September 6th through the 11th is the week of  fashion in the big apple. With over 60 formal shows and presentations, combined with dozens of private collections and showroom visits, the city is buzzing with popular names of both fashion and celebrity. Three brands stuck out for their innovating, trendsetting attitudes for the 2025 Spring Season.

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren, a household name, held their show in the Hamptons, showcasing signature styles with a fun twist for the season. The collection had a deep tie in to the history of the brand while also managing to focus on some of it’s true to brand staples and freshest designs. Styles included a mix of the brand’s traditional American, preppy styles in a classically elegant sort of way. 

The colors focused mainly on pastels of soft blues, whites, and of course, the traditional Ralph Lauren navy blue. The brand incorporated their step towards modern innovation with pops of green and orange seen in both women’s and menswear. Almost neon pants and grass colored bags complimented the traditional pastel button downs and flowy summer dresses.

In menswear, perfectly tailored suits, long coats, and brightly colored nods to modern streetwear dotted the runway.  A perfectly curated trend of classical knits and new layered styles are sure to be followed by countless other brands this season.

Women’s fashion followed their male counterparts with both fitted suiting styles and contrasting flowing dresses. There were two distinct paths that Ralph Lauren took with this show, one being far more masculine while the other flowed to the more traditional, feminine styles the brand has held for years.

Many flowing, floor length dresses and skirts were seen, paired with strappy heels or closed tow, high boots. Large earrings, chunky bracelets, and oversized bags paired well with these styles, complimenting in both color and aesthetic.

For the more masculine women’s styles, baggy trousers, chunky boots, and loose fitting suited styles paired well with large sunglasses and oversized accessories. Sleek cut shoulders that followed traditional paths showed that the brand was not shying away from more vintage cuts.

There were many things that stayed common themes throughout the show. Belts were a major point, solidifying their place in this seasons trends. Oversized accessories that stood out with classic clothing reflect on the move to these styles that have solidified their place over the last few seasons.

Alaïa

Alaia is a brand known to few and far between but, nonetheless, is one making its stride on this seasons fashion week. Even though the brand has been designing since 1981, its influential impact has been almost entirely contained within the community of those who live and breath fashion. It’s not an everyday, household name, yet the clothes the house designs are far more tame and wearable to the everyday person. Similar brands in Alaia’s sphere tend to create more avant guard designs, and while stunning and wonderfully creative, these are not always the first choice for everyday people who set our modern fashion trends.

The brand focused their efforts on skirts, flowy dresses, and gravity defying tops this show. The Guggenheim in New York City was the perfect place to stage the runway as the curving architecture heavily reflected on the architecture in the brands own clothing.

Dresses have been a major component of the brands style since its creation and this show did not stray from that one bit. Instead, they built on this idea by building upon them with aspects of engineering. Mini dresses that seemed larger than life with puffed out coats, long, floor length dresses and seemed to hold themselves up, and skirts that looked about ready to blow off proved innovation and strides towards new designs.

For this show, Alaia relied on their more feminine side, reflected in their dresses, but also with their tops that did not shy away from showing the feminine figure. Bandeau’s were the most popular style for the brand this season. Whether it was a simple, black band paired with a large skirt, or a sheer top made of mesh, little was hidden from the audience in attendance at the show.

And while their tops, and clothing in general, often reflected scandalously, the brand came out with multiple new coat styles. Most where floor length, wrapping over the head in a way that almost reflected upon styles worn by nuns. Along with these long, flowing styles, short jackets were seen to be worn in a way that seemed as though they were on their own. They were puffy and stiff to show a sort of structured build that both hid and accentuated the body.

Finally, and probably most important of the brand’s innovation this season is Alaia’s use of skirts and flowing pants. Multiple tiers could be seen in many pant styles that made it hard to tell wether they were truly pants or an entirely different piece of clothing. Their skirts were constructed with a level of care that had them appearing with a certain bounce to them. They swayed as models walked down the curved steps of the Guggenheim Museum, sitting low on the hips as they seemingly flew across the runway,

The accessories of the brand were similar to those of Ralph Lauren with strappy heels and chunky jewelry, solidifying their place in this seasons most popular choices to build upon an outfit instead of overpowering it. The brand seems to play far safer than others, falling more into the category recently known as quiet luxury and old money styles with pops of fresh color and youthful amusement.

Overall, while this brand may be far less known that the likes of Louis Vuitton, and Gucci, its designs are aiding and abetting trends new and old within the fashion world, ones that often shape how the everyday person dresses.

Cinq à Sept

Cinq à sept is a far more affordable brand to those we’ve previously written about, but one that is not to be underestimated. They sell in more versatile places such as Nordstrom, Revolve, and even Bloomingdale’s. Despite their more mainstream approach to sales, the brand is just as revolutionary as it’s haute couture counterparts.

This season in particular, the brand sets its sights on floral patterns, cool color pallets, and strappy styles. Their primary focus for their ready to wear this season was feminine and light, looking fairly similar to the other brands we’ve covered and many of the others we didn’t.

While their colors and designs were extremely feminine with light blue flowers, sage green pallets and white frills on suited styles, the overall shapes of their clothing were far more masculine.

Dresses, skirts, matching sets, and even tops were boxy in design. Buttons and shoulders that resembled classic mens suits seen first brought into women’s styles by Coco Chanel decades ago. Styles stayed away from ties around waists and shoulders looked a lot like the exaggerated ones from the 1980’s.

Overall, their looks were far more intertwined and concise. There was far less variation or avant guard choices made by the brand, a reflection on the fact that they strive to be far more for the everyday person. They took  less risks than other brands this season which made the looks far more approachable to  readers.

Dresses that can be worn to Sunday brunch and even simple heels for a day in the office took their mark on the runway this season show the overall ease to wear that these shows were trying to present.

Every show, even ones not discussed, touched on the idea of classic styles, “old money” fashion, and airy patterns that pair well with every spring season. These styles encapsulated throughout the presentations cement trends that the everyday person will see passing them on the streets in the coming months.