New York Fashion Week fall 2015 highlights

Sayonara, Lincoln Center.

After serving as home base for New York Fashion Week over the past five years, the venue started its swan song on Thursday, when the collections kicked off their final performance on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

They did so in style. Elaborate beading and embellishment, metallics and '70s-inspired looks traipsed down the runways, in front of star-studded celebrity front rows. The shows were yet again accessorized with tech-infused collaborations, including the use of GoPros backstage and on the runways.

"We really wanted to give customers sort of three different points of view," said designer Rebecca Minkoff, who used the pint-size cameras to let fans experience the show from the front row, backstage and on stage with the band.

For your own 360-degree view of New York Fashion Week, click ahead.

—By CNBC's Krystina Gustafson
Posted 17 Feb. 2015

Bummed that football season is over? Tommy Hilfiger has you covered. The American design icon tapped into one of the country's favorite pasttimes with a sporting-enthused collection.

Hilfiger sent the theme home by having models walk on a runway crafted in the likeness of a football field. Here, models do a run-through ahead of the show.

It was a bittersweet affair at Oscar de la Renta, whose namesake designer died in October.

Former Nina Ricci designer Peter Copping made his runway debut with the ultra-feminine label, showing luxury pieces that could be worn day-to-day, as well as voluminous gowns.

Tory Burch's fall collection took a page from London bohemia. The clothes featured a combination textures, patterns and embellishments, and played on both the masculine and feminine.

Celebrity-hungry viewers didn't have to wait long to satisfy their craving at Diane von Furstenberg's show. Burgeoning model Kendall Jenner, best known for being a member of the Kardashian clan, was the first model to walk down the runway.

Wearing a slinky white dress, the 19-year-old reality star set the tone for a sensual show, which von Furstenberg dubbed "Seduction."

American sportswear designer Michael Kors played off the idea that opposites attract, pitting romantic against tailored and night vs. day. He incorporated olive and chocolate hues into his lineup.

Model Karlie Kloss closed the show at Carolina Herrera's fall show, which wasn't short on the classically elegant looks the designer is known for.

The celebrity sightings weren't limited to the runway. "Glee" actress Dianna Agron attended the show, as did Ivanka Trump.

In contrast to Kate Spade's spring collection, which celebrated the outdoors by lining the floors with real grass, the fall collection focused on the "craving for indulgence" indoors. Creative director Deborah Lloyd transformed the set into a hotel lounge, where she showed layered looks with plaids and flannels. Staying true to the brand's feminine heritage, she also featured soft pink pieces.

"I love seeing it all come together," Lloyd said. "You work so hard on each individual piece, whether it's the handbags, the ready-to-wear, the shoes, but it's a really special moment when you finally see not just one outfit but the 30 come together."

Rebecca Minkoff has a way with young shoppers. That's why she makes an effort to design her pieces at an array of price points.

"She's buying high and low," Minkoff said. "So if I can be that person that she comes to four times a year to refresh her wardrobe then that's perfect."

For her fall collection, Minkoff tapped into a late '60s and early '70s vibe, which showcased a "diversity of texture and richness." The rock-inspired looks included shearling jackets, mixed prints and textured knitwear.

Shutterbugs were whipped into a frenzy when they spotted Victoria's Secret model Lindsay Ellingson front row at Rebecca Minkoff's show. The designer set the mood for her collection by again foregoing a traditional DJ-spun playlist for a live band.

Alice + Olivia's Stacey Bendet drew on the fashion and décor from the late '60s and early '70s for inspiration. She featured dark jewel tones, including greens and shades of merlot, and incorporated lace details, embroidery and beading.

"It is about bold femininity," she wrote in the show notes.

Watching Tadashi Shoji's fall show, you could almost smell the red carpet. The popular celebrity designer, known for his ethereal gowns, was inspired by the "joy of flight" for fall. Cue the breezy eveningwear, metallic embroideries and embellishments.

Lubov Azria, who helms design for BCBG Max Azria, was inspired by her travels to Barcelona, Estonia and Latvia for fall.

"You realize everything's still done by hand," she said backstage. "To be able to bring that to life and kind of remake it is amazing."

It was a blackout at Alexander Wang's fall show. The designer's collection was heavily seeded in the gothic hue, combat boots and all. Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and baby North West sat front row at the show, as Kendall Jenner walked the runway.

Monique Lhuillier's romantic collection put showgoers in the mood for love on the eve of Valentine's Day. The ladylike looks were heavy on jewel tones and metallics, which would fit in effortlessly on the red carpet. The crowd had even more time to ooh and aah over the looks, as Lhuillier positioned her models in forward-facing stadium-style rows after they walked the runway.

Nicole Miller partnered with GoPro for fall, giving fans an up-close look at her forest-inspired collection. She used dark greens and forest prints to evoke the mood.

The industry veteran, who has evolved her look from the huge dresses popular in the '80s to more of a body-hugging look, credited her ability to stay relevant to the fact that she always experiments. She admitted that as the years have gone by, she's become much more hands-off backstage.

"Before I used to double-check everybody," she said. "Now it's like, there's always just so much stuff going on, I never get to double-check anybody."

If J.Crew can do it, so can Banana Republic. After testing the waters at New York Fashion Week with its Old Navy and Athleta brands, Gap's Banana label debuted at the event for fall. It was the second collection under new creative director Marissa Webb, who has been charged with kickstarting the brand's sales.

Melloney Birkett, vice president of women's design, said the collection was about pushing forward the lifestyle aspect of the brand, "dressing her from the moment she gets up to the moment she goes to bed."

A model poses backstage before walking the runway at Costello Tagliapietra's fall show.

Speaking backstage before his show, Richard Chai was all about the outerwear. That included the brand's first foray into down coats, and other jackets that were heavy on layering. The collection spoke to the label's DNA, which Chai said, he never wants to feel uncomfortable or stuffy.

"My brand's always had this element of something that felt very casual and cool but at the same time refined," Chai said. "It's never had this precious attitude."

Lacoste and "prep" are practically synonymous. But it was clear from the first pulse of music, which cued a flash of lights that startled the crowd, that things would be a little edgier for fall.

The collection played homage to René Lacoste, former tennis player and the brand's creator, by infusing the phrase "René did it first" on many of the pieces. The goal? To create "a style with a strong heritage yet more-than-ever contemporary."

The ski jackets shown by outerwear label Moncler felt more than appropriate, given the freezing temperatures in New York. Things heated up inside the show as models, who stood atop rising platforms, were lifted into the air.

Things are always sunnier at Desigual, and it was no different for fall. Victoria's Secret model Behati Prinsloo walked the runway for the brand, which used the crossroads between cultures as its starting point for the collection.

"Embroidered" and "bejeweled" were the two biggest takeaways from Reem Acra's opulent collection. The designer channeled a bohemian gypsy for fall, incorporating a metallic sheen on her dresses.

At Custo Barcelona, it was all about classic meets sultry. Designer Custo Dalmau's looks ranged from black-and-white plaids to colorful Aztec designs in fuchsia and blue. It was his latest take on contrasting the traditional and experimental on the runway.

Vivienne Tam took showgoers on a journey to the exotic Far East, as seen through the eyes of a European. She featured fine silks and hand-crafted embroideries on her designs, which came in colors including rich reds, blues and metallics.

Fur fanatics have a thing for Dennis Basso, and the feeling is mutual. The designer topped nearly every one of his fall looks with one of his famous fur creations.