I took an old point-and-shoot digital camera to New York Fashion Week because, haven’t you heard? It’s 2006 again, baby — when I was 11, I would lock myself in my room and give myself flash blindness by taking dozens of blown-out pictures of my face on a pink Sony Cybershot that I would upload to MySpace. Fun, hazy times. You know what else was fun, hazy times? New York Fashion Week this year. The Willy Chavarria show. Eckhaus Latta’s anti-show. Seeing Offset walk Luar in a durag and structural floor-length trench coat. And catching up with Tinashe backstage at Elena Velez. Let’s review, shall we?

Area’s 10th anniversary FW24 show, 1 p.m. Sept. 6

The first stop on the trip was the 10th anniversary show of Area, an independent brand helmed by co-founders Beckett Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk. And it was hands, hands, hands everywhere: a yellow firework of a dress that if you looked closely revealed itself to be a collection of gloves layered on top of each other; stark red handprints on a long black gown. And because it’s Area, hardware was plentiful in distressed leather jackets jangling and dripping with silver spikes and chain mail. The collection was an exercise in individuality, so said the show notes. The presentation was also sponsored by Tinder and partnered with the national abortion rights campaign Bans Off Our Bodies.

Willy Chavarria SS25 show, 7 p.m. Sept. 6

A Willy Chavarria show always feels like a holiday. Walking into the show’s location, a cavernous building on Wall Street, the first thing you noticed was a massive American flag. (Technically, the first thing you noticed were the Don Julio tequila cocktails being served in the lobby, on tables strewn with red roses, but after that: American flag.) The show, titled “América,” celebrated the immigrants, everyday people and working class that make up this country — from farmworkers to hotel staff — and took inspiration from their attire.

Yahritza y Su Esencia emerged from the darkness and started singing the 1984 Juan Gabriel classic “Querida,” and I quite literally felt like I was going to collapse, or combust, or both. The room was emo, there were tears (mine). It’s always gonna be JuanGa forever. The lighting design was pure drama, streaming through the gigantic concrete beams of the building like it was being tapped straight from heaven.

The models walked out in work shirts with squared-off shoulder pads, and there was a distressed cargo skirt suit that looked like it had been bleached by the sun. YG made his appearance in leather gloves, a tracksuit and dress shoes. Artist Delfin Finley came out in a voluminous cinched black suit that evoked a valet worker’s outfit. Chavarria took inspiration from the United Farm Workers movement, putting its logo on a sweatshirt in another look. The belt loop with keys (and a crucifix) that topped many of the looks felt on point — as though Chavarria were elevating these deeply familiar uniforms and silhouettes into new American classics.

Just when we thought the show was done, the room went dark, techno boomed through every nook and cranny and the lighting turned a wash of red. For a second, it felt like we were clubbing in Berlin. Then, Chavarria’s new collaboration with Adidas was revealed at a rapid pace — models walked out in tracksuits featuring classic Chavarria proportions, embroidered with roses. And singer Yendry came out in a cropped track jacket with princess sleeves.

The afters at the Blond — I spotted models who had just walked the show, including Joseph Rayo, Eloy and Emmanuel “Chino” Salazar. Stylist Nayeli De Alba pulled up too.

Tombogo SS25 show, 8 p.m. Sept. 6

Tombogo’s fashion week presentations are always conceptual. Who could forget the SS23 show, “For the Truant and the Fluent,” in which designer and L.A. resident Tommy Bogo created a classroom setting for his runway? This year, Image’s fashion director at large, Keyla Marquez, dubbed it “Alien Core.” But Bogo calls it “Reverse Engineering.” People in white Tombogo lab coats showed the tactical and transformative nature of the clothing, adjusting the looks of most of the models that walked on the runway, snapping on and off extra pockets and appendages to each piece.

I told you, it’s 2006 again. Back when I would use a literal beach bag from Pink by Victoria’s Secret as my everyday purse because I was obviously unwell. I got clowned, sure, but I had the foresight to know how chic a big bag is. This one, with its many, many pockets, reminds me of the multi-pocket Jil Sander bags from the early 2000s that every Depop girlie is salivating over right now. What would I put in this bag? My laptop, a pair of club kid-sized platform boots, a Buick. I love it.

Campillo SS25 show, 9 a.m. Sept. 7

Up bright and early for Campillo — the Mexico City-based brand made its debut at NYFW on a gray morning at the Public Hotel. The presentation was framed by the sounds and silhouettes of designer Patricio Campillo’s beautiful, impeccably tailored world: Starting with the ring of chirping birds that was recorded by his mom in the country and followed up with “El Amar y el Querer” by José José. Androgynous models with slow, considered walks sauntered down the runway. (A look I’m still thinking about days later: an embossed leather suit accessorized with a statement belt buckle, a feather and a brooch.)

The collection was inspired by Mexican volcanoes and their ability to transform space, which came to designer Patricio Campillo while he was meditating: He envisioned himself sitting at the foot of a volcano where he’d also spent time physically. “For me, it was a way to bend fantasy with reality in a way that was very important,” Campillo says. “It made me think of the duality that exists between something that is very peaceful and serene, such as an inactive volcano, versus an eruption — there is a lot of violence involved in that, a lot of energy. That was how I wanted the show to feel. There is something about this Mexican dream that I’m trying to tell the story about, but then in that dream, there is also violence, there’s also eruption and explosion.” The ombré washes of some of the pieces referenced lava turning into rock.

Designer Patricio Campillo.

Campillo reminds me that his brand is based on a family heirloom: a charro suit gifted to his father by his grandfather that he inherited a few years ago. A charro suit is made using specific sartorial techniques, which Campillo applies to other garments, creating something highly specific to him, his experience and his version of the world. “Everything is very personal to me when it comes to my brand,” he says. “It’s the most personal thing that I have in my life.”

Palomo Spain SS25 show, 4 p.m. Sept. 7

Palomo Spain is so drama. Thank God. There is something so campy about being inside a church on the Upper West Side while a model struts the runway in an orange feather wig (the Fourth Universalist Society in the City of New York, to be exact). It was just extra in all the best ways: leather studded hot pants, more insanely capacious bags, floor-length leopard gowns, wispy feathers and sequins styled with knee-high boots. It gave print, shine, texture and, ultimately, a story — something to grip onto. Take this from the show notes: “Why are emotions so intrinsic to our humanity — like lust, desire and attraction — condemned with the threat of hell?” OK, go off.

Ryan Preciado’s “Portraits” at Karma, 7 p.m. Sept. 7

No, duh. We pulled up to Ryan Preciado’s show at Karma in the East Village, where Keyla helped me peel my knee-high leather platform boots off so I could step into the 12- by 14-foot architectural structure that Preciado had built inside the space — a literal home — and slide around on the pink carpet, sit on the red daybed and admire the golden bong.

Sandy Liang SS25 show, 3 p.m. Sept. 8

This is the note I was furiously typing on my phone during Sandy Liang’s presentation: “Girly pop, coquette, hot ticket — obviously. Bandannas!!!” Everyone from designer (and Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter) Ella Emhoff to Palestinian model, creator and podcaster Noor Elkhaldi were in the audience for the show, dressed in classic Sandy drip.

Eckhaus Latta SS25 dinner and anti-show, 8 p.m. Sept. 8

The email came in late the previous day: “Join us for an intimate dinner wearing your own loved, worn and archive Eckhaus Latta — all guests will play a part in this season’s dinner and a ‘show.’” NGL, as someone who has heart palpitations every time I’m in a situation where I need to go around the room and give my name and an interesting fact, I was nervous. But also intrigued. And what happened might have been the most fun, free, get-over-yourself vibe of fashion week.

Zoe Latta and Mike Eckhaus welcomed us at a loft space in Tribeca, where there were drinks and a beautiful family-style dinner by Momofuku. (I spilled a berry-flavored Ghia on my digicam when trying to take a photo of writer-director-genius Julio Torres — blame my admiration for the artist — and a couple shots later, the digicam was dead. It lived a long life. RIP.) In between bites of ginger scallion noodles and cucumber peanut salad, served family style, comedian Kate Berlant took to a microphone and revealed that the models would be none other than us — well, not all of us, but enough names that could be called in 10ish minutes. The energy in the room got cute and nervous. Berlant kicked things off with her own full-volume strut, followed by people like musician Moses Sumney, actor Jemima Kirke, artist Chloe Wise, Emhoff and culminating in Eckhaus and Latta.

The show had a live soundtrack, sung by L.A. musician Loren Kramar, whom I sat next to at dinner and chatted about, what else? L.A.

Elena Velez SS25 show, 6 p.m. Sept. 10

I picked up a new (old) digicam at a used camera shop in Midtown, and we were back in action. Backstage at Elena Velez, I realized that I not only wanted a pair of the platform Uggs they were styling all the looks with but I also needed those damn Uggs — what did I tell you about 2006? Models were eating apples and vaping while they got their hair done in tight, messy curls kept in place by Qiqi products. Key makeup artist Raisa Flowers told me that the beauty references were dark and gothic, which she interpreted into a grungy, smokey eye, using black eyeliner as a base with shadow thrown on top to achieve the feeling of coming home from a party and sleeping in your makeup. The skin was high-shine dewy — which Flowers says has been a trend this season — with a bitten lip.

I spotted musician Tinashe while she was getting her hair and makeup done, snapping photos throughout the process (which she was gracious about). It was her first time walking a fashion show and she felt a kindred artistic spirit with the designer. “Elena takes risks which I love,” Tinashe told me as stylists were snatching her into a corseted dress that looked like it was made of remixed jerseys. “It’s got this grunge-y, fun energy. She’s incorporating a lot of the energy that I’m also incorporating with my art, and I think there’s just perfect synergy there.” When asked whether Elena Velez would be considered “Nasty,” Tinashe responded: “Period. Of course.”

A Michael Anthony Hall moment.

The brand writes that the show was inspired by “renegade pageant queens and patriots.”

Luar SS25 show, 8 p.m. Sept. 10

Everything feels like it’s been building toward this moment: Luar. Yes, Ice Spice, Madonna, Bad Gyal, Gabriette, Amanda Lepore and Brenda Hashtag, the patron saint of fashion girls for whom the color black is religion, were all in the front row. It’s true. But it was the energy and excitement for designer Raul López that felt most major. There was a palpable anticipation in seeing what López would bring to the table this time in terms of the clothes, the fact that it was at Rockefeller Plaza — a dream location for him. Lopez built the collection around the Dominican saying, “En boca quedó,” which is a knowing that even after you leave a room, people will keep talking about you. It was an ode to his younger self, who was on a journey toward authenticity, toggling between ideas of purity and performance. It was anchored in the idea of transformation. The clothes: Cocooned hoods, floor-grazing trench coats with a kind of backward veil, cinched jackets with ’80s proportions in leopard-printed pony hair and an iridescent shorts suit the color of rich amber.

Amanda Lepore sighting.

Gabbriette sighting.

Kirsten Chen, a.k.a. @hotgothwriter, sighting. In a look by designer Ranxelle Soria.

The styling and beauty on many of the looks evoked, for me, the enduring influence of Black and brown aunties everywhere — the hair gelled to sculptural effect, the nails, the eyebrows.

Seeing the pieces IRL the next way, feeling the weight and appreciating the details of them, it was even clearer that this collection was rooted in metamorphosis, which crystallized when seeing many of the cocooned pieces in person. Luar presented shoes for the first time as well, including boots, loafers, clogs and kitten heels.

Rio SS25 show, 1 p.m. Sept. 11

Rio, formerly known as Gypsy Sport, re-introduced itself on the rooftop of the LilliStar in Brooklyn with its new name. As is designer Rio Uribe’s specialty: The community was in full effect. Each model brought themselves to the performance, fully, and there was a feeling of realness that was classic Uribe. When all the models paraded out together wearing remixed, upcycled Rio pieces, Duran Duran’s “Rio” played.

As TV gets more complicated and Hollywood gets more desperate, it seems we ask this question every ceremony: Can the Emmys get any more confusing?

Fortunately, you are now reading a guide for cutting through all the nonsense: My very own TV awards with a long, distinguished history, The Deggys.

Yes, it’s only been nine months since the last Deggys, thanks to strikes last year which pushed last year’s Emmy telecast all the way to January of this year. But Sunday’s contest promises to put everything back on track – though I’m a little worried about seeing two comedic actors, the father-son duo of Eugene and Dan Levy, hosting the Emmys at a time when only experienced, pro-level MCs like Jimmy Kimmel seem to get it right.

Here’s my take on how to straighten out the many messes facing this year’s 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, starting with what should be a simple question: What exactly is a TV drama, anyway?

Best Drama Series: The Bear

Jeremy Allen White as Carmy in The Bear.

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What’s that, you say? FX’s The Bear is currently the Emmys’ most-nominated comedy, with 23 nods for its second season? Not in the land of the Deggys.

I say this with all due respect to my friends at FX, who have fought the is-it-really-a-comedy backlash heroically since the show first began scooping up awards. But it is obvious the core of The Bear’s storytelling centers on chef Carmy Berzatto’s dramatic, anguished struggle to transform his family’s greasy spoon restaurant into a fine dining establishment, while learning how much of his driven nature comes from his family’s unhinged passions, abuse from a toxic mentor and his brother’s suicide. This is a streak of dramatic excellence no number of cool, comedic cameos could possibly overcome. The Bear is not only a drama, it is the best drama on TV.

What will actually win? FX’s Shogun. This is also a no-brainer – with no shade intended for fellow nominees like Fallout, Slow Horses, 3 Body Problem and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. FX stepped up with a new take on James Clavell’s 1975 novel, outpacing the 1980 miniseries by de-centering the British white guy at the heart of the story, while spending millions to authentically recreate the look of feudal Japan. The Television Academy rewarded them with the most nominations of any series – 25 nods – and a record-breaking string of victories at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards last weekend. I’m also expecting loads of success at the mothership Emmys. But Shogun’s Deggys haul will come in another category.

Best Comedy Series: Reservation Dogs

Elora Danan (Devery Jacobs), left, and Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) in Reservation Dogs.

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This is the last year the Emmys can honor this groundbreaking coming-of-age comedy about four indigenous teens in rural Oklahoma sorting through life, with the help of elders, spirit guides and more. Showrunner Sterlin Harjo, who co-created the show with Taika Waititi, ended the series last year, just as some TV fans were discovering their amazing mix of absurdist comedy and poignant drama. That their work showcases so much indigenous talent in the cast and crew is a wonderful plus but not entirely the point: Reservation Dogs is just funny, compelling and revolutionary, all the things a Deggy requires.

Honorable mention: To Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, which somehow manages to stay witty and entertaining despite a ludicrous premise – occupants of a Manhattan apartment building constantly solving murders for a podcast in their tony abode – with loads of celebrity cameos, including ace turns by Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd.

What will actually win? The Bear. As the second-most nominated series, with 23 nods, it is a favorite of the Television Academy. FX wisely positioned it as a comedy, initially, to avoid the crushing past dominance in drama of HBO’s Succession – which itself was a dark comedy – and now to make room for Shogun’s triumph. In truth, there should be a better way of sorting through programs with equal footing in drama and comedy like The Bear and fellow best comedy nominee Hacks. Until there is, the Deggys must suffice.

Best Limited or Anthology Series: True Detective: Night Country

Jodie Foster and Kali Reis in True Detective: Night Country.

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Not only did True Detective: Night Country showrunner, Mexican director/writer/producer Issa Lopez rescue HBO’s anthology series by putting women – especially indigenous women – at the center of an evocative reinvention of HBO’s moribund cop show. But Lopez was classy and indomitable when the show’s original creator, Nic Pizzolatto, posted and elevated critical comments about the new version on social media. For giving Jodie Foster yet another amazing role and remaining above the fray even when some men lost their cool, I’m handing Lopez and True Detective a giant, shiny Deggy.

Another winner for Best Limited or Anthology Series: Shogun

Hiroyuki Sanada as Yoshii Toranaga in Shogun.

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And because this is my awards show, another Deggy in this category is going to Shogun. I know: Shogun is now a continuing series, because FX plans to make two more seasons of the show. But when it originally aired early this year, that plan wasn’t in place. So I’m using a technicality to hand out a Deggy in the category which often honors big budget, gigantic creative swings which prove that high quality TV created with authenticity and style can still make a mark. FX dominates as a platform still capable of generating the kind of landmark TV that HBO and Showtime once also regularly contributed, developing and greenlighting ambitious series because someone saw something unique and wanted to take a chance. Expect them to have a historic number of wins on Sunday.

What will actually win? Netflix’s Baby Reindeer will probably take this category, fueled by ace performances from creator-star Richard Gadd and co-star Jessica Gunning, along with ongoing fascination over the show’s roots in real-life stalking incidents Gadd says he experienced.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama: Liza Colon-Zayas of The Bear

Liza Colón-Zayas as Tina in The Bear.

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At the Emmys, Colon-Zayas is nominated on the comedy side, in a category packed with stars like Carol Burnett (Palm Royale), previous winner Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary) and acting legend Meryl Streep (Only Murders in the Building). So she doesn’t have much of a shot this year. And I’ll admit I’m influenced by her standout performance in the third season of The Bear, which debuted in June. (Because the show rolls out new seasons after Emmy’s deadlines, Colon-Zayas was nominated for performances from the show’s second season, which aired last year). Since I have already declared The Bear a drama, I’m still giving Colon-Zayas props for stepping up in a way that every performer on this show somehow manages, regardless of how big their role is. I’m happy to give her a Deggy one year before she’s likely to earn an Emmy on her own.

Who will actually win? Elizabeth Debicki, whose unerring portrayal of Princess Diana remains the most remarkable element of an underwhelming final season for The Crown.

Best Talk Series: Hot Ones

One of the only Emmy snubs I really cared about was the lack of a nomination for Hot Ones, a show on YouTube with a concept that feels like it was dreamed up during a pub crawl of chicken wing joints. But host Sean Evans elevates the simple concept of asking stars probing questions while they eat wings so hot their brains are scrambled. Evans delights in finding little-known nuggets to ask his guests about – he knew the crazy odd jobs John Oliver had before he got famous, for instance – and offers soothing words as they both eat chicken slathered in increasingly hot sauces. Because the industry needs new, entertaining formats for talk shows to shore up a declining late night universe, hopefully this Deggy will inspire more such innovation.

What will actually win? My money’s on The Daily Show, which not only managed to maintain its quality through a series of guest hosts, but has settled into a commanding, entertaining groove with the return of host Jon Stewart once a week. Stewart is backed by the correspondents, who seem to find new depths every time they each take the host’s chair.

• A test mule of Tesla’s upcoming robotaxi has allegedly been spotted in Los Angeles.
• The vehicle will debut at the Warner Bros. Discovery movie studio on October 10.

A test mule of what seems to be Tesla’s upcoming robotaxi has been spotted by a Reddit user who claims to work at the Warner Bros. studio in Los Angeles where the reveal of the so-called “Cybercab” is slated to take place on October 10.

The bright yellow prototype in the photo embedded below appears to be a heavily camouflaged two-door with Model 3-like headlights. According to Boopitysmopp, the user who posted the image, the car also has a full-width LED light strip at the rear akin to that of the Cybertruck.

The whole thing looks like a life-size Matchbox car and it might turn out to be just a bad joke, so we’re taking this with a grain of salt. But after throwing the location, the shape of the side windows and the vehicle’s short wheelbase in the same bag, it leads us to believe that this could be Tesla’s long-awaited self-driving taxi.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the mule and an InsideEVs rendering of what we believe the finished product will look like, based on patents and snippets extracted from various Tesla videos published over time:

An illustration of the upcoming Tesla Cybercab was also published in Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk, as you can see below:

In recent months, Musk has stopped referring to Tesla as being an all-electric vehicle manufacturer and has instead steered the conversation toward artificial intelligence and robotics and has long hinted at the idea that Tesla EVs–both old and new–could soon be part of a global network of autonomous vehicles that would go out and drive people on their own to the benefit of their owners.

As a result, the upcoming Cybercab is a big deal for Tesla’s outspoken CEO. Will it be the big revolution that Musk has touted? We’re skeptical. The automaker’s so-called Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Supervised) features are still considered Level 2 systems on SAE’s autonomy chart. Furthermore, the legal framework currently in place still doesn’t allow for fully autonomous vehicles roaming the streets and highways of the United States, so there’s still some work to be done. 

That said, Tesla wants to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible during next month’s event. After slowing sales globally, the automaker–AI and robotics company, sorry–has been gathering mapping data in the area where the event will take place, according to Business Insider and famed Tesla hacker Green The Only.

That makes sense from a performance standpoint, but it also goes against every one of Musk’s statements on self-driving cars, who criticized rival automakers and robotaxi operators for relying on previously collected map data to make their driverless cars work in certain geofenced areas.

We’ll see what happens next month during the Tesla Cybercab reveal. If it will be anything like the Cybertruck reveal in 2019, set your timer for at least three years from now to check back on whether the vehicle is ready for prime time or not.