From Ice Bucket to It Girl: Emily Bader's Very Downtown Coach Morning

Emily Bader may not be a morning person, but for Coach, she’ll set the alarm (and dunk her face in ice) without complaint.

It’s New York Fashion Week, and the actress—fresh off the breakout success of My Lady Jane and the buzzy Netflix adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation—is firmly in her leading-lady era, both on screen and in the front row. For the Coach fall/winter 2026 show, Bader arrived with that distinctly downtown ease. Polished but never precious. Cool but in on the joke.

Coach has long perfected the high-low tension between heritage and a little rebellion, and this season leaned all the way in. Think butter-soft leather outerwear, slouchy carryalls, and outerwear with a touch of moto attitude. Bader was especially struck by the drama of it all. “There’s something nostalgic about Coach,” she told Who What Wear while getting ready at her downtown hotel. “It feels very American, very cinematic—but still playful. You can make it your own.”

Her own look nodded to that same effortless edge. A super-low-rise black denim skirt with a flirty back slit, a cropped white Coach tank, slingback heels, and an open leather blazer struck the balance between daring and undone. The inspiration: ’90s Carolyn Bessette chicness—with a little downtown bite.

If her recent roles have proven anything, it’s that Bader understands transformation. On this particular afternoon, her character study was equal parts ingénue and edge—exactly the kind of modern heroine Coach dresses so well. Below, we caught up with Bader in her lead-up to the Coach fall/winter 2026 show.

Do you have any pre-show routine or rituals?

I don’t have any real rituals at this point except for maybe dunking my face in a bucket of ice. It’s safe to say I’m not a morning person, so ice initially helped with that, but now it feels like an anytime thing.

Did you have a favorite look from the Coach fall/winter 2026 collection? The piece you want in your closet immediately?

My favorite look from the collection was this red fur-lined suede coat, open, exposing the model’s body with a very cool low-rise brown pant. There’s something rock and roll about it, and it definitely left an impression on the runway. I was most excited by the collection’s eruption into color through the show. The clothes started in this dark color scheme where it almost felt like a black-and-white movie. And then the color turned on.

I'd love for you to walk me through the outfit you're wearing to the show. What about the pieces you're wearing feels exciting, fresh, and like an authentic representation of your style?

Today I’m wearing something a bit daring for me. I have this super-low-rise black denim skirt (with a very flirty slit up the back, may I add). And a very cropped white Coach tank top. We decided to pair it with an edgy little slingback heel and an open leather blazer. When thinking about the collection, we wanted something that felt effortlessly cool, with a '90s Carolyn Bessette chicness.

Just like the actual garments, beauty and grooming are such an important part in nailing the perfect front-row look. Tell me a bit about your beauty routine and what your inspiration was for your look today.

My beauty routine is relatively simple. Sleep is number one, and I love an overnight face mask. My skin is very sensitive, so I try not to experiment too much before an important event. When I have the outfit, I usually go right to Pinterest to find inspiration—a lot of Keira Knightley photos that are genuinely not a point of inspiration; I just spiritually want to look like her haha. And from that, I usually just come up with it in the moment with my hair and makeup team. They come with so many fun ideas!

What’s your “I’m in New York” food order during fashion week—bagel, slice, chopped salad, bodega run?

My "in New York" food is any and everything. I need a bagel at least once, and then usually some chewy noodles with spicy chili oil or soup dumplings are top of my mind.

When you actually have a free moment in New York during fashion week, how are you spending it?

A free moment in New York is a little weather dependent. If it’s not freezing, I love to just walk. I’ll walk halfway across town window shopping, getting coffees and iced teas, snacking along the way. If it’s winter, I’m inside watching HGTV ordering room service.

Front-row essentials: What must be within arm’s reach once you sit down?

My front-row essentials are gum (the seats are so close together, and you never know who you’re going to talk to) and a charged-up cell phone. My phone is nearly dead constantly, so it takes a real effort to make sure she’s nice and charged. I’m always stunned by the buildings these shows are in. And I must get a picture for the archives.

If this New York fashion week had a soundtrack, what would be playing?

If this New York fashion week had a soundtrack it would be the 24-hour YouTube loop of the wood burning fireplace. Or Led Zeppelin IV.