NYFW S/S 26 In Review: The Hits And The Misses

The start of September means one thing in fashion: the carousel of fashion weeks begins, and New York always goes first. SS26 opened the season with a full calendar that featured everything from tightly edited collections to full-blown experiments that missed the mark. The best shows proved that clarity of vision still wins the day; the worst? Proof that spectacle without substance rarely lands.

HITS

KHAITE

Catherine Holstein served up a tightly controlled collection that leaned on refined tailoring and toughened basics — leather blazers, architectural dresses and perfect proportions — with small risks that read as confidence rather than gimmick. The show felt cohesive and season-defining for the brand. One of the strongest shows this year! 

What worked: Excellent fit-language, and a clear point of view; reworked leather pieces for spring gave the line energy.

GRACE LING 

GRACE LING stuck to signature silhouettes — sexy skirts, dresses, and cutouts — and a calibrated colour palette and the collection was unique but wearable. Futuristic silhouettes took shape in biomorphic cuts and sculptural tailoring, with engineered fabrics shifting from opaque to sheer in glitch-inspired patterns, balancing raw edges with exacting precision. All of the complicated things and engineering together, but the collection didn’t feel heavy. It was smooth and flawless

What worked: Sharp tailoring and well-executed leather pieces; consistent aesthetic.

Collina Strada

Hillary Taymour delivered the playful, high-energy work the label is known for, balancing whimsical pieces with stronger structural looks. Models walked pairs of looks — one bright, one its shadow in all black — making clear the interplay between light and dark in silhouette and sentiment. The clothes played with volume in bold ways: empire-waist tops with ballooned denim cargos, padded shoulders, flowing skirts, and dramatic appliqué work. Taymour continued her commitment to upcycling and deadstock fabric, weaving those sustainable practices into standout pieces like a three-layer plaid coat with frayed square cut-outs and a wedding-dress-turned-mourning-garment motif. Even with theatrical touches — sheer lace bodysuits, dramatic contrast, and ‘shadow’ twins — there was a surprising wearability to many looks.

What worked: Strong identity and creativity; standout pieces that are editorial and highly Instagrammable.

Brandon Maxwell

Celebrating his 10th anniversary, Maxwell’s show was a polished, largely classic collection as confident as it was cohesive. While the show was off-schedule, the collection was an exercise in modern eveningwear that felt on-brand, reliably elegant, and just simply beautiful. He paid homage to his roots with western plaids, florals, fringes, bolo ties, and cheeky animal motifs. 

What worked: Impeccable finishes and consistently wearable eveningwear; clear brand DNA.

COS

COS leaned into elevated staples: crisp tailoring, clean cuts, and a quiet luxury approach that felt like a relief amid flashier shows. The collection did take the audience by surprise with its impeccable and steady language. Although minimal, it didn’t feel boring and definitely didn’t feel like falling into the ‘quiet luxury’ trap. The pieces were precisely executed and eminently wearable.

What worked: Wearability, craftsmanship, and smart proportioning.

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren’s SS26 line revisited classic references with refined simplicity and good tailoring; the collection read as an assured expression of the house’s codes. It was polished, the silhouettes were simple, and the palette was neutral but had spurts of reds—a chic and classic Ralph Lauren collection. 

What worked: Consistency and polish; reliable silhouettes with tasteful details.

VETTESE

Fun, sexy, young, and fresh. VETTESE’s presentation earned attention for its very sexy yet very elegant designs and, of course, the backstage buzz; the collection had a balanced mix of a little draping, lace, and inventive details that rewarded close inspection. Many brands tried to make a fun collection this season, but for me, only VETTESE was one of the few that was able to nail it! 

What worked: Craftsmanship and interesting proportion play. 

Prabal Gurung

Gurung offered a quiet, hopeful collection that felt considered and emotionally resonant — an elegant demonstration of refined drape and sensitivity in casting and staging. The colours that I especially loved were light and calm, with a pastel purple dress being my favourite one. The print dresses were a surprise addition to the collection. It was light, hearty, and nothing too complicated. 

What worked: Clear storytelling, an inclusive casting, and a calm runway tone.

Altuzarra

Altuzarra served up layered, juxtaposed silhouettes — classic tailoring with sculptural flourishes. A few pieces had fun feather and applique additions, but it didn't feel out of context and did not overpower the overall minimal theme and silhouette of the garment. The collection balanced wearable pieces with more ambitious statements. 

What worked: Polished craftsmanship and a confident mix of modern and historical references.

MISSES

Calvin Klein (Veronica Leoni)

Veronica Leoni’s sophomore outing revisited the brand’s minimalist roots with some playful bits (a copper-fringe moment drew attention), but the collection also leaned on gimmicks — visible branding and novelty materials — that weakened the overall clarity. The dress made of Calvin Klein elastic bands fell short of the noise and surprise that everyone was expecting, probably because the overall construction of the dress felt lousy, just like the rest of the collection. There were dresses with tassels, fringes, micro bubble skirts, tailored jackets, visible Calvin Klein bands, and a lot of other things like crumpled fabric, bubble hems, and asymmetrical silhouettes going on, which made it very difficult to understand what exactly was going on with the collection. With a lot of expectations, this was unfortunately a disappointment

What didn’t work: Several novelty moments felt uneven and diluted the collection’s coherence.

AREA (Nicholas Aburn’s debut)

AREA has been a brand I’ve been following since the day it showed its first-ever collection at one of the Designer’s Fund awards. They have shown some amazing collections and have stayed true to their quirky aesthetic while making designs that were a standout. This time, the new creative director of the brand, Nicholas Aburn, doubled down on the label’s party aesthetic — sequins, crystals, and over-the-top glamour — but didn’t quite meet the mark. There were twisted denim pants, some very well-made white shirts, and dresses, but the last few looks were something that caught the attention but brought the show down. These sculptural designs looked like they were made of the leftover Christmas party danglers. The result was high-energy but at times overstuffed; when everything competes for attention, cohesion suffers. (Aburn’s appointment and approach were widely reported.) 

What didn’t work: A sense of over-extension—spectacle without enough editing.

Christian Siriano

Siriano brought classic red-carpet drama and theatrical staging, but critics flagged overly loud prints and colours and a silhouette set that felt tacky rather than fresh. The show had strong moments for the brand’s core clients, but the silhouettes and designs were not something we’ve seen before. 

What didn’t work: Repeated silhouettes and loud prints that undercut novelty.

Off-White (Ib Kamara)

Ib Kamara is one of the brightest minds in today’s fashion industry. He has had good collections with Off-White and has been carrying Abloh’s legacy very well. But this time the collection just didn’t land. The collection leaned into urban art, graffiti, and a city-centric narrative. The production and concept were bold, but the designs didn’t work. Off-White is a brand with innovation and experimentation at the core of its streetwear DNA. Tailored jackets, trousers, and some graphic tees were made interesting with just some coloured stripes placed here and there.

What didn’t work: The overall collection was boring streetwear that any other smaller brand can offer.

Wiederhoeft

Wiederhoeft in the misses list is going to be a controversial take. Jackson Wiederhoeft returned with couture-leaning corsetry and romantic shapes. The craftsmanship and the art were evident and very beautiful, but there was a heavy focus on corsets and vintage-referenced silhouettes. It made the collection feel familiar, nothing new and again nothing we haven’t seen before. The execution, the intricate details, the embroidery, the embellishments were spot-on; some skirts were eye-catching, but overall it’s the repeated corsets (which, btw, have stopped being fun since 2023) for me that made this collection a miss. 

What didn’t work: Lack of a fresh conceptual angle — the look was artful, but not always epoch-making.

This season reinforced two truths: precision in tailoring still earns headlines, and dramatic presentation needs restraint to translate into a cohesive collection. Designers who married clarity of idea with real wearability, even when taking risks, came out ahead. Shows heavy on spectacle, often grabbed the moment, but lost momentum in editorial narratives. If SS26 taught anything, it’s that audiences reward thoughtful edits over nonstop fireworks. 

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