Wiederhoeft, Kallmeyer, Presley Oldham and Frederick Anderson

The four designers who showed on the last two days of New York Fashion Week demonstrated its vast diversity of talent and brand vision.

Jackson Wiederhoeft is a storyteller, as evidenced by the experience of watching one of his runway shows, which are equal parts performance art and catwalk. To that end, for his Spring/Summer 2025 show, the designer—whose motto is ‘ABC’ aka “always be corseting,” thanks to his brand signature—entertained his audience with an interpretative dance in the center of his box-style runway depicting a female dancer in a tulle shell-encrusted princess white dress that rattled as she moved.

She was greeted by male and female dancers dressed in black sporty fits, which displayed a lounge-y side of the collection, who cajoled her off a chair. In a dramatic moment, a freight elevator to close the show, a gaggle of at least a dozen models came out in identical white streamlined corset dresses and wearing large veils. It was a clever way to demonstrate the designer’s offering size ranges.

After encircling the protagonist and dropping flowers at her feet, they paired up and lifted each other’s veils. Without explanation, it was anyone’s guess how this tied into the collection, but it was a sight to behold, nonetheless.

Wiederhoeft has built a brand around his impeccable corsets and has a healthy bridal business that forms the meat of his brand. Thus, for his ready-to-wear show, his design exercise is to expand on how to wear corsets. This season, he imagined it in fleece worn with a white tank top and cropped sweatpants, wrapped chain-link fencing around it, and gave several styles, such as the Ophelia dress with a Belle Epoque mood attached to them.

The designer, though, needs to flex other design muscles other than the binding bustier. Hence, looser styles complement the corsetry and round out the offerings. This season, they varied from crystal-emblazoned hoodies, a trompe l’oeil printed viscose dress that gave the look of being a layered dress, and a stunning Grecian style white gown, the Narcissus dress with ever so slightly nipped waist (corset was underneath and not visible) demonstrated that Wiederhoeft is not one to be bound to just one idea.

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South African native Daniella Kallmeyer is quickly becoming “the fashion designer for fashion people” in the vein of Rachel Scott of Diotima and before Catherine Holstein of Khaite.

Since launching in 2012, she has grown a following of the brainier archetypes that appreciate her subtle detail approach to dressing.

On Wednesday morning, the last day of NYFW, Kallmeyer, who began her career at Luca Luca, debuted a first for her brand, a runway show. It is refreshing to see a designer who built a brand first and then staged a runway, a common approach before the digital era.

For this collection, the designer’s MO of elevated staples via fit and fabrics is not too precious for roll-up-your-sleeves tasks. Thus, the spring collection offered plenty for women like her New York celeb front row SNL star and actress Chloe Fineman, actors Louisa Jacobson and Grace Gummer, Jenna Lyons, former American soccer star Ashlyn Harris, Tennis Legend Rennae Stubbs, Author & Fashion Journalist Laura Brown.

A stellar New York culture KOLs made sense when seeing the clothes that catch the eye without overpowering the wearer. For starters, despite the warm weather season, there were plenty of black styles that city girls crave: draped front and back long dresses for day and night, tailored jackets over chiffon skirts, and crisp cotton woven separates for wardrobe building. Distressed tan denim on a jean jacket and oversized jeans made a case for a new neutral.

Kallmeyer is deft at adding texture in all the right places: a wide-ribbed cream sweater over a satin skirt or fringe on a woven tunic dress worn over pants. An open draped-back blouse style is sure to be a house favorite. Her show notes simply read, “I figure if a girl wants to be a legend, she should go ahead and be one.”

While she may have been trying to define the Kallmeyer woman, it would also apply to the designer herself.

Presley Oldham

Even fashion has its share of Nepo babies. For Presley Oldham, it’s more of a case of creative talent running in the family than a design career handed to him on a silver platter. The nephew of 90s designer Todd Oldham has been making a name since 2020 when he introduced baroque and freshwater pearl necklaces, often strung like rosary beads in genderless, inclusive sizing styles.

Oldham’s offerings were in high demand as the ‘new face of pearls’ and for their artisanal, not mass-produced nature. Plenty of Oldham’s work is made using upcycled pearls and metals. His industry presence is rising with the cast of cool kids he calls his tribe—this season, he collaborated with fellow designer Henry Zankov of Zankov on styles for the knitwear designer’s presentation. He also debuted footwear, working with Mariano and the Portuguese Shoes Footwear Association (APICCAPS).

For Spring 2025, Oldham was ready to expand his universe and show his jeweled creations on models in bespoke clothing. (He has dabbled in one-of-a-kind styles, as seen on his website’s archive section).

The styles helped tell the story of the jewelry, which alluded to nature’s rebirth and the mood of Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’. Oldham imagined headpieces in pearls and played with larger stone proportions than typical in past seasons. A highlight of the collection was the intricate beaded, lush, plentiful floral creations that became bralettes, breastplates, and a neckline on a sheer gown. According to Oldham, who spoke to FashionNetwork.com post-show, they were created by his grandmother, Linda Oldham, making it a true family affair.

Frederick Anderson

The uptown ladies love Frederick Anderson. And he loves them. With his namesake collection, the designer aims to ensure his gal is ready for whatever social engagement she has on the agenda. Thus, with his day ensembles and evening looks, Anderson’s offerings are true ready-to-wear.

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This season, Anderson took his lady to Northern Africa, reinterpreting cultural motifs into sleek and seductive yet practical offerings. The designer explained in show notes that looking at countries in the region from Morocco to Egypt was “an exercise in understanding my own relationship with being referred to as African American.”

In Anderson’s hands, the designer tossed out any rural African tropes and instead gave them a modern lens. He plucked French influences to be combined with robe and caftan dressing but also pulled out references from the wild, such as abstract giraffe, zebra, and cheetah prints.

A striped textile on a jumpsuit bridges the ancient craft with a modern twist. A super cool beaded chain strand top was paired with a side slit Harem-style skirt; another iteration in gold chain paired with a tulle embroidered ball skirt channeled craft. Anderson leaned into slinky-and-sexy territory with a leather raw edge slip dress, black lace and satin slip dress, and sheer laces that will presumably be lined in production. For the gals looking to safari ‘glamp,’ Anderson’s your style guide.