Zimmermann's latest collection was created with a famous spy in mind

This New York Fashion Week, ZIMMERMANN showcased pieces with strong women in mind. One woman in particular, Nancy Wake, sparked immense inspiration.

Wake's life story is one that's often written about in books or in movies, but she's most known for being a French spy who helped save hundreds of Allied soldiers and refugees during World War II. Her career was sparked by a deep hatred for the Nazis and the German military often described her as "the white mouse" for her inability to get caught. Nancy died in 2011 and according to her New York Times obituary, she once told an interviewer: “I don’t see why we women should just wave our men a proud goodbye and then knit them balaclavas.”

For more on Nancy, check out her autobiography on Amazon.

In her show notes, Nicky Zimmerman wrote that she loves" the idea of such a feminine, skillful and selfless figure." So with Wake in mind, she combined lace dresses with leather berets and oversized floral prints with high waisted leather trousers, complementing most looks with bows and wide belts. Of course, there was also a splash of designer's favorite animal print and metallics within the collection.

Zimmermann told WWD backstage, “We wanted to mix toughness with femininity, playing with the contrast of leather outerwear and pretty dresses."

You can see ZIMMERMAN's full Fall 2019 collection in the gallery above.

For some of New York Fashion Week's best street style, see below!