Smith's son is no longer a teenager, but he's almost a teenager. And Virginia and I brought our sons to Off-White. I.B. Kamara was back in New York after a year with the Off-White show. And that was a great vibe, too, speaking of cool locations. He had partnered with the New Design High School to get the space, which is a school on the Lower East Side.

10:54And he brought in these graffiti artists to completely redo the roof with these incredible graffiti works sort of devoted to all five boroughs. And it's nice to see the, you know, the big companies shining a little light on New York institutions that they're partnering with. No, that felt like a great example of using New York City as a backdrop and really making it part of the show itself. A friend of mine actually teaches English at New Design, so I've been there many times. It was very exciting to go visit for a different reason. And Off-White always has a great front row. I loved seeing Busta Rhymes.

11:35Of course, I was extremely starstruck because Ellie the Elephant was there. Ellie the Elephant, who was filming the whole show but kept, like, swatting June Ambrose with her ears. So there was a lot of good people watching to be seen. Who were the Love Island folks? Oh, yeah, Nicolandria. That's their portmanteau, apparently. There were a lot of Vogue editors excited by that sighting. I was like, who is that? I know, it made me feel so old. That happened at Eckhouse Lada, too. There was a TikToker who's dating someone who's on the new SNL cast member, and everyone is extremely activated, and I had no idea what people were talking about.

12:13After Michael Kors, I think we went back to the office, and then we took the subway to Kalina Strada. and we were on a helipad at golden hour for Kalina Strada and it was magnificent. It was one of those settings where you could almost not pay attention to the clothes, but it was actually a really interesting Kalina Strada show by Hilary Taymor where she sent out each look and then it was followed very closely behind by the shadow of this look. So you might have something in a pastel or a fluoro, and then the look that followed was in black, and the models were also shrouded with, like, black fishnet or veils.

13:00And she was talking about sort of the, you know, hope and fear, the light and dark of America right now. And I have to say that in a moment that does feel, you know, very intense, we're sort of living through a lot of troubling things. There's been not that many designers who have wanted to deal with it head on, and she really did. So kudos to her for doing that. I know. It was a show that I really felt FOMO not going to because it looked so beautiful. So for Calvin Klein, we went to the Brandt Foundation, which is a great place for a show, don't you think? Yes. Tell me your feelings about Calvin and Nicole.

13:40I thought that I did like that instinct of hers to study the streets and to connect with the reality of New York and I guess sort of American style more broadly. Veronica is an Italian designer. She's actually based in Rome and spends most of her time there. And I think that, you know, there are nuances to New York style, to American style, that you can't really pick up being an outsider or being someone who doesn't spend time here. So looking at it closely and living it yourself, I think, benefits a lot, like the output. And the stuff that I like the best in the show were the really sort of relatable but very cool pieces.

14:27I loved this papery, thin, oversized bomber she did that she showed with chinos. And I thought that the trench towards the end, sort of a dark brown trench that she put with a great pair of jeans and boots were just two very, very cool looks. Yeah. And I think that's true that that's what people probably want to buy from Calvin is like a great, cool piece of outerwear. So that probably makes sense that there was focus on that. Calvin has a great front row, very starry. It felt like a real event of the week. Rosalia was there. Lily Collins. Britt Lauer. Naomi Watts. And don't forget the cute boy from The Summer I Turned Pretty.

15:08Oh, my gosh. People were losing their minds. Chris Briney, who is, I believe, Conrad in Summer I Turned Pretty. I'm really behind on that show. But he is this adorable actor. I have had mom friends say to me, what content are you doing about Chris Briney? What stories? Do you have any interviews with him? I was like, what is happening? But, yeah, so people are excited. and he was there wearing a little sleeveless vest. There was crowds outside. Oh, and you know who else there were crowds for? Was Jungkook from BTS who just got out of the military in Korea and he was there with his security and he was adorable, very excited by the show.

15:51He looked very eager at all the menswear looks. So he's trading his Korean army fatigues for Calvin Klein. It's funny because I live right around the corner from the Brandt Foundation, and 6th Street is usually this quiet, sleepy, shady street. And that day it was, you know, blocked roads, all of the trailers and the production gear required to pull off a show like that. And then, as you say, the screaming fans. Oh, my God. Who somehow, you know, track these stars' movements and know exactly where to go. Yeah, he's Conrad in the show, and everyone tells me that if you know anything, it's that you're Team Conrad.

16:35So, yeah. A few weeks ago, I was walking down Houston. I think it was from our colleague Anna Lisa's going away party. And there— Did you see the watch party? Is that what you're going to say? No, yes. No, it wasn't an official watch party. It was just kids, I guess NYU students, totally amassed on this corner where there happened to be a TV. It was like a sports bar that usually plays sports. Yes, I saw that too. I like took a note about it because I was like these young people actually want to be in a group together. It was a sports bar in Soho just north of Houston. And it was like spilling onto the street.

17:14We saw the exact same thing. Of kids watching the Wednesday night showing of The Summer I Turned Pretty like it was Sunday night football. And they were all like, yes. It was very charming, I have to say, and endearing. It reminded me of my own youth watching 90210. I don't know what my—I guess the OC was sort of my version of that. Okay, we're going to take a quick break. When we come back, some of the big events of the last week.

17:54Hi, 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.

18:35All right, let's talk about some of the non-fashion show moments of the week. As usual, it felt like there were so many things happening every day and night. Nicole, what were your highlights of the week? Well, I want you to talk about them because I was at Brandon Maxwell, who, you know, is a dear, and I was very happy to be at his show, but it did intersect with the Jacquemus party at the boathouse at Central Park, which looked— The Jacquemus party was fabulous. And I have to say, Simon Jacquemus is such a— he's so gifted at putting on a fantastic show, event, moment. And he just really understands how to make something cut through the noise of the Internet and also be somewhere you are actually happy to be in person.

19:24I did think that it was very smart to partner with Veuve Clicquot because he got a lot of nice funding behind it. And it worked well. It was a lovely—they were introducing a new cuvee, and everyone was very happy to have this champagne. and they also painted the boats at the Central Park Boathouse Veuve Cricot yellow and changed the awnings of the boathouse to be the matching yellow. Which is quite close to what Jacques Mousse's yellow is. Yes, it all felt very brand harmonious, I have to say, between the two. They had an enormous mound of butter that a man was just like methodically skimming off and putting on bread.

20:01He saw footage of that, yeah. Oh my God, it was like ASMR of dairy. And there was, I forget, I would like to know what the performance was, but there was a orchestral performance with members of the orchestra on the little rowboats. And I was very worried about their instruments, like, capsizing, but everyone was okay. And it just felt like a delightful evening. The tables inside the terrace of the boathouse were covered in white linen and then just had enormous picnic baskets with champagne bottles in it and sheaves of wheat. It felt very creative directed in a great way. So Sofia Coppola, fresh off of the Venice Film Festival, where she was debuting her documentary about Marc Jacobs, was in town with Chanel.

20:52She explained that when she was a little girl, her parents would come and stay at the Sherry Netherland, the hotel that is above the underground sort of ladies club doubles. And doubles is sort of a famous New York institution in that it's underground under the Sherry Netherland. It's no windows and completely covered in red velvet. And you have to be a member, but Chanel and Sophia took this over in kind of a camp way, but made it very chic and elegant. And it was very much the place to be that evening. It was everyone from—it was a real Nepo consortium of Gracie Abrams and Sunday Rose and Romy and Cosima Mars.

21:36And everyone was very excited to be there. It was very bubbly. it's smart to have an event at the beginning of the week because people it felt very back to school and people were dancing bill murray was dancing you were dancing with bill murray no not me who was dancing no he was dancing with this artist sarah say i wish i was dancing with bill murray oh my god be still my heart i thought you were reprising your your dance with the The Gentleman at the Tommy Hilfiger show. No, I was watching jealously as Bill Murray was slinking across the floor. I was moving too fast through Instagram. I got the wrong information.

22:15So what did you think of Ian Schrager making that Instagram post about the Studio 54 party? What did he say? Ian Schrager is one of the founders of Studio 54, which is a club, a legendary club that's very much in the air at the moment because Gene Pressman is writing about it in his They All Came to Barney's book. Calvin Klein talked about it a lot when he came on the podcast, the Vogue Run-Through podcast. And it just so happened that Valentino was doing a one-night-only recreation of Studio 54, and Ian Schrager said it was a moment, it was a special place, but it's not like a branding. Yeah.

22:57But was it at the actual location? That I have no idea because I did not go. I did not either. I was impressed that some of our colleagues rallied for that. But it looked loose and glamorous. Yes. Why are we all still thinking about a club that existed for three years, like 45 years ago? It's kind of amazing. It's incredible. There's really nothing else. There's no other institution like that, except maybe Maxime's from, like, you know, the late 19th century. Yeah. I guess the real question is like, will anything from now feel like the way Studio 54 does to us like 45 or 50 years from now? Or because there's so many pictures of all of us at all of these events, there will be no mystery?

23:43I think there's no equivalent. Also, everyone's too careful now. Bianca Jagger's not riding a horse into, I don't know, the polo bar. We remember people misbehaving. I have to say it definitely felt like the most evening events and parties that I've seen in the last few years for New York Fashion Week. Photographer we work with said that it felt like alcohol and fragrance Fashion Week because it was just a lot of brand events and parties. But people threw good parties and there were glamorous moments. I went to the Caring's Caring for Women Foundation gala at the pool restaurant. And that was a very high wattage affair.

24:34I mean, the number of carrots alone in that room, and I'm not talking about the vegetable. I mean, the diamonds on women were remarkable. And it's a very successful event. They raised$4.5 million for charities that fight gender-based violence. There was an extremely glamorous auction of various different experiences from Caring Brands, Saint Laurent in Paris and Gucci in Milan, et cetera. Lauren Sanchez Bezos was bidding against Natasha Punwala, was bidding against Mona Patel. It was very big wigs bidding against each other for a good cause. And also very celeb heavy, obviously Salma Hayek, who is Miss Yapino's wife and really the driving force behind the event was mistress of ceremonies.

25:28But also Demi Moore, Dakota Johnson, Coleman Domingo, Julianne Moore, Kirsten Dunst, Jessica Chastain. It really anyone who has a contract with a caring brand was there. And it was great. And the tables were beautiful. I don't know who, what event designer did that, but they were heaving Dionysian feasts with figs and beautiful grapes. And it was just gorgeous. All right. Phew. That sounds like it was fun. We are going to take a quick break and return for the shows from the weekend.

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26:47Okay, we're back. Chloe, we were together at Altuzara on Saturday morning. What did you think of it? I love Joseph's shows. I also love Joseph's clothes. I wear his clothes a lot. I just don't think there's anything wrong with some pretty dresses that look good on women. Are you going to wear balloon pants? No, I will not be wearing balloon pants. I would like a simple A-line frock from Joseph. I did like the cowl neck dresses. I thought those were really pretty cut. And I am curious, Nicole and I were talking about this a little bit at the show, but what the leg life of these balloon pants is going to be.

27:29Because I think they're chic on other people. I just could never wear them myself. And I'm curious how many feel that way. because it definitely feels like the Chimina-Chloe effect trickling down to a few different brands. And— I mean, Adam Lippis didn't have a show, but he showed at his salon on Fifth Avenue, and he was really, really believing in that shape, too. And I agree. I think you have to be quite tall to wear it, and you also like to—you know, you want to make a fashion statement. Yeah. And, you know, to me, they reminded me not just of Chloe, but they sort of reminded me of like 1980s Giorgio Armani a little bit, who obviously we lost last week.

28:16And, you know, a lot of designers have been weighing in with, you know, what they meant to, what he meant to them and what he meant to fashion. So I assume we'll see more Giorgio Armani-isms as the month progresses. Yeah. Have you felt any collections felt particularly owed to Armani? I don't know. I mean, I don't think anything feels like super, super Armani. I mean, one overarching trend I think that we haven't talked about yet is just the effect of the Scandinavian designers. You know, I know we're just coming from Totem, so that's on our mind. But of course, Koss had a show that was really well attended.

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28:56Koss being the, you know, a low priced brand from H &M. Right. and there's a way where it feels like it's almost it's not like quiet luxury is back but there's definitely a really strong strain of like clean pure minimalism if you look at vogue runway at all of the shows so many of them start with a white look yeah you know ralph lauren was white black and red it's like very sort of strict i think an edited palette yeah in the spring we are used to seeing a lot of florals you know a lot of prints in general but it hasn't been a really heavy print week so far, at least. I know. Rachel Tashin coined this phrase, this not particularly kind phrase, but it just makes me laugh, of the rodents of people who are sort of, you're seeing the effect of the row in what they're doing.

29:45And that might be not the kindest word to use, but I do think a lot of this feels like an effect of the row trickled down of a lot of, I buy a lot of clothes from costs and And it feels like an affordable way to create some of the looks that the Roe is doing that I like. Well, on a completely different note, let's talk about Anasui, where we both enjoyed a lot. Very, very not that. Very not. Never, never anything like the Roe. Every one-palate monochromatic minimalism. Anasui was such a delight. I'd never been to an Anasui show. It was at the Chelsea Hotel. the first track I think was the Velvet Underground it was unapologetically nostalgic and not trying to speak in this hip way to any exact moment of today it was so true to who she is and I loved seeing the industry support around that Marc Jacobs was there, Sofia Coppola they've all been friends for decades Zandra Rhodes, Pat McGrath still does the makeup Stephen Mizell's studio manager was there I mean there really are Carleen Cerf to Denzel.

30:55It feels like it's nice to see people in fact people say fashion are such cutthroat individuals but people show up for their friends and I like when you see that. Yes I think there's so much respect for Anna. She is so crazy for fashion. She knows so much about it and she has just published a book with Rizzoli about her early days on the runway the 90s. And she told me a funny, well, she said that what she thought people would be surprised about is how lo-fi everything was back in those days, you know. And obviously, fashion has gone through, you know, a corporatization in the last 25 to 30 years that we've talked about a lot here and in other places in Vogue.

31:39But she has managed to hold on to that feeling of like, I'm doing it because I love it. Which, you know, when you go there and you experience that, I think it makes you love it and feel really good too. Nicole, I want to know what you thought about Kate. Kate. I mean, Kate, Catherine Holstein is such a marvel. What an incredible success story. And I think that's another one of the through lines of the week is just how much women designers are leading the way. You know, irony of ironies being that all of these new debuts that are coming up are from mostly men. But if you look at the landscape of New York fashion, there's so many incredible women designers who are also business leaders.

32:30I mean, just watching the show go by, weren't you like, I would like every shoe that went by? I felt that way very strongly at Totem, too. They had these sort of high vamp, almond toe flat. But anyway, yes, I felt that way about Kate. I always like Kate Bags, too. It feels like, yes, you do. Sometimes I watch a show and I wonder what, if it's challenging for retailers or for friends and colleagues who work in the retail space and are buyers and have to choose what to actually pick from the collection that their customers are going to want to buy. But the Kate show, you're like, oh, well, it's that leather jacket.

33:06It's that, et cetera. Yeah. I mean, I think that the Kate look is sort of the look of cool young women. I mean, I think it's quite an aspirational look, obviously, because those leather coats and jackets are, you know, are very, very expensive. But I see a lot of people on the street, I think, trying to do that look one way or another. Yeah. Ula Johnson. Oh, yeah. Tell me about that. I couldn't go. Ula Johnson, you know, another woman designer who is so impressive. And for the last several years, she's been collaborating with different artists or the estates of late artists. A year ago, it was Lee Krasner.

33:47And this season, she was able to work with the estate of Helen Frankenthaler. And she had three different canvases of Frankenthalers that she turned into prints in the collection. So this, you know, in contrast to all of the white collections we've seen, really stood out. Super vibrant colors, really lively prints. And, you know, she was really embracing, you know, what she called as the prettiness and the femininity of her brand. And, you know, unapologetically. And also another example of someone really using New York landmarks, the Cooper Hewitt is such a special building in New York. And I do feel like people don't get a chance to – it's not one of the main museums people go to, but it really is a treat.

34:34And she used those rooms in such a great way. Yeah, for a downtown person just going up to the Upper East Side on a Sunday morning, it's very peaceful and beautiful. Different vibe. I mean, people are still going to sleep when I was leaving for the Lula Johnson show. I checked in with Tori Birch before we got to the podcast studio because I didn't want to leave her out. And she told me that we're thinking about the complexity of women and different facets of their style, femininity and strength, precision and imperfection, the clash of pristine tailoring with naive florals, seed beading and distressed leather.

35:14So, I mean, it sounds, you know, it echoes, I think, a lot of other designers that I've been talking to this week. You know, that to be pretty and to be feminine doesn't mean weak. I mean, I like the idea of soft power. I'm excited. I always love toy shows. So was it last season that it was in the sort of the pool type? That was last September. That was last September. In Brooklyn? Yeah. Chloe, is there something that stands out to you? Something that you feel like, oh, I can incorporate that into my wardrobe for spring 2026? I do feel like there were a lot of clothes for having fun, which we talked about a little bit.

36:00And they don't have to be nighttime clothes, but there were a lot of party clothes. And that was from area to Eck House to even some of the pom-pommy things at Calvin. And I think that that, in contrast to the morning clothes that some people have been referencing, is a nice sort of two ends of the spectrum. Also, I like a see-through bag. I think that's fun. You know, I'll have to see if I actually think it's fun when I have tampons in there. But in theory, I like the idea of that. And I like this. You know, we saw a lot this summer that the headscarves were a trend. And all the sort of young starlets were doing on vacation, a very sort of Jackie O meets Babushka thing.

36:49And that was continued at Calvin. And I saw the model Mona Tugard was wearing one last night, a cashmere sort of snood. And so I do I see that a lot. I'm like, huh, maybe that's a bad hair day thing I should be trying. I also the wearable wallet, the sort of wallet as accessory I'm intrigued by. There was a lot of those at Calvin, too. The idea that you don't want to go out with a bag, but you need something to put a credit card in. As someone who's always looking for my Condé Nast ID card, that would be very helpful. Are you listening? Heard it here first. Wearable wallets. Chloe, it was good to talk to you.

37:35And I'm looking forward to being in Paris together and seeing even more. All right. That's it for The Run-Through. See you Thursday.

37:55The Run-Through is produced by Chelsea Daniel, Alex DePalma, and Stephanie Cariucci. It's engineered by Pran Bandy and James Yost. It is mixed by Mike Kutchman. Chris Bannon is Conde Nast's head of global audio.

38:13From PRX.

From the publisher

As New York Fashion Week comes to a close, our Vogue editors are still reeling from all the shows and events of the season. Today on The Run-Through, Nicole Phelps and Chloe Malle walk through some of the standouts, and share what they see as emerging trends.

“It's not like quiet luxury is back,” observed Phelps, “but there's definitely a really strong strain of clean, pure minimalism.”

From Cos to TOTEME to Ralph Lauren, the impact of Scandinavian designers was in full force on the runway. But it wasn’t all muted palettes thanks to shows from Ulla Johnson, Off-White and Area! 

“I do want people to have a good time when they’re wearing my things” Nicolas Aburn said on his debut. 

We also dig into the star-studded parties and front rows (oh, hi Oprah and Gayle!) that will no doubt continue throughout the rest of fashion month. 

The Run-Through with Vogue is your go-to podcast where fashion meets culture. Hosted by Chloe Malle, Head of Editorial Content, Vogue U.S.; Chioma Nnadi, Head of British Vogue; and Nicole Phelps, Director of Vogue Runway, each episode features the latest fashion news and exclusive designer and celebrity interviews.


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