All of the Trends and Takeaways From New York Fashion Week, According to Our Editors

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New York Fashion Week just finished, and Who What Wear's editors have been all over the city, taking in the shows, monitoring the street style, and noting key emerging trends. "One thing I've been noticing off of the runways are skirt sets. … At Calvin Klein, there were very minimal versions. At Tory Burch, it was these [Dior] New Look versions with an A-line skirt and a peplum blazer. And then at Khaite, [there were] the animal-print ones," said Kristen Nichols, Who What Wear's associate director of special projects.

Nichols added that another trend to watch out for in the fall will be dramatic, oversize shearling coats. "[At] Altuzarra, we saw a lot of different versions of these, and then at TWP, which is another show that's semi-new to the fashion-week calendar, they had a beautiful coat there. At Tory Burch, that was one of the buzziest pieces—this grayish shearling coat that is just so stunning," she said.

For the latest episode of The Who What Wear Podcast, Nichols and Editorial Director Lauren Eggertsen share their favorite shows, their biggest takeaways, and the styling trends they're keeping their eyes on from NYFW. Plus, some of our other Who What Wear editors call in with in-the-moment show reports.

For excerpts from their conversation, scroll below.

Lauren Eggertsen: What were you most excited about? Did any of the shows that you were looking forward to meet your expectations or surpass them?

Kristen Nichols: This season, there were so many fun shows. It was actually my first time attending a Khaite show in person, which was just really special. I've always loved Khaite, and to just see the collection in person was really magical. It was at the Park Avenue Armory. You stepped into a very dark room, and there was this circular runway and just a set of lights above. It was a very simple set but very impactful. The collection was really just this blend of downtown cool and then uptown polish.

Some of the standout looks for me were the leopard looks; there were probably … five in a row. One was a really beautiful skirt set. There were newsboy caps. I don't know if I'll be partaking. I don't know if I can pull off hats myself, but it's a continuation of the pillbox-cap trend that we've been seeing a lot of.

LE: If you had to pick one show, what would you say is your standout?

KN: Tory Burch was definitely one of my favorite shows. It was this tweaked take on classic American sportswear, which she does so well and is somehow able to reinvent each season. [With] this collection, she really nailed it. There were some pieces that our editors that were at the show were already talking about wanting in their closets—whether it was the animal-print outerwear or … these really beautiful strappy heels that were paired with colored tights in shades of beige, chocolate brown, and burgundy. It was just such a nice styling element. She also had a take on the Dior New Look skirt-suit silhouette, which was interesting and somewhat different for her. I thought that it was such a beautiful show, and [I] can't wait to dive into the new bags that were on the runway as well.

LE: I'd love to know what you've been wearing to the shows because you're a street style star on your own.

KN: The more fashion weeks I attend, the more I just like to work with what I already have in my closet, so that's usually my approach to fashion week. This season, I was feeling particularly inspired by some old images on Pinterest. There was a particular look from the fall 2004 Balenciaga runway designed by Nicolas Ghesquière that is this really beautiful tailored camel coat that has a stole designed on it. I wore pieces from my closet to imitate that look in a sense because I just have always loved that look.

And then there was a Michael Kors–designed look for when he worked at Celine that is a faux-crocodile skirt with knit slingback heels and Wayfarer sunglasses. I pulled together some pieces I had in my closet to try to put my own spin on that and then, of course, some easy denim and coats and warm layers because it's been pretty cold this week.

LE: You looked amazing. I have to ask—you didn't wear any tights or anything, and it was snowing, and I was so worried about you!

KN: Yes, I made some really ill-advised shoe choices this season, but since I just moved from L.A. like a year and a half ago, I'm still working on appropriate footwear.

LE: There's this iconic photo of you. It's Kristen walking through the snow in her little mules with no tights, and I was dying. You look so chic.

LE: I'm curious—based on what you've seen so far in New York, [do] you have any predictions about what's to come for the rest of the month?

KN: A lot of the collections just felt very polished and had nostalgic references. I don't really believe anyone called this out in their show notes, but to me, a lot of them felt like references from the '50s and '60s. Audrey Hepburn [and] Grace Kelly or just this other era of dressing has returned to the runways, and I'll be interested to see how that progresses throughout fashion month. It's something we've been writing a lot about at Who What Wear, and I was interested to see if we would see the pendulum swing in another direction, but it seems to be continuing in that direction. [I'm] so excited to see how that plays out in London, Milan, and Paris.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Next, check out our interview with Jonathan Simkhai.