‘The Rich Look’ Dominated the Evening Collections at NYFW for Fall 2025

Delphine, the name of Tanya Taylor’s coquettish alter ego and her new party wear venture, presented its second collection with an ‘80s camp attitude. 

The look: Alexis Carrington of “Dynasty” meets Cher from “Clueless”

Quote of note: “I love the ‘80s. I’m an ‘80s baby,” Taylor said during a preview at her Meatpacking District home. Growing up, she would watch her mom get glam for events, usually dressing in micro-minidresses with all sorts of festive ruffles, puffs and bows. “I just wanted to bring a little of that to how we all go out at night, but in a more modern way,” she added.

Standout pieces: Drop-waist velvet minis with contrasting taffeta poufs; meaty satin baby dolls embellished with marabou feathers; tulip-hem cocktails in black and pink with sweetheart necklines and enormous bow attachments; plunging chocolate and crimson halter gowns with draped waists.

Takeaway: Though she isn’t planning to scale Delphine’s reach to that of her mainline, Taylor continued to lay the groundwork for what could be a commercial success, offering a lot of look at an accessible price.

Merchants have been requesting that Khan dial up the opulence. And he did, bringing back inspiration from his travels in the Middle East. 

The look: Dubai bling

Quote of note: “Things have been a bit of a roller coaster for me over the last year,” Khan said via phone, recounting his father’s passing and recent engagement ceremony in India. “I decided that this season I should take a little rest from doing a show.…I was in Dubai, I was in Qatar, I was in Riyadh, so the collection is based on the lifestyle of my clients there. These are wealthy women who have social events, or dinners at home, so the collection is designed to entertain.”

Standout pieces: A structured jacket and cocktail dress with glimmering Taj Mahal motifs; impeccably tailored Maharaja coats; a drop-waist black velvet pouf with gold raffia flowers; column gowns with stand-away busts and blooming floral embroideries; ‘90s-looking compact stretch sequin gowns; emerald and merlot crepe caftans; a ravishing black feathered drop-waist gown with a full gazar skirt and glass beaded cinch-waist.

Takeaway: It’s a shame Khan chose to skip out on a show because these dresses would’ve put on a good one. That said, the appointment model was better to appreciate their exquisite workmanship up close.

A fog machine transported attendees to London at Pamella Roland’s show, which opened with what else, but a trenchcoat? 

The look: Hot young royal on a pub crawl. 

Quote of note: During a pre-show interview, Roland said she and her team have been spending a lot of time in London prepping costumes for “The Devil Wears Prada” musical. “Looking around at the landmarks and the different landscapes, I thought ‘my goodness, this is perfect inspiration.'” Roland continued to list colors: green for Hyde Park, red for double-decker buses and pewter for the Thames. And gold, of course. “It’s very regal.”

Standout pieces: A languid trench in olive silk; amethyst floral jacquard tailoring; a pewter velvet bias slip with embellished cowl; a leopard printed chiffon goddess maxi and beaded zebra wiggle dress with cat-eye bustier; dazzling gold and copper columns; a draped single-shoulder gown in crimson with rose motifs and pockets. 

Takeaway: Roland was smart to forsake an all-too-obvious princess theme, which comes with her territory. So she skewed toward a sexier look with closer fits, slits and those animal prints. Roar.

Nardos Imam took over the Plaza Hotel for a jewel-themed outing that was a diamond in the rough. 

The Look: Heirloom costume pieces 

Quote of Note: Backstage, Imam compared the pressure of running a custom-order dress business to the Earth’s pressure, which turns rocks into gems. “Digging out stones from the dirt, you get something so beautiful, so my thinking was vintage jewelry,” she said. Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron and Cartier were among her references.  

Standout Pieces: An emerald tuxedo jacket and matching dovetail skirt with 3d flowers; an Art Deco beaded sheer caftan over white cigarette pants; navy and champagne satin drop-waist ballgowns; a chocolate velvet lace off-the-shoulder column with sculptural bows; a black lace tea dress with tulle over skirt. 

Takeaway: Imam could stand to get her hand out of the jewelry box when it comes to embellishment and her experiments with ruffled tulle and organza strips felt unfinished and looked unflattering. The unadorned dresses (and one beaded caftan) were the hidden gems here.

Mark Badgley and James Mischka sought to express “controlled drama” for fall with references to two cinematic heroins.

Quote of note: “Our top inspirations were Eva Peron, specifically the 1996 film version of ‘Evita,’ and Sean Young’s character in ‘Bladerunner” — beautiful women with steely drive, impeccable taste, who may not be what they seem,” Mischka said. “The colors are rich and regal,” added Badgley. “The few prints we designed are fractured geometrics, almost Brutalist in feeling.”

The look: Cosmopolitan femme fatale. 

Standout pieces: Black velvet lace and Lurex tweed suiting; Brutalist-inspired printed sheaths with bishop sleeves; cocktail dresses, some with caplets, bateau or cowl necks, feathers and bows; a pair of mermaid silhouettes with pleated bodices, one in emerald sequins and the other in cobalt mikado; a claret sweetheart siren maxi with attached shrug.

Takeaway: This was a razor sharp collection for the pair, emphasizing their neat tailoring. Sometimes the stealthiest dresses are the standouts.

After a laid-back pre-fall collection rooted in western Americana, Lela Rose gussied things up for fall, taking cues from one of the country’s greatest couturiers.

The look: Charles James for the laid-back social swan.

Quote of note: “In splitting my time between New York and Jackson Hole [Wyoming], I’m constantly so inspired by the meeting of East and West,” Rose said. “This season was really derived from the idea we’ve affectionately coined ‘Charles James goes to a saloon.’ It sounds hilarious in concept, but we were so inspired by the famed image of ladies in ‘Charles James Gowns,’ all in muted jewel-tone palettes, which felt so fresh for fall.” 

Standout pieces: Wiggle dresses and fit-to-flares with burnout velvet roses in dusty green and pink shades; deflated pannier dresses in heavy-duty crepe with waist darts; melton wool hourglass jackets and cotton shirting with rounded sleeves; woven knit separates with fringe detailing; dresses with metallic jacquard florals or crystal beading on melange gray wool; black-and-white column gowns with sculpted necklines.

Takeaway: Modeling a collection after a couture wizard like James is a tall order, but this one approached his distinctive, highly technical constructions with spirit and ease, as is the Lela Rose way.

On a raised runway, Anthony Cucculelli and Anna Rose Shaheen raised the roof on their Chelsea concert venue with a lively parade of haute hippies. 

The look: Stevie Nicks with Cher flair.

Quote of note: “Anthony and I were on a desert road trip and went and saw this amazing band in the middle of Pioneer Town in Joshua Tree,” Shaheen said backstage. “And we were so inspired by the kind of desert air, the textures, the flowers, the music and putting it all together in a very rustic way.” 

Standout pieces: Billowing floor-length poet blouses worn under vests with skinny flare pants; fluted-sleeve maxis in tie-dye and floral bullion; a pink-to-pewter dégradé cape gown with crosshatch beading; an evening topcoat in smoke-gray velvet worn over a floral jacquard corset dress; embroidered tulle drop-waist dresses; nude-illusion lace slips with lace-front necklines. 

Takeaway: With boho still trending in young Hollywood, stylists would be smart to pull dresses from this collection for upcoming red carpets — a few were certainly best-dressed worthy.

Designer Alexandra O’Neill took inspiration from Nicholas Hilliard’s portraits of Elizabeth I for her fall 2025 Markarian collection, looking to the rich hues and luxe textures of the monarch’s outfits to create a collection that leveraged those motifs and blended it with her signature romantic style. 

The look: Regal eveningwear that was equally feminine and romantic as it was moody. 

Quote of note: “They were so intricate and so detailed,” she said about the portraits. “I just thought they were so beautiful and I looked to those as inspiration this season. The ones of Elizabeth in particular were so beautiful and her clothing in it was so detailed, so you could really see all of the textures of everything and the jewels and jewel tones and all of the beadwork on there. I drew a lot of the motifs and beadwork from those portraits.”

Standout pieces: Marble-like beaded dresses, black velvet corset gowns and a ruffle-detailed sequined red dress. 

Takeaway: O’Neill brought a moody glamour to her signature romantic aesthetic that further showed her ability to make elevated eveningwear and update core silhouettes through intricate beadwork. 

Bibhu Mohapatra’s fall 2025 collection was a deeply emotional tribute to his late loved ones in Odisha, India, where he recently visited for pilgrimage.

The look: The collection is a reflection of the spirit of his family — his late parents and brother, who he said greatly impacted who he is.

Quote of note: “To create a collection that makes me proud of my roots, especially in this day and age, where roots are challenged and we’re judged because of that, it is such an important time for me to go travel back in time to commemorate my loved ones.”

Standout pieces: Consistent sashi prints on multiple long, and mid-length dresses; jhoti embroidery wrapped around sleeves, and bright ombre coloring throughout double-breasted blazers, trousers and gowns.

Takeaway: Mohapatra flooded the runway with images and visions of his childhood.

Acra dipped her toe back into the ready-made business with simpler dresses and separates.

The look: Park Avenue gypsy

Quote of note: “The collection draws inspiration from a contemplative walk through the forest,” said Acra, adding that she hoped to weave through it “nature’s rich tapestry” of intricate textures and ever-changing colors.

Standout pieces: Embroidered tulle cardigan jackets and pencil skirts; opera coats in boucle tweed; plunging turquoise and burnt-sienna mid-length caftans; structured geometric and floral jacquard dresses; a sheer emerald velvet cutout petal gown; a golden honeycomb floor-length lace caftan; a champagne beaded fringe “dew drop” column gown with matching cape. 

Takeaway: If Acra’s goal was to offer less expensive clothes, these looked it and felt stuffy next to her more seductive, higher-priced evening selection.