Fur, which was once a rarity on the runway, is now being treated like any other material, and it was plentiful. It’s to be expected in posh fur jackets and stoles, but it also showed up in turtlenecks (Carolina Herrera), skirts (Christian Siriano), and even as a deep red shift dress (Derek Lam). While most of Lam’s fur shift looked cozy, its lack of sleeves may still leave some feeling a chill.

Pictured: Ralph Lauren fall 2013

Ralph Lauren fall 2013

Donna Karan fall 2013

Alexander Wang fall 2013.

Carolina Herrera fall 2013

Carolina Herrera fall 2013

Christian Siriano fall 2013

Christian Siriano fall 2013.

Derek Lam fall 2013.

Another way designers offered comfort this season was a return to winter-appropriate hemlines and traditional plaid presented in untraditional ways. Plaid was not a big surprise coming from Tommy Hilfiger, it was, however, coming from Victoria Beckham. While most designers opted for black and white plaids, Marissa Webb rendered her plaids in pink, green, and navy and Vivienne Tam took a subtle approach to plaid, adding red lines to just half of a black jacket.

Pictured: Marc by Marc Jacobs fall 2013

Tommy Hilfiger fall 2013

Tommy Hilfiger fall 2013

Tommy Hilfiger fall 2013

Trina Turk fall 2013

Marc by Marc Jacobs fall 2013

Marissa Webb fall 2013

Marc By Marc Jacobs fall 2013

Rebecca Taylor fall 2013

Designers ranging from Donna Karan to Yigal Azrouel passed over bolts of strong color, instead opting for black in all permeations. When designers did use color, the shades of choice were muted, arriving in dark plum, loden green, brown, or deep blue. The models of Marc Jacobs’s Monday night Marc by Marc presentation looked as if they were on their way to a swanky Thanksgiving mixer in cabernet-shaded shirts, cozy merlot hued turtlenecks, and navy wool coats.

Pictured: Marc by Marc Jacobs fall 2013

Marc by Marc Jacobs fall 2013.

Band Of Outsiders fall 2013

Honor fall 2013

If the crystal ball used by fashion designers holds true, we can look forward to women decked out as urban warriors next winter. So far this week, catwalks have been filled with models encased in thick coats, layers of fur, and leather. It almost feels like a prerequisite for designers to include at least one black leather piece in their collections for Fall/Winter 2013.

“I think there is still this general anxiety,” said Joanna Coles, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine. “We live in anxious times. Remember, designers were creating these collections before the election, and there was a general fear in the creative field that the Republicans might win. Sandy was also very much on people’s minds when these collections were born. All of that uncertainty was there, and now you can see it.”

Pictured: Mara Hoffman fall 2013

Alexander Wang fall 2013

Jen Kao fall 2013

Altuzarra fall 2013

Tibi fall 2013