New York Fashion Week's Spring 2027 season officially opened Thursday, September 10, and the day's headline moment belonged to a brand handing over the reins for the first time in its history. Henry Zankov made his runway debut as Diane von Furstenberg's first-ever outside artistic director, presenting his collection on New York's High Line. It was also von Furstenberg's own return to the runway spotlight after nearly a decade away from a full show, giving the opening slot unusual weight for a season that runs through September 15.
Zankov, who joined DVF as a knitwear designer in 2014 before launching his own label, said he wanted to carry the house's legacy forward through "body language and sensuality and seduction and fabric and freedom." The show kept DVF's signature wrap dress at its center, extending it into wrap tops and flowing capes, while layering in a bolder mix of animal prints, saturated color blocking and metallic finishes than the label has shown in recent seasons. It also marked the first show under the CFDA's new fur-free policy, now in effect for every brand on the official calendar.
The new DVF by Henry Zankov. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/stZt6e5TAW
— Vanessa Friedman (@VVFriedman) September 10, 2026
The day's schedule opened earlier still with New York Men's Day, the twice-yearly menswear and genderless-fashion showcase now in its 26th season. Held in morning and afternoon sessions at the Mercedes-Benz of Manhattan showroom, the event has built its reputation on spotlighting emerging designers rather than headline names, and continues to function as the unofficial menswear on-ramp into NYFW's womenswear-heavy week.
Later, Tommy Hilfiger staged his Spring 2027 show inside The Plaza Hotel, a venue chosen for personal reasons: Hilfiger and his wife, Dee, lived there for more than a decade. The "prep made current" collection leaned into navy blazers, rugby shirts and pleated skirts. Gigi Hadid opened the show in a blazer and T-shirt, while K-pop star Jisoo, Girls' Generation members Hyoyeon, Yuri and Sooyoung, Kate Moss and Camila Cabello filled out a front row that closed with a performance from Slayyyter.
Tommy Hilfiger took his final bow during his NYFW show alongside a Wendy look-alike! ICYMI: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce debuted their pup, Wendy, in the fall campaign. 🐾 pic.twitter.com/R8mlCBVDTh
— Page Six (@PageSix) September 10, 2026
Tory Burch, meanwhile, took her Spring 2027 collection to Isamu Noguchi's Sunken Garden in the Financial District, a stone-and-water installation modeled on Kyoto's Ryōan-ji. Burch described the show as being about "the joy of getting dressed," sending out opulent, texture-heavy looks in jewel tones alongside a shopper version of her Lee Radziwill bag and woven kitten-heel slingbacks, before closing on a deliberately plain black coat. Amanda Seyfried, Emily Ratajkowski, Alexa Chung, singer Ravyn Lenae, and actresses Gong Hyo-Jin and Sandra Ng were among those in attendance.
Christian Siriano takes us behind the story of his dark and romantic Spring/Summer 2027 #NYFW runway show inspired by "The Story of the Queen of the Flowery Isles." pic.twitter.com/PbUp535z59
— E! Insider (@einsider) September 11, 2026
Christian Siriano rounded out the day's marquee shows with his usual starry front row — Whoopi Goldberg, Tiffany Haddish, Brandy, Evan Rachel Wood, Debra Messing and Billy Porter among those seated, with longtime Siriano collaborator Coco Rocha also on hand. Kallmeyer, Public School New York and other names from the official CFDA calendar filled out the rest of day one, part of a 70-show week.
Taken together, day one set an early tone: a legacy American house testing a genuine creative handover, a heritage sportswear label leaning on runway history and pop-culture reach, and a design-forward downtown moment from Tory Burch, all backed by the kind of starry front rows that keep NYFW a fixture of entertainment coverage as much as fashion coverage. Michael Kors Collection and Calvin Klein Collection's Veronica Leoni are up next on Friday.
