New York Fashion Week Fall 2019: Eight Key Trends

By Eve Watling On 2/13/19 at 12:43 PM EST

0 new york fashion week — Caitlin Saucier is seen wearing a Natalia Fox fur coat, a white Isabel Marant sweater, a mustard Zara dress, snake skin Zara boots, a Chanel bag. Kristen Lawler wears a pink Chicwish coat, a white sweater and Gigi New York bag on the street during New York Fashion Week on February 9, 2019 in New York City. Achim Aaron Harding/Getty Images

New York Fashion Week's Fall/Winter 2019 season is finally winding down. Although it's just the start of Fashion Month—shows are coming up in London, Milan and Paris—we can already take stock of what the world's best designers say we'll be wearing by the end of the year.

1 NYFW satin — L to R: Tom Ford, Lanyu, and Sally LaPointe at NYFW JP Yim/Yuchen Liao/Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Trend 1: Satin everything

Often paired with similarly tactile fabrics like fur and velvet, satin added a romantic twist to a number of NYFW catwalks. It was often structured with belting and sharp tailoring, playing off hard and soft feels.

2 NYFW tonal — L to R: Ryan Roche, Sally LaPointe and Asia Fashion Collection Dia Dipasupil/Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Trend 2: Tonal looks

Neither matching or clashing, tonal looks pair colors from a similar palette. This works well with neutrals, as well as bold colors. Texture takes center stage, as contrasting fabrics like leather and wool create drama.

3 NYFW pantsuits — L to R: Tom Ford, Prabal Gurung and Brandon Maxwell JP Yim/Mike Coppola/Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Trend 3: Pantsuits

Forget Hillary Clinton—the Fall 2019 pantsuit is very much about romantic soft power, which calls back to the 1920s rather than the 1980s. Luxurious fabrics signify pleasure as much as business, chiming with the sexy androgyny currently taking over the fashion world.

4 NYFW coats — L to R: Opal Stewart a blue Yumi Kim jacket, Shailene Woodley at the Carolina Herrera fall 2019 runway show and Aimee Song outside of the Tibi show wearing a suede trench coat. Achim Aaron Harding/Anthony DelMundo/Donell Woodson/Getty Images

Trend 4: Statement coats

This trend was very much off-catwalk, as attendees tried to stay high glamour even at the tail-end of a polar vortex. Rather than being a neutral piece pulling an outfit together, the best coats of the season added further complexity to outfits, clashing against tonal looks and bringing gorgeous, strokable texture.

5 NYFW silver — L to R: Christian Siriano, Cushnie, Cong Tri Yuchen Liao/Mike Coppola/Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Trend 5: Futuristic silver

Metallics ruled this season, with golds and bronzes also making a strong showing on the catwalk. Silver outfits tended towards a sleek futurism, with sci-fi shoulders, space suit padding and a late 90s, sexy Matrix vibe.

6 GettyImages-1096017986 — A group of models poses on the runway at the Tomo Koizumi fashion show during New York Fashion Week. Steven Ferdman/Getty Images

Trend 6: Romantic ruffles

Tomo Koizumi proved to be the darling of NYFW with his frothy, candy-colored dresses which managed to be both cute and surreal. Molly Goddard has been paving the way for this trend, which we will undoubtedly be seeing a lot more of in seasons to come.

7 NYFW layers — L to R: Kim Shui, PRISCAVera and Helmut Lang Slaven Vlasic/Dia Dipasupil/JP Yim/Getty Images

Trend 7: Creative layering

Unexpected layering was spotted across the catwalk, with sheers revealing unusual proportions—layers tended to be thin rather than bulky. Pants and long-sleeved tops were added beneath sleek dresses, in a season that seemed uninterested in showing skin.

8 NYFW necklines — L to R: Asia Fashion Collection, Bibhu Mohapatra and Burnett Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Trend 8: Sculptural necklines

Necklines were doing a lot of work this season, dropping, twisting and creating sculptural shapes. Asymmetrical necklines were everywhere, and shoulders, necks and arms were often the only body part on display.

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