New York Fashion Week has officially kicked off for the Spring/Summer 2027 season, and this year’s edition is already delivering major moments. From Ralph Lauren’s romantic opening to Coach’s glittering 85th-anniversary celebration, here is everything you need to know.
The week runs from September 10 to 15, 2026, featuring approximately 70 runway shows and designer presentations across the city. But this season comes with two significant structural shifts: the CFDA’s fur-free policy is now mandatory for all brands on the official schedule, and Friday’s programming respects the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with no shows before 10 a.m.
Ralph Lauren Opens With ‘Irreverent Romance’
Ralph Lauren kicked off the festivities with an off-calendar presentation on Wednesday, September 9, at the Jack Shainman Gallery in lower Manhattan.
The 86-year-old designer described the collection as “an irreverent take on romance that creates a new elegance”. The show notes explained it was “about ways of dressing that celebrate ingenuity, character, and originality—the freedom and fun of creating a style that is truly personal”
The collection featured Ralph Lauren’s signature tailoring, prep, denim, and Americana, but reworked through “low-slung silhouettes, exposed midriffs, romantic Edwardian details and fluid eveningwear”. Models walked in “billowing white pinstriped pants and dramatic floor-length overcoats,” while others wore “feathered bolero jackets draped over evening gowns with plunging necklines”.
The front row was a Hollywood affair. Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Elizabeth Debicki, Ariana DeBose, Meghann Fahy, Ella Hunt, and Eiza González were all in attendance. The designer’s wife of over 60 years, Ricky Lauren, sat front row as his lifelong muse.
Ariana DeBose summed up the brand’s enduring appeal: “What I love about coming to a Ralph Lauren show and wearing Ralph Lauren is that no matter where I am in time or space, or as I’m growing and changing in my styles and preferences and tastes change, I can grow with Ralph”.
Coach Celebrates 85 Years With a Glitter-Fueled Party
Coach marked its 85th anniversary with a spectacular show and after-party on the eve of NYFW.
Creative director Stuart Vevers, who has led the brand for 13 years, crafted a collection that “began on a restrained note, with a palette of gray, black and beige grounding relaxed layers and easy separates” before exploding into “pink, metallic embellishments, and eventually, multicolored sequins and confetti”.
Show notes described how “love is the message,” cementing the idea that Coach is “a house that belongs to everyone”.
The accessories told the celebratory story. Familiar silhouettes received a party-ready makeover—a beige bag covered in metallic dots resembling falling confetti, sparkling and confetti-covered boots, and even leather party hats worn atop models’ heads. The new Turnlock Tote, inspired by Bonnie Cashin, was shown in both leather and suede.
For the finale, “models walked beneath a shower of confetti wearing leather party hats as a string band played celebratory music. Dancers then took over the runway, bringing the anniversary presentation to an exuberant close”.
Elle Fanning, a Coach ambassador since 2024, attended in a look that combined “Cruella de Vil maximalism, cheeky lingerie dressing, and French-girl elegance”—a fuzzy cheetah-print coat layered over a red leather skirt, with a lacy brassiere visible beneath an unbuttoned pinstripe blouse.
Pantone’s Spring 2027 Color Report
Pantone released its Fashion Color Trend Report for Spring 2027, timed to the start of NYFW. The palette features 10 standout colors and five new seasonless shades.
Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, described the season as leaning toward “modernism and challenging convention.” She noted “an energy that lightens the mood in this palette, a zest in life that comes through in shades like Rosy Future, Dragon Fire and Daiquiri Green”.
The report emphasizes both “boldness and refinement,” with designers pushing “individuality and unexpected color unions” alongside a demand for “seasonless staples”.
Eiseman also highlighted the impact of social media: “With social media and democratized access to information, we’ve also democratized access to inspiration. People are seeing all of these kinds of interesting trend-forward looks on social media, seeing trends on celebrities and thinking it’s really the right time to reach out and try something new”.
The Fur-Free Revolution
This season marks a historic shift: New York Fashion Week has implemented its first full ban on animal fur on the runway.
The CFDA announced the policy in December, making New York “the second major fashion week to end its promotion of animal hides after London did so in 2023”. The ban prohibits “farmed or trapped fur from animals killed specifically for their pelts, including mink, fox, rabbit, karakul lamb, chinchilla, coyote, and raccoon dog,” with an exemption only for “fur obtained by Indigenous communities through traditional subsistence hunting practices”.
The decision was made in collaboration with Humane World for Animals and Collective Fashion Justice.
Designers to Watch
This season features 10 designers making their NYFW debut, including:
- Conner Ives, who went viral in 2025 with his “Protect the Dolls” T-shirt
- Magda Butrym, the Polish designer who previously showed at Paris Fashion Week and collaborated with H&M
- Sabyasachi Mukherjee, the Indian couturier who recently released a Byzantine-inspired jewelry collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Bad Binch TongTong, the surrealist-inspired label founded by Terrence Zhou
Several major returns are also on the calendar. Diane von Furstenberg returns to the NYFW runway with Henry Zankov’s debut collection, marking the house’s first official show in nearly a decade. Tommy Hilfiger is rejoining the official calendar after several seasons of standalone spectacles, and Monse is making a return after a brief hiatus.
What’s Next
The week continues through September 15, with shows from Calvin Klein, Carolina Herrera, Khaite, Michael Kors, Proenza Schouler, and more. Thom Browne will close the week on Tuesday, September 15.
Beyond the runway, several fashion-culture events are taking place across the city. “The Devil Wears Prada 2 at Christie’s” showcases costumes from the sequel alongside an online charity auction benefiting the Committee to Protect Journalists and the CFDA. “Bill Blass: American Elegance” highlights the mid-century American sportswear legend.
