NEW YORK (AP) ― Layering is mostly just how we dress, a way to extend what’s in our closets and, bonus, stay warm and dry.

Next fall, it may be more about how we feel.

Sequins on sheers have surfaced OVER wool and New York Fashion Week runways are filled with mashups of soft bulk, rich color, vibrant prints and a variety of textures done in fresh ways.

Eclectic layers were on Rachel Roy’s mind, on her catwalk and off.

“When it’s freezing outside, I ask, ‘What can I put on?’ ... I want the knit coats with prints on them that I can layer with cardigans, print dresses with tights, socks and bootie heels,’” she said.

The goal? “I’m trying to show a woman for fall-winter to work with different pieces that I’m suggesting or what’s already in her closet,” Roy said.

On Tuesday, the sixth day of previews, Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mulleavy sent coats down the runway with strategic cutouts that allow for more than a passing glimpse of what’s underneath.

The most delicate layers were at Sophie Theallet, a thin cardigan worn over a sheer on top of a metallic corset cocktail dress.

Layering is practical. It’s versatile. Building it in rather than piling it on can draw attention to every piece.
 
Previews run through Thursday night before moving on to London, Paris and Milan, Italy.

Badbley Mischka

The Badgley muse is the type who replaces her trench with an anthracite shearling coat or a cropped ebony-colored shearling and wool bomber.

But against a beamed backdrop of a fog-filled cityscape at the Lincoln Center tents, models wore gowns with beaded shoulders and in crushed velvet for straight-up glam.

There were gala gowns, including a magenta one-shoulder, all-over beaded one. Oscar gowns, a strapless black taffeta and tulle version with a black bow, and another in amethyst would give the flashbulbs a workout.

There were gowns to command an entrance ― the champagne-colored, one-shouldered chiffon with a three-tier asymmetrical hemline.

Vera Wang

She sent out from behind an oversized wrought-iron gate the modern version of the free-spirited American heiress who enchanted the Brits back in the 1930s.

She still wears a long, loose shape ― and likes her luxuries ― but her wardrobe trunk would now be filled with chiffon racer-back tanks, box-pleat skirts and tiered V-neck dresses.

This woman doesn’t need T-shirts and jeans, she needs a closet full of proper tea attire, cocktail dresses and full-length, black-tie gowns.

She covers it all with very contemporary outerwear, possibly a quilted satin coat with a fox harness and leather frame, or a leather jacket with a fox collar and mesh panel on the back.

Pleating, done with precision but also a softness, was a major theme of the fall collection. The best looks were the chemise dresses with dropped waists and accordion pleats, or the mustard-colored, high-neck cocktail number with sheer, slashed sleeves.

Wang said in her notes that she was aiming for “grace, romance and effortless style.”

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Get ready to spend autumn on safari.

The Marc by Marc Jacobs collection, a more affordable line by one of fashion’s most influential designers, relied heavily on animal prints and super-shiny velvet.

Jacobs set impalas against backdrops of red and gold in skirts and pants. He used a red leopard print for a sweater and brown spots on a dress. Skirt and shorts suits in blue were patterned in a design he dubbed “panthera.”

A silk dress in dragon green was high at the neck with a tie and buttons down to a belted waist during the fall debut Tuesday at New York Fashion Week.

Chado Ralph Rucci

By the time the bright red satin pagoda jacket and gown came down the runway, an explosion of color and drama to end the show, Rucci’s fans couldn’t contain themselves. They jumped up into a sustained standing ovation.

All of his hallmarks were in evidence: Glamour, intricate handiwork, and a whole lotta luxury.

Just the brief descriptions of Rucci’s items tell the story: A ski parka in red sable. A puffer coat with a chinchilla vest. A silver feathered fox cardigan ― full-length, no less. A paisley and Mongolian lamb kimono.

But it’s the small details that had fans bursting into applause: The intricate cutouts in a black jacket. The confetti effect on the otherwise sheer top of a dress.