“The fickle business of fashion is guilty of pushing for newness constantly, driven by trendy pieces that cycle through faster than you can scroll TikTok. Jamie Haller is a reprieve from this agenda. And a designer to keep your eyes on.”
Hitting 17 fashion events in 5 days, LEE HAYMAN reports from the front row.
JAMIE HALLER
Jamie Haller is a design dynamo. An acclaimed interior designer and a restorer of historic homes, she launched her namesake shoe line during the pandemic and fashionistas clicked “buy now” in droves. A complete fashion line followed and in June Haller was named a finalist in the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. Naturally, Haller’s debut New York runway show is one of the buzziest events of the week.
Large windows pour light onto the lime-washed walls at Haller’s show. From Los Angeles, where she was dubbed the “Queen of Craftsman” as an interior designer, there is a laid-back call to the Midwest in her desert color palette: rust, maroon, mustard and sky blue. The 25-looks, on models ranging in age, feel timeless and intentionally lived-in, anchored by great denim pieces. Structure is a strong point, even in silhouettes that invite movement like a sheer minty gingham button-down with a matching modern prairie skirt. And let’s not forget the shoes! “Kitty” heels in snakeskin or chocolate crocodile, Italian lambskin boots, sandals and heels. My favorite: the Jazz Slipper, in a creamy white, reminding me of the slipper Celine showed for Spring/Summer 2026.
“Classic silhouettes are made cooler, like a leather clutch, reimagined to an exaggerated size in bright blue.”
Haller has a way of making dusty colors come alive, through the weave and texture of the fabric, fastened with her phenomenal belts and accessories. Monochromatic looks punch up colors in the same family. I love the deep plum button-down, fastened all the way up with rust silk cargo pants. Classic silhouettes are made cooler, like a leather clutch, reimagined to an exaggerated size in bright blue. A classic, pebbled leather loafer gets a surprising, and chic, block heel.
The fickle business of fashion is guilty of pushing for newness constantly, driven by trendy pieces that cycle through faster than you can scroll TikTok. Jamie Haller is a reprieve from this agenda. And a designer to keep your eyes on.
ELENA VELEZ
Spotlights crisscross Elena Velez’s catwalk at 20 Exchange Place in the Financial District. The vibe is battlefield ready. Dog tag chains held in balled-up fists. Combat boots. Jackets layered with torn shirts. The Watergate Papers tucked into a back pocket. Velez is known to push boundaries and drum up spectacle. She once staged a show with models fighting in a mud pit. Grifter Anna Delvey modeled for the label flaunting her court-appointed ankle bracelet. She sat disgraced former U.S. Representative George Santos in her front row. Velez’s 10th NYFW show seems to be a direct response to all the scams, chaos, uncertainty, and at times, sense of doom that plays on loop in our collective consciousness right now.
“In a pink satin bow over a ruffled bodysuit, a model’s legs and face are coated in dust as if she was walking out of a detonation site.”
Titled “Smite,” Velez says her collection “chronicles our enduring and exhausting propensity for interpersonal violence.” In Chainmail head gear, a barbed wire crown, eye patches and hands bound together with leather rope, models stomp down the runway with white mascara-ed eyelashes that give the illusion of being covered in ash. In a pink satin bow over a ruffled bodysuit, a model’s legs and face are coated in dust as if she was walking out of a detonation site. Oh, and this being Elena Velez, CIA Whistleblower John Kiriakou and that couple that infamously scaled the Empire State Building, close the show.
BRANDON MAXWELL
The Brant Foundation is drenched in light at Brandon Maxwell. The high brick walls and copper sunflowers invite you to ease into the collection and take time to experience each piece. Maxwell has collaborated with Lady Gaga and dressed Zendaya, Michelle Obama and Meghan Markle, to name a few. He was also a judge on Project Runway and is a fashion world darling.
A Texas native, Maxwell chose a color palette of neutrals: black, white, griege, with a scattering of red and a singular pop of yellow. He achieves intrigue without prints and weighty embellishments. I loved the leather trench coats and a sweater covered in grommets. Maxwell does hardware exceptionally well and Swarovski crystals are hand-placed on corners of silver belt buckles, reminding me of a cheeky tooth gem.
“A Brandon Maxwell dress always screams confidence, accentuating curves in the most refined way.”
The textures are a master class in blending tone and structure for an understated impact. Think turtlenecks and skirts in a windbreaker-like material, but with the softness of silk and lightness of nylon, playing into the brand’s sportswear roots. A Brandon Maxwell dress always screams confidence, accentuating curves in the most refined way. Pants with an open fly reveal a layered cummerbund and great five-panel trousers have delicate button detailing. Soft leather bomber jackets with tee shirts reimagined with a wrap-around sash. Fringe is having a moment, and Maxwell added it to the end of said sash.
LAFAYETTE 148
The label Lafayette 148 was founded on Lafayette Street in 1996 by designer Emily Smith. I am awed by the stylish crowd outside. I catch up with creator Lauren Sharkey and designer Jamie Lewin. Inside, a feminine-focused energy shines through the space and those in attendance. The Lafayette 148 woman is strong, ambitious, and confident, and the latest collection gives her pieces to be all versions of herself in.
Titled “The Art We Inherit,” inspiration this season harks from inside the Lafayette 148 family, in the form of a hand-stitched quilt passed down to Smith from her great-grandmother. This inheritance represents many things: what physically gets passed down through generations, what’s precious enough to be an heirloom, what women make themselves, and the traditions and textures of a lived-in life.
“One of my favorite pieces is a Cotton voile dress, falling at the hemline like a vintage handkerchief.”
Rickrack trim is hand-crocheted onto some pieces and dead stock leather is stitched together to create a geometrically striking leather skirt. Ultra-light chambray, dyed in three washes, gets linked together in a cinched, zip-up jacket and matching skirt, an unexpected take on classic denim. One of my favorite pieces is a Cotton voile dress, falling at the hemline like a vintage handkerchief.
Smith’s silhouettes are classic and never fussy. There is a practicality to Lafayette 148 that allows you to move freely in the pieces. As a stylist, I find that when an outfit requires constant adjustments, you’re never fully present. Clothes should outfit you to take on whatever you are accomplishing that day with confidence. Each look in this collection does just that.
