COBALT FOR SPRING? AND OTHER NYFW TAKEAWAYS…
The trends I’m most excited about, as showcased during New York Fashion Week’s Spring/Summer 2025 shows. Including bold stripes, ruffled edges, extra long fringe, and an extra low drop waist.
Ryne Norton
As a stylist, I sift through NYFW looking for inspiration. I’m looking for techniques I can use when I’m getting dressed in the morning, trends I want to dress others in, and ways to make my existing wardrobe feel updated and current. I look for repetition and throughlines between designers – what do Ralph Lauren and Collina Strada both have in common? This season, I took a look at every show and then some. My takeaways are simple. I hope that by reading, you might feel inspired too.
The color of the season is clearly a bold shade of cobalt blue.
COBALT… in all caps. I recognized this shade of blue popping up casually throughout the summer, but it was hard not to notice its presence on the runway. Proenza Schouler kicked off NYFW this year and sent an all COBALT ensemble down the runway. Then, seemingly everyone from Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger to Willy Chavaria and Lii presented their own COBALT. Last year we celebrated a Pop of Red. Then of course, there was Brat Green. Lest we forget Barbie Pink? I’m predicting a COBALT spring.
From left: Lii (photo courtesy of Lii), Proenza Schouler (photo by Monica Feudi, courtesy of Proenza Schouler), Sandy Liang (photo by Filippo Fior, gorunway.com), Ralph Lauren (photo courtesy of Ralph Lauren), Tommy Hilfiger (photo courtesy of Tommy Hilfiger), Proenza Schouler (photo by Monica Feudi, courtesy of Proenza Schouler), Christian Cowan (photo by Daniele Oberrauch, gorunway.com).
Another way to participate in this season’s trends is by mixing and matching patterns.
From left: Zankov (photo by Ryne Norton), Tommy Hilfiger (photo courtesy of Tommy Hilfiger), Monse (photo by Daniele Oberrauch, gorunway.com), Collina Strada (photo by Isidore Montag, gorunway.com), Maluu (photo courtesy of Maluu), Proenza Schouler (photo by Monica Feudi, courtesy of Proenza Schouler).
I’m all about a stripe on stripe at the moment. Try a stripe on stripe on stripe like Ralph Lauren and Monse. Or a plaid on plaid as seen by Collina Strada and Tommy Hilger. You could experiment with a stripe on plaid as done beautifully by Zankov. It always felt kind of wrong but now it feels so right. The key here is finding a similarity that connects the two patterns: through color, texture, or scale. However, I wouldn't dabble in print on print. Stick to pattern on pattern.
I’ve never been a fan of ruffles.
From Left: Eckhaus Latta (photo by Thistle Brown, courtesy of Eckhaus Latta), Khaite (photo courtesy of Khaite), Alaïa (photo courtesy of Alaïa). Collina Strada (photo by Isidore Montag, gorunway.com), Tory Burch (photo by Isidore Montag, gorunway.com), Gauntlett Cheng (photo courtesy of firstVIEW).
Not the chip, nor the decorative accent. We’re seeing ruffles everywhere this season. On a shirt. On a dress. On a bag strap. On a hat? Asymmetrical, tiered, sheer, to the side, straight down the middle, spiraling down the body. A waterfall of fabric. You’ll notice ruffles ruffling down the runway from all of our favorite names of NYFW: Collina Strada, Khaite, Eckhaus Latta, and Gauntlett Cheng. I’m personally still warming up to the idea of trying a ruffle next spring, but I see the vision. The cascading vision billowing in the wind.
Fringe goes east.
The Western trend didn’t feel as present as anticipated on the runways this season, but fringe was everywhere. We see a fringe top from Rachel Comey, fringe skirts from Jane Wade and Michael Kors, and fringe dresses from Proenza Schouler and 3.1 Philip Lim. Even fringe shoes. Fringe feels elevated. I say the longer the better. We want strands of at least 16 inches here.
From left: SIMKHAI (photo by Isidore Montag, gorunway.com), Proenza Schouler (photo by Monica Feudi, courtesy of Proenza Schouler), Michael Kors (photo by Isidore Montag, gorunway.com), Rachel Comey (photo by Filippo Fior, gorunway.com), Jane Wade (photo by Filippo Fior, gorunway.com), Gauntlett Cheng (photo courtesy of firstVIEW), 3.1 Philip Lim (photo by Paolo Lanzi, gorunway.com).
A suit for every occasion.
From left: Prabal Gurung (photo by Filippo Fior, gorunway.com), Luar (photo by Daniele Oberrauch, gorunway.com), Palomo Spain (photo by Isidore Montag, gorunway.com), Jane Wade (photo by Filippo Fior, gorunway.com), Willy Chavaria (photo courtesy of Show Studio), Sandy Liang (photo by Filippo Fior, gorunway.com), Ralph Lauren (photo courtesy of Ralph Lauren).
Not just for weddings, funerals, and business meetings, the suit has never been more versatile. I love how Willy Chavaria styles a suit — oversized and casual. I like the futuristic suits from Luar. If you don’t already have one, I think it’s time to invest in a suit. Maybe go for one that you feel like you could wear everyday — from the office to the club to church the next morning.
3D Prints and laser cut lace seem to be everywhere from SIMKHAI to Michael Kors.
From left: SIMKHAI (photo by Isidore Montag, gorunway.com), 3.1 Philip Lim (photo by Paolo Lanzi, gorunway.com), SIMKHAI (photo by Isidore Montag, gorunway.com), Luar (photo by Daniele Oberrauch, gorunway.com), Michael Kors (photo by Isidore Montag, gorunway.com), Michael Kors (photo by Isidore Montag, gorunway.com), Wiederhoeft (photo by Daniele Oberrauch, gorunway.com), Khaite (photo courtesy of Khaite).
It’s not a printed print… It's 3D! It’s an embellishment and it feels modern and interesting and more substantial than a standard print. And along those lines, the laser-cut lace we’re seeing clearly isn’t your grandmother’s lace. Nothing wrong with hers, of course, but this feels like a whole new material. I especially love the floral lace skirts from Michael Kors.
A drop waist.
I’m so here for it. From Tibi’s low belted sweaters to Sandy Liang’s signature drop waist silhouette dress, the girls are entering dangerously low territory. We’re not cinching in at the waist. We’re letting our tops land just below the hips. And what exactly does this mean for us all? I don’t know, but I like it.
From left: Sandy Liang (photo by Filippo Fior, gorunway.com), Toteme (photo courtesy of Toteme), Jane Wade (photo by Filippo Fior, gorunway.com), Tibi (photo by Daniele Oberrauch, gorunway.com), Proenza Schouler (photo by Monica Feudi, courtesy of Proenza Schouler), Michael Kors (photo by Isidore Montag, gorunway.com), Palomo Spain (photo by Isidore Montag, gorunway.com).
The peplum.
From left: Melitta Baumeister (photo by Isidore Montag, gorunway.com), Jason Wu (photo by Daniele Oberrauch, gorunway.com), Khaite (photo courtesy of Khaite), LaQuan Smith (photo by Filippo Fior, gorunway.com), NIHL (photo courtesy of NIHL), Alaïa (photo courtesy of Alaïa).
Tops, dresses, skirts. They’re kind of back, I guess. I don’t have much to say. I have a bad association with them from 2010, but I’m willing to move past that if everyone else is doing it.
Favorite styling:
