New York SS26 Fashion Week

Spring/Summer 2026 unfolded in New York with a rhythm that felt both grounded and electric. After seasons of extremes, this Fashion Week found designers leaning into clothes that people can live in but without sacrificing the drama that makes a runway worth watching. Neutral tones ruled the city, yet they rarely walked alone. A shock of magenta here, a slice of lime there, moments of boldness cut through the restraint and reminded us that fashion is as much about interruption as it is about polish.

LaQuan Smith delivered one of the week’s undeniable highs. His collection was pure seduction, but sharpened with control. Draped silks and body-conscious tailoring collided with leather, metallics, and barely-there sheers. It was the kind of show that held a mirror up to New York itself: unapologetic, restless, and always dressed to command attention. For us, it wasn’t just a standout, it was a reminder of why Smith has become a fixture in conversations about what American fashion should look like right now.

Photo credit: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD

Elsewhere, Tory Burch brought quiet confidence to the runway, pairing moody neutrals with jolts of citrus color, while Michael Kors imagined a softer, earthier kind of glamour with linen tailoring and travel-inspired ease. Coach flirted with nostalgia, layering sheer romance over grit, and newer voices like Diotima carved out space with carnival-inspired textures and politics stitched into every hem. Together, they made New York feel like a city of tensions, commercial and conceptual, minimal and maximal, soft and sharp.

And while London, Milan, and Paris are already beginning to set their own tones for SS26, from structured tailoring to playful prints, New York made it clear that this season belongs to contrasts. Fashion here didn’t choose a single lane, and maybe that is the point. In a world constantly in flux, designers are showing us how to live inside contradiction: grounded but still dreaming, wearable but unforgettable.