The Best Runway Looks at New York Fashion Week Spring 2020

Marc Jacobs looked to none other than his own designs as reference for Spring 2020: those he showed 18 years ago on the night before 9/11 on Pier 54 in NYC. His show in 2019 took place at the Park Avenue Armory, “This show, like that show (2001) is a celebration of life, joy, equality, individuality, optimism, happiness, indulgence, dreams...” read the show notes. So let’s go back in time to a post-90s moment of exuberance. There were feathers and sequins on Kaia Gerber, Gigi and Bella Hadid, as well as bold suits, hats, flower embossed coats, tweedy jackets. In other words a hodgepodge of fashion as frivolity with a nod to icons past like Anita Pallenberg and Lee Radziwill. It sure is a good time, but does it align with our time? —Kerry Pieri

Moscone has been a bit of a fashion insider secret, but that’s not going to last for long. The designer brought an audience to a Gramercy Park mansion to a show a ‘90s meets ‘60s collection that was nothing short of a winner. Inspired by the book Ninth Street Women, about female post war artists that changed the world, from Lee Krasner to Elaine de Kooning—women who may have been partners to famous male artists but artists in their own right. With screenplays on each seat and oil paintings hung in the pre-war space, it was a magical set-up for sleek, minimal clothes that leverage artful layering, some interesting prints, florals, and a deft melding of masculine and feminine. In other words, thoroughly modern with an appreciation for the past.

During a season of bright colors and prints, Dion Lee found beauty in a clean slate. In a collection of neutrals, defined by crisp white shirting and classic wardrobe pieces, it was the details that really made a mark. Utility bralettes worn both over dresses and solo made for a cool way to get Katie Holme’s recent cashmere bra look that the Internet still hasn’t recovered from. Then there were leather garder belts and harnesses that managed to look elegant when paired with turtleneck dresses and tailored blazers. It was a reminder that even the most simple and classic of pieces can feel exciting with the right details, styling, and accessories. —Lauren Alexis Fisher

There’s no mistaking a Brock Collection show—Victorian-inspired, ultra-feminine, full of frills, with just the right amount of edge. But this season, the brand felt more…grown up. Scoring a slot on the final day of New York Fashion Week, a coveted day reserved for the likes of landmark brands like Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs, the show mixed and matched cocktail attire with denim and ball gowns with trousers and flats in a way that felt like New Brock Collection. It seems that Laura Vassar and Kristopher Brock have evolved their forest-nymph-meets-Miss-Havisham into a more adult version of herself, one that isn’t afraid to dress up and down at the same time; one that isn’t afraid to loosen her pussy bow and her corset, and then throw on a pair of jeans. This collection didn’t feel overly polished, prim, or sentimental, but Vassar and Brock still brought the drama in the form of oversized bows, voluminous ball skirting, and billowing trains, albeit worn with rumpled denim. —Carrie Goldberg