Let's Get Dressed: Live from NYFW – The Most Viral Moments, What’s Trending, and More

Host: Liv Perez
Guest: Lydia Berry (Co-founder of Darlington, social media strategist)
Date: September 15, 2025

Episode Overview

In this vibrant, insider-packed episode, Liv Perez goes live from New York Fashion Week (NYFW) with friend and social media strategist Lydia Berry. The duo dish on the state of NYFW, the viral moments dominating the scene, key trends, and the evolving nature of both fashion and social media. From nostalgic runway surprises to the US Open’s growing cultural clout, this episode is brimming with insights for anyone invested in fashion, media, or digital storytelling.

Guest Introduction & Background (01:26–05:24)

• Lydia Berry’s Role: Social media “guru” behind Liv’s content, as well as for celebrities like Kate Hudson, Ashley Tisdale, Miranda Kerr, and many more.
• How They Met: Lydia was formerly Head of Content at Dear Media and managed content for Liv. She later founded Darlington, a bi-coastal social media strategy company.
• The Power of Following Up: The episode underscores the importance of persistence in networking—
  • "The power of following up, guys, make sure you follow up because now you’re like, integral to my business.” – Liv (04:10)
• Social media is now a 'second language' for brands and personalities.
  • "If you don't know how to speak that [social media] language, you're falling behind…” – Lydia (05:24)

NYFW: Trends, Viral Moments & Star Power

Chris Briney Mania (07:54–11:37)

• Biggest News: Chris Briney, normally private and “indie,” became the week’s most in-demand celebrity, attending multiple runway shows (Prada, Valentino Beauty, Calvin Klein, COS).
• His presence is reshaping how virality occurs at NYFW:
  • "I’ve never been part of a Fashion Week where just this one person has literally put a chokehold on everyone." – Liv (08:52)
• The timing is strategic, with the finale of The Summer I Turned Pretty airing the same week:
  • "This is his press week…He doesn’t need to do Fallon. Who’s his publicist? I want to meet them because, like, genius." – Lydia (10:49)
• Liv theorizes the connection between TV release dates and Fashion Week applause is an instance of “publicity gold.” (10:31)

The Power of Nostalgia: Aquamarine’s Sarah Paxton (13:27–15:58)

• Tyler McGillivray’s Mermaid-Themed Show:
  • Closed (and opened) by Sarah Paxton of Aquamarine fame, creating a major social and viral moment. “That is the viral playbook…to tap into nostalgia like that.” – Liv (14:50)
• "Not that you should only do things for social moments, but what an amazing…virality moment now that these people can share on Instagram and TikTok.” – Lydia (15:13)
• Deep-dive into Y2K and earlier nostalgia still propelling virality and relevance, especially at NYFW.

Fashion Week vs. The US Open: Cultural Shifts (18:05–21:22)

• NYFW’s September schedule now competes culturally—and in terms of earned media value (EMV)—with the US Open.
• Huge shift: In 2025, the US Open's EMV is four times higher than Fashion Week’s ($810M vs. $200M).
• “I think the US Open is starting to really overshadow New York Fashion Week in September.” – Liv (21:17)
• Brands (Nike, Ralph Lauren, Rolex, Tiffany) coordinate marketing blitzes around the event, making the US Open the major “needle mover” of the month.

Social Media & The Changing Content Landscape

Saturation & The Drop in Sparkle (21:36–23:13)

• Liv recalls that 10 years ago, NYFW content was more mysterious and thus garnered greater engagement. Now, constant, multi-platform output has created saturation:
  • “Now everybody knows what happens here.” – Liv (22:38)
• Quality of fashion content (“Why are all these NYFW reels so low-res?”) is questioned due to workflow and the limitations of platform sharing. Pro-tips on maintaining photo/video quality:
  • Use Airdrop, Dropbox, or WeTransfer instead of text/shared albums to preserve resolution. (23:16–24:22)

Trend Watch: The Resurgence of the Thong (24:39–29:03)

• Visible Thongs on Celebrities: A noticeable uptick at events—from Nikki Glaser at the VMAs, Dakota Johnson, Margot Robbie, to red carpet trends.
  • “Is this the trickle down effect…from Calvin’s to Miu Miu undies to…what branded thongs are we wearing now?” – Liv (25:31)
• Tied to Y2K nostalgia ("whale tail," Paris Hilton, Degrassi) and less-is-more fashion.
• “Clothes are being accepted less and less on the red carpet…hot and chic.” – Lydia (27:37)
• Call for an entire episode on intimates and the evolution of undergarment fashion.

Best of NYFW: Lydia’s & Liv’s Favorite Shows (29:06–34:50)

Altuzarra’s Reign (29:15–32:20)

• Lydia’s new favorite: Altuzarra. A collection that strikes a wearable yet interesting balance between high fashion and approachability.
  • “This was the first show I’ve ever seen that I really…fell in love with every single piece.” – Lydia (29:53)
  • Liv: “Top, top of the week. Beautiful, fabulous, tens across the board.” (30:45)
• Show detail: Models with newspapers in their bags—speaking to the intersection of “everyday” and high style.
• Inspiration from literature: The show was inspired by the book “The Memory Police,” about objects returning transformed—mirroring the subtle innovations in staple pieces.

General Show & Style Trends (32:35–34:49)

• Key Moves: Monochrome looks, luxe suiting, harem/bubble pants, classic workwear, statement accessories (like lariat necklaces), less print, more gemstone colors (mustard, aubergine, brick, camel).
  • Liv: “Those deep, rich looking colors are what’s gonna thrive…and I think we’re just seeing a lot of things that are more accessible and easier to style.” (34:21)
• Brands and designers highlighted: Brandon Maxwell, COS, Tyler McGillivray, Altuzarra.

Memorable & Notable Quotes

• “If you don’t know how to speak that [social media] language, you’re falling behind.” — Lydia (05:24)
• “I’ve never been part of a Fashion Week where just this one person has literally put a chokehold on everyone.” — Liv (08:52)
• “Not that you should only do things for social moments, but what an amazing…virality moment…to tap into nostalgia like that.” — Lydia (15:13)
• “I think the US Open is starting to really overshadow New York Fashion Week in September.” — Liv (21:17)
• “Now everybody knows what happens here.” — Liv (22:38)
• “This was the first show I’ve ever seen that I really…fell in love with every single piece.” — Lydia (29:53)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:26 – Lydia’s introduction, background, and social media philosophy
• 07:54 – Chris Briney’s viral NYFW takeover
• 13:27 – Sarah Paxton and the mermaid nostalgia moment
• 18:05 – The US Open vs. NYFW: the marketing business of cultural moments
• 21:36 – Content saturation and the evolution of the NYFW digital experience
• 24:39 – Visible thongs: from red carpet to runway (Y2K revival)
• 29:15 – Best of NYFW: Altuzarra, favorite shows, and takeaways
• 32:35 – Season trends: monochrome, gemstones, and wardrobe staples

Final Notes

For listeners:

• Follow Lydia Berry and her agency Darlington for industry-leading social inspiration.
• NYFW remains a crucial cultural touchstone, but the landscape is rapidly shifting—both due to the proliferation of “viral marketing” tactics and competing events that command public and industry attention.
• The evolution of staple, wearable luxury pieces and the nostalgia playbook are here to stay, shaping not just what’s in your closet, but how it ends up trending on your feed.

Liv’s takeaway:
"If you have any questions or want to dive deeper on anything that we talked about, my DMs are always open." (34:50)