In the weeks between September 9 and October 6, runway models dominate the fashion world. Each season, a handful of carefully selected talents are tasked with communicating a brand’s values, while also acting as a canvas for its newest creations. It’s a crucial role that can make or break a show.
Off the catwalk, these industry standouts are the ultimate street style subjects—and their outfits are considered harbingers of trends to come. Among the best product endorsements is being featured in a model’s pre- or post-show outfit; it’s an honor reserved only for the most comfortable and stylish pieces.
Where runways are a reflection of high-fashion aesthetics, pre-show looks offer an inside peek at how fashion’s most influential insiders actually interpret trends—and the items deemed worthy of their elite wardrobe curations. Take this season’s Selkie show, for example.
The Ghost Ship
Models wore Sorel Ambler Waterproof Clogs backstage at Selkie’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection show.
On September 14, New York fashion darling Selkie debuted its Fall/Winter 2026 collection, dubbed “The Ghost Ship.” The fashion show was a haunting and fantastical affair, featuring the label’s usual assortment of romantic gowns, antique-inspired corsetry, and exaggerated silhouettes. And backstage, a new trend emerged.
While the collection itself was an ethereal celebration of, as the brand described it, “maritime folklore, historical fantasy, and circus imagery,” behind the scenes, the looks were all about function-forward footwear.
The First Mate
For the occasion, Selkie’s backstage footwear sponsor, Sorel, fitted models with a new release of its own: the Ambler Women’s Waterproof Clog. A romantic take on Sorel’s heritage Caribou clog, the Ambler offers an irresistible blend of practical waterproof protection and decadent comfort, with a streamlined outer in a dreamy cotton-candy hue.
The Ambler’s delicate baby-pink colorway—one not often found in the functional footwear space—nodded to Selkie’s signature shade, marrying runway style with off-duty ease.
The Chief Engineer
Throughout the years, SOREL has become a backstage essential for fashion week’s most acclaimed designers, providing unmatched comfort both onstage and off. Thus far, the shoemaker has partnered with high-profile names ranging from Proenza Schouler and Jane Wade to Chloé, Supreme, Barbour, and more. For this latest fashion show, SOREL took the act of collaborating one step further, providing a shoe style designed both for comfort and specifically for the occasion.
Selkie called “The Ghost Ship” “a darker, more surreal evolution of the romantic fantasy that has defined the brand,” and Ambler is emblematic of this sentiment. At the show, the utility-first shoe stood in exquisite juxtaposition to Selkie’s hyperfeminine designs, while also honoring the seafaring themes of the new line with its waterproof practicality.
Runways may get all the attention, but true insiders know: The real magic of fashion week happens behind the scenes.