September is here, and with it, another New York Fashion Week.

The city’s Spring/Summer 2024 showcase — which begins with Peter Do’s Helmut Lang debut and ends with Raul Lopez’s homegrown-and-hyped Luar — is noticeably slimmer than past iterations. Around 70 designers are on the official schedule, down from over 100 last September, including absences from CFDA chair Thom Browne and Do’s namesake line. NYFW fixtures such as Michael Kors, Carolina Herrera, Altuzarra, Gabriela Hearst and Jason Wu are all set to show.

The dominant sentiment around New York Fashion Week over the past decade has been that it’s lacking in comparison with its European counterparts in Milan and Paris. That’s been underscored by the fact that several standout American designers, once they reach a certain level of success, begin showing in Paris; beyond Do, The Row, Vaquera and Rick Owens are all on the schedule in Paris. Meanwhile, other New York-born standouts like Marc Jacobs and Telfar opt to show off-schedule or not at all, and Tom Ford, once the week’s centre of gravity, is headed to Milan under its new creative director Peter Hawkings.

Even so, there’s still lots to look out for. Ralph Lauren is on the schedule for the first time since September 2019; Jonathan Cohen and Philip Lim are also returning. NYFW mainstay Coach will technically present off-calendar with a show on Sept. 7, the day before the week’s official kick-off, celebrating creative director Stuart Vevers’ 10 years with the brand. The industry will also be watching for clues as to whether Do will be able to breathe life back into the once-agenda-setting, now-sleepy Helmut Lang brand, which underwent restructuring in 2018. Expect a marriage of Do’s clean tailoring and modernist perspective with Helmut Lang’s minimalism and deconstructive bent.

Lately, though, it’s the newer names that are driving excitement in New York. Post-pandemic, emerging designers seized on the opportunity to fill the quiet left by mega-brands. Perhaps most popular among them is Khaite, a favourite of TikTokkers and fashion insiders alike, which opened its first store on Mercer Street earlier this year. Luar and Puppets & Puppets, both known for their popular bags and community-focused ethos, continue to draw fans. Bach Mai, increasingly a red carpet fixture, will put on his first runway show. Newcomers to the schedule include Advsry, the label from 22-year-old Keith Herron; and Fforme, led by former The Row designer Paul Helber.

But as New York’s place on the global fashion circuit continues to be in flux, the spotlight, it seems, is anyone’s for the taking.

Monday

Labour Day (US)

Wednesday

American Eagle, Express report earnings

Thursday

G-III Apparel, Designer Brands report earnings

Coach stages Spring/Summer 2024 show

Toronto International Film Festival begins

Friday

Rent the Runway reports earnings

NYFW Day 1: Helmut Lang, Christian Siriano, Ralph Lauren

Saturday

NYFW Day 2: Proenza Schouler, Khaite, Eckhaus Latta

US Open women’s singles final

Sunday

NYFW Day 3: Jason Wu, Phillip Lim, Area, Staud, Who Decides War

US Open men’s singles final

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