NYFW recap: 20-foot stilettos, glitter ‘it’ bags and balloon couture stole the runways

The devil works hard, but people trying to sell you clothes work harder – and nowhere is the hustle stronger than at New York Fashion Week.

This season officially kicked off on Thursday morning with Diane von Furstenberg’s hotly anticipated catwalk return by designer Henry Zankov, followed by a rush of clothes at Coach, Tory Burch, Michael Kors… and streets washed by the tears of 1,000 fashion assistants who haven’t slept since July.

Here are The Post’s biggest obsessions from the first few days of NYFW.

Anna Wintour’s double take

She always gets first dibs.

Moments before the Michael Kors show, Anna Wintour arrived in her trademark armored sunglasses, plus a custom striped look from the collection — which would eventually hit the catwalk 20 minutes later on a model styled a la Wintour with short brown hair and giant, glam shades,

Debuting a look before it hits the runway is considered a major fashion flex in celebrity circles — but it’s also akin to telling everyone the end of a horror movie before the lights even go down.

Call it a stylish spoiler — and a confirmation that zebra stripes might replace leopard print as next year’s Saks safari find.

‘Vintage, so adorable!’

If Diane von Furstenberg’s runway collection looked familiar, there’s a reason: The clothes were a hit parade of the New York label’s heyday in the 1970s and ’80s, when DVF wrap dresses and halter tops became staples for Big Apple working girls.

The good news: As seen on the runway, young shoppers yearning for their own “Last Days of Disco” moment can grab this stuff for the very first time.

The catch? They can already snag DVF’s original designs on Poshmark or eBay. Because the OGs were made from polyester, they’re pretty much indestructible … and they cost as little as $30 at local thrift stores in Brooklyn and Queens. Happy hunting.

Don’t look bag in anger

Like DVF, Proenza Schouler leaned hard into nostalgia by reissuing its PS1 tote, an “it” bag of 2008 that swung through “Gossip Girl” and landed on the arms of cool celebrities like Mary-Kate Olsen and Reese Witherspoon.

The bag — an edgy upgrade on the classic Eton book sack — holds everything and looks good on everyone.

But because the new runway version is a near-clone of the original, it’s already available at resale sites like The RealReal.

What’s more, the old-school status satchels are available for about $200 — even cheaper than some bags at J.Crew.

Memo to nail salons: Send nudes.

Manicures? In this economy?

Fuggetaboutit, say the city’s most influential designers. As New York Fashion Week begins across Manhattan, luxe labels like Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren are baring it all — at least in the nail department.

Models including Gigi Hadid and Anok Yai had in-the-buff nails on the catwalk. marking a major shift from the complicated — and crazy-expensive — nail art that used to dominate fashion shows.

The move comes as NYC manicures surge in price and New Yorkers are left trying to lacquer themselves with at-home gel kits.

But designers would rather you splurge on their clothes instead — so they’re giving themselves a hand (sorry) and cutting out all distractions, including a $120 set of acrylic tips.

Haute couture, meet Hot Topic

Then there was Tory Burch, where richly embroidered wool sweaters, spangled pencil skirts and a dreamy butter-yellow coat were offset with inky black nails — the kind your goth little sister would pair with a moody Kuromi hoodie in seventh grade.

Burch’s smartly styled clothes can run into the thousands, but Wet ‘n Wild makes this nail polish for just $1.99.

Party City’s style hack

It’s hard to upstage Elle Fanning and Troy Sivan at a party, but Coach managed to distract guests from their packed celebrity front row (see also: Storm Reid, the K-pop group KiiKii, the singer Elyanna) by glitter bombing the entire front row during the runway finale.

Backstage, models — and $800 bags — were dusted with handfuls of silver confetti, then adorned with a shiny accessory that costs 2 bucks:

Those metallic stick-on bows that you can slap on any pile of “Paw Patrol” books for your nephew’s third birthday.

Cooler than a corsage, and cheaper than a bodega coffee? We’re in.

Alice + Olivia heels the world

This Fashion Week, Stacey Bendet is really stepping up.

The Alice + Olivia designer heightened her power with a custom-made pair of stilettos that were 20 feet tall — the same as a two-story duplex in Manhattan.

Just before Bendet’s fashion presentation, Paris Hilton was seen ducking under the stratospheric heels for photo ops.

Perhaps it’s the only time that the mega-socialite has ever let the fashion industry walk all over her.