The 10 Biggest Trends from New York Fashion Week Fall 2020

Hot off the New York Fashion Week runways and into your periphery, here are the most noteworthy trends we will be obsessing over come Fall 2020.

1. Paisley

Designers including Michael Kors and Nicole Miller had a love affair with this bohemian-leaning, 1970s-inspired print. Further leaning into the spirit of the decade, the pattern brought modern flower power vibes to pussybow blouses and billowing silk dresses at Cinq á Sept and Zadig et Voltaire.

2. Plaid

For Fall 2020, plaid — in its many variations — is already proving to be the print. Proving it can be both pretty and punk, it showed up at Monse on trench coats fused with tartan, while it appeared softer and more feminine at the likes of Brock Collection and Zimmermann.

3. Capes & Ponchos

The caped crusader is back in town. Cozy knitted and fringed blanket capes and ruana wraps permeated the runways, particularly at Michael Kors and Longchamp. Other designers, like Carolina Herrera’s Wes Gordon, offered a more structural solution to going arms-free.

4. Thigh-High Boots

Your surprise style reference for Fall? Vivian Ward — aka Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman. While over-the-knee boots were as popular as ever for the colder season, sultry animal-inspired versions prowled the catwalk at Ulla Johnson and Cinq á Sept.

5. Leg of Mutton Sleeves

Plucked right from a 1980s prom dress, this retro silhouette — whereby a voluminous puffed shoulder streamlines into a tapered sleeve — is sticking around for one last dance.

6. Clavicle Action

The new first word in seduction? Flashing a singular collarbone. The Proenza boys used this alluring cut out detail throughout their minimalist-yet-impossibly-sexy collection, while Self Portrait’s Han Chong showed how to do the artful slouchy sleeve. NSFW? Just add a top in a contrasting color underneath, as suggested over at Oscar.

7. Bustiers

Shake up your approach to cocktail party dressing by layering a corset, basque, or corset over a man’s white dress shirt — or one in a matching fabric as put forward by Brock Collection.

8. Sweetheart Necklines

Perhaps Valentine’s Day was on the brain for some designers including Khaite’s Catherine Holstein, but this romantic neckline looks set to stick around for more than a Hallmark minute.

9. Exaggerated Waists

Allow New York Fashion Week’s wunderkind designer Christopher John Rogers to introduce his now-signature “strawberry-shaped waist.” Ballroom skirts and dramatic tailoring that demands attention looks set to replace the slinky slip dresses of yore. Perhaps cancel that Uber Pool; you’re going to need the whole backseat for this trend.

10. Leather Trenches

Another unlikely influencer for Fall? Neo from The Matrix. Get ready: swashbuckling coats rendered in leather mark the end of the biker jacket trend and the arrival of the new guard.

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