The 10 Most Important Shows of New York Fashion Week

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New York Fashion Week has come to an end, leaving a whole bunch of weary editors, blurry Instagram photos, and one Chanel hula hoop bag in its wake. But among all the post-NYFW wreckage, there were some shining moments on the runway. If you weren't following along with our show coverage—or hell, even if you were—allow us to boil it down to this season's seminal moments. After the jump, the 10 most important runway shows of Fall 2013. Enjoy.

10. Tracy Reese
2012 was a break out year for Reese, whose line has been around for several years now, but got a nice publicity boost recently thanks to a whole lot of love from one Michelle Obama. Accordingly, lots of eyes were on her Fall 2013 collection and most people were expecting a line of the FLOTUS-friendly A-line dresses she's become known for. But Reese surprised us. The collection had a distinctly '90s feel complete with grungy prints, plaids, and beanies. Props for not playing it safe.

9. Naeem Khan
Until this week, Khan was hardly a household name. The designer, who has a well-documented pension for all things sparkly, creates the kind of uber-formal dresses and gowns that are rarely seen off the red carpet. But this season, he invited his friend Matt Damon to sit front row at his show, and suddenly everyone is talking about him.

8. Michael Kors
Kors is not the most directional designer, but, then, he doesn't need to be. Decades of commercial success as the king of American sportswear has made him one of the best barometers of how far Americans are willing to venture into any given trend at any given moment. So take note, everyone: camo will be sticking around for a while.

Photo via Apparel News

7. Rebecca Minkoff
Now that everyone and their mom has a livestream and multiple social feeds with realtime updates from the runway, fashion brands are essentially just staring around blankly at each other, wondering if there's anything left to do on digital. Rebecca Minkoff gave innovation a shot by incorporating a projection of attendees' smartphone screens into her presentation. A little too much information, perhaps, but props for trying something new.

Inspiration board

6. Prabal Gurung
Between Prabal's Target launch and his much-buzzed about fall collection, we wrote his name so many times this weekend our fingers are typing it automatically at this point. His runway show was a standout for many reasons: the badass confidence of the military theme, warrior-goddess beauty looks on the models, and the shoes, among them.

Image via Fabsugar

5. Jason Wu
Hot on the heels of his second MObama Inaugural gown score, everyone wanted to know what Jason Wu would do this season. Answer? He did a lot more of the pretty, complicated designs he's know for, while amping up the sex appeal a notch for good measure. Also: belted waists are happening.

4. Proenza Schouler:
Always one of the most anticipated shows of the season, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez shook things up for fall by departing from the prints and color they're known for and sending a black-and-white collection down the runway. It's more elaborate than it sounds. Asymmetrical cuts, digital prints, metallic textures, tweeds, leathers, laser-cut fabrications, and a few feathers made it one of the most complicated collections of the season.

3. Marc Jacobs
A rescheduling fluke landed this show as the week's finale, but it turned out to be a fitting end to the season. Not only was it the most dramatic presentation of the week—Jacobs built a set that included a giant, apocolyptic sun and bathed the entire room in weird, sepia light—but it also heralded the end of several beloved trends, including nail art and wearing pants.

Photo via @poshdarling/Instagram

2. Oscar de la Renta

The clothes were dramatic, but the real drama was disgraced designer John Galliano's half-secretive, half-hyped "designer in residency" at the studio for the weeks preceding the show. As you can imagine, everyone had an opinion about that. Also discussed: the Hasidic-looking outfit he wore the day of the show. One step forward, two steps back.

Photo via Fashionologie

1. Alexander Wang
But nothing—not even a blizzard—could top the excitement around Alex Wang's Saturday show. Balenciaga surprised pretty much everyone in the fashion world by selecting the American—best known for edgy streetwear—to head up the historic French couture house after longtime designer Nicolas Ghesquiere resigned this fall. The big question Wang has to answer with this collection was whether he was ready for Balenciaga. Here are some fur boxing gloves, sweater shoes, and a pair of spants that say yes, yes he is.

Head here to see all our coverage from this season's Fashion Week, including beauty, street style, Instagram action, and more than one pair of fur mittens.
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