These Fall Designer Finds Went From Want to Need After I Tried Them IRL

As a fashion editor, it's my job to uncover the best new fashion items as they drop. While much of that happens digitally as I sift through lookbooks and new arrivals landing at retailers, nothing replaces seeing pieces in person—whether I'm attending a runway show, stopping by a press preview to see upcoming collections, or shopping IRL.

With many investment-worthy items sitting on my personal wish list right now, I went on a recent shopping trip to test-drive them in person and see which ones actually live up to the hype. Ahead, see the items that made the cut after I tried them for myself, from the cult Prada shoes every fashion person is talking about to The Row bag sitting at the top of my shopping list. Consider this your edit of the hot designer pieces that have an editor's stamp of approval.

Ever since I spotted these shoes on the F/W 23 runway at Prada, I haven't been able to stop thinking about them. It turns out that I'm not alone. These exact shoes have been showing up on my Instagram feed as fashion's coolest insiders visit Prada stores to snap them up. I already know these will be one of the most in-demand accessories of the season on the street style scene and beyond.

I've been on the hunt for a new bag for the better part of a year. While there are many in the running, nothing has grabbed my attention quite like The Row's Margaux bag. As a new New Yorker, I've been looking for a commuter bag that can hold my laptop for the office and take me to an after-work event, but this bag is so much more than that.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about the Pierced Slingbacks from Tory Burch ever since I spotted them on the runway. If you fall into a similar camp, you'll be happy to know that they just dropped. While the toe-ring detail may look tricky to wear, I can confirm these are among the most comfortable flats I've ever slipped into.

With recent celebrity fans such as Kendall Jenner and Jennifer Lawrence, Alaïa's iconic dresses have been seeing a renewed interest among the fashion crowd. The silhouettes? Flawless. The fluted skirts? A detail that makes Alaïa dresses just so incredibly special.

Unofficially, it's flat-shoe fall. While there are options across the board, from new riffs on ballerinas to reimagined slingbacks to studded styles, The Row, yet again, is a front-runner in the cool-girl-shoe category. This time around, it was the brand's Claudette flats—notably a favorite of Kendall Jenner—that I was eager to test-drive in person myself. The verdict? They're even better than I imagined.