2026 Fashion Trend Theories & Predictions
16 thoughts from a fashion writer on what's coming next to fashion, beauty and culture in 2026.
As a fashion writer, I spend all year witnessing, documenting and making sense of what I see coming down the runway, what people are wearing on the streets and what’s happening online.
Following our tradition here on Doll Dealbook, Here’s what’s been on my mind lately as we enter a new year. Some trend theories or perhaps; glimmers of I think we’ll see more of in 2026.
1. The Rise of Vintage Sterling Silver
In March, I covered the ever rising cost of gold and the new wave of vintage sellers that came with it for Vogue. Yet sterling silver’s cost has more than doubled in 2025 alone ($30 per troy ounce in early 2025, surging to ~$70 per troy ounce by late December 2025) outperforming gold. One good thing: it’s still incredibly affordable compared to gold. Because of both of these points, I expect vintage sterling silver and, in tandem, silver toned jewelry to be one of the biggest trends of 2026. We also saw lots of silver toned jewelry on the SS26 runways at Margiela, Miu Miu, JPG and Valentino. Collina Strada even did a sterling silver jewelry collab with Awe Inspired.
2. Antique-ified Fashion
We’ve reached peak vintage fashion, and I see antique (defined as 100+ years old) as the next niche of the secondhand shopping journey. I reported on this briefly for Elle in June 2025. Designers including Anna Sui, Jonathan Anderson, Daniel Roseberry, Simone Rocha and so many others have cited antique silhouettes, movements or objects as inspiration in recent collections. Some of the most interesting stylists of our time, like Genesis Webb and Chloë Felopulos, are using real antique fashion in their styling work. It’s not about looking like you’re a historical reenactor. But mixing very special 100+ year old pieces into your wardrobe, like a 1920s piano shawl, Victorian snake necklace or beautiful Edwardian beaded bag feels really special. Antique jewelry is one of the easiest ways to tap into the trend.
3. An Explosion of Vintage Exotics (Python/Lizard/Feathers/etc.)
Fur is back—this we know. Which leads me to another controversial material in fashion: exotics—python, lizard, alligator, croc, feathers, etc. We’re at an interesting point because you can actually find a lot of these exotics for extremely fair prices on the vintage and secondhand market; so we’ll likely soon see a tipping point. Vintage exotics (to clarify, never new) may quickly become a major trend and prove to be more highly in demand in a world of ever increasing synthetics. Multiple fashion weeks have banned them and Chanel stopped producing exotics in 2018, making them more scarce and rare (and fashion loves controversy!).
4. The Aesthetics of Midcentury Excess
Rhinestones, swing coats, nipped waists, little statement hats and a dash of the return to the formality of the 1940s - 1950s feel right as we continue existing in a world full of turmoil. Think: a further move away from austerity and into dressing up for dressing up’s sake, but in a way that doesn’t take itself so seriously. August Barron (formerly All-In) spring 2026 was a great example. They used the feminine trope of the housewife in the 1950s and flipped it. It’s sheer excess, manufactured to make one feel something! We’ve already seen glimmers of it in the new Gucci era under Demna and Pierpaolo Piccioli for Balenciaga and consistently under Alessandro Michele’s Valentino as well. The microtrends of pillbox hats, leopard print and vintage brooches we’ve been seeing signal something stronger.
5. Tassels Usurp Fringe
The next era of the boho fashion renaissance will be all about tassels. Dries Van Noten’s fall 2025 collection was an excellent example of this and Alaia spring 2026 also showed mega tassels on skirts, but the napoleon/military jacket craze also aligns with some very good shoulder tassels, in the form of epaulettes that dangle and sway off the shoulder. Fringe is great, but it’s been done to death. Tassels? They feel new, and they’re much harder to come by. Think: vintage jackets by Victor Costa trimmed with chunky tassels. I think this also could apply to home decor; your grandma’s giant curtain tassels never looked better.
6. Apron Dresses as an It-Girl Item
I love an apron dress. Call it a pinafore or whatever; it has legs. Miu Miu made it the focus of the spring 2026 collection, but the brand has experimented with that silhouette since its early days. A vintage little apron layered over a pair of jeans looks funny and cool. Vintage apron dresses for spring could have the appeal to feel so ironic and right. I have no doubt there will be major celebrity style moments happening with aprons and pinafores come spring/summer.
6. Octogenarian+ Style Icons
This is one of my favorite subjects that I’ve written about a lot dating all the way back to 2015. If the multiple, blow-out Iris Apfel estate sales in 2025 proved anything, it’s that there’s a clear demand and love for the iconic personal taste of the elder style set. These women have lived their lives and cultivated their aesthetics and it shows. I keep seeing TikTok edits of older eccentric women done by Gen Z. Also this: Embracing aging feels fresh and revolutionary in the age of all-things botox and fillers. My hope is that this is not just a trend but more of a lasting cultural shift in 2026.
7. Vintage Yohji Yamamoto Has Its Moment
Courtesy of the upcoming Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy series and the constant surge of archival fashion, vintage Yohji Yamamoto will continue to grow in popularity and have a major moment. The label hasn’t reached quite the stratospheric heights of say, vintage Margiela, in terms of pricing yet. CBK was a known collector of Yohji Yamamoto pieces. Style muses like model Paloma Elsesser have already professed their love for vintage pieces from the label. The all-black, ingenious silhouettes naturally lend themselves to occasion dressing for red carpets. Read my interview with the designer here.
8. Maximalist Shells on Clothing and Jewelry
This is sort of an evergreen spring/summer trend but I see it going to an entirely new degree of total excess. Think: the heavy seashell-encrusted corset from Dilara Findikoglu’s fall 2025 collection (Cate Blanchett wore it) and the mesmerizing George Troch mussel-covered shell jacket (worn by Tyla). Shells! A natural, textural surface decoration in a maximalist, subversive way rather than a simple, dainty adornment.
9. High Quality, Excessive Lace
Handmade, high quality lace (antique or vintage too) feels primed to have its moment in 2026. It’s one of the most incredibly decadent, feminine, special fabrics in existence. Tastemaker historians like Elena Kanagy-Loux are keeping the history alive by posting interesting, informative videos on the subject. Also: one of my favorite recent celebrity style moments was Chappell Roan’s custom lace McQueen dress and matching floral headpiece she wore to headline Corona Capital CDMX in November 2025. I could see brands like Simone Rocha or even Chanel going all in with an extreme focus on the handmade, ethereal quality of intricate, handmade lace and spotlighting it for 2026. It has the handmade feel we all crave in these times.
10. The Non-Boring Wrist Stack
An armful of Cartier Love bracelets feels boring and more of a signaling of wealth status projection than a true ethos of personal style. With gold at an all-time high and multiple publications proclaiming their love of vintage costume jewelry, I predict a return to expressive bracelet stylings of the mid 2010s. Think: mixing a vintage Kenneth Jay Lane animal bracelet with a lucite bangle, sterling silver cuff, and your most prized bracelets you’ve collected over the years. There’s an art to it but it’s also about not overthinking it. All different textures, sizes, colors and materials are what matters most.
11. The Lore of Vintage Department Stores
The concept of a great department store today feels totally foreign. If Saks can’t make it, who can? There was once a time when these iconic department stores were producing extremely stylish, high-quality pieces for their own in-house lines. You can find many of them secondhand now for great prices here, here and here. I predict a future longing and nostalgia for the old school department store (as it fades away from existence) as well as a discovery for vintage specifically from said department stores. The vintage furs from Neiman Marcus, in particular, are so great.
