IYKYK Fashion Month: Trend Predictions, Emerging Designers, What People Actually Wore & Highlights
A spring 2026 fashion month dump from the depths of my mind...
Spring 2026 fashion month is over and I have so many thoughts. You’ll hear and read more from me in the coming months. But just one week after the shows, here’s what’s top of mind for me.
Highlights…
To warm you up, here are a few fashion month highlights I wrote about, plus some personal favorites…
During Paris Fashion Week, there was an archive, Comme des Garçons auction in Paris and I went inside for Vogue (I also bought a few things, let me know if you want a little haul?).
Matières Fécales is the new darling of fashion month, as they should be. Their PFW show (which I profiled them about) was absolutely groundbreaking, as was the casting. If you haven’t seen it already, check out the duo sharing their technique with me in Dover Street Market New York.
Matières Fécales spring 2026 Anna Sui released a new ‘90s theme book and I chatted with her about it—her work is always some of the strongest in the New York scene, but it doesn’t feel like she gets enough credit for it.
NYFW isn’t dead. Here’s everything I thought about it.
I briefly asked Jenna Ortega about what’s inspiring her lately and also got intel on her current playlist at Dior’s blowout lipstick bash at the David Lynch-designed club Silencio.
My reviews: Miu Miu’s aprons felt like a throwback to the incredibly weird, 2010s look that was the pinnacle of the brand for me—Miuccia Prada has experimented with aprons since the 1990s and I love this interpretation, Duran Lantink’s new Jean Paul Gaultier (I loved it) was one of the most interesting moments of fashion month, Valentino went full vintage, Margiela got boring, Balenciaga felt destined to retain previous customers but looked pretty great, the jewelry at Saint Laurent was iconic, I loved Prada’s weird layering, I can’t wait to see more of Demna-era Gucci’s camp-y Italian drama.
Roger Vivier opened up a huge new maison/archive in Paris and Inès de La Fressange curated an archive exhibition full of rare vintage shoes from my literal dreams—she has an encyclopedic knowledge of the brand and was friends with Vivier himself. The vintage bejeweled styles with historical inspired heels are so inspiring to me. You can visit the archives by making an appointment.
Personal favorites.
The most shoppable, real world covetable collections for next season are Simone Rocha, Dries Van Noten, Sacai and August Barron (more on that in the emerging designers section). Special mentions also go to Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood which had some real gems—in particular the antique inspired bodices and sleeves, and Kiko Kostadinov’s cool hoods and knitted boots. If I buy anything next season, it would probably be from these collections. Though I’m also very interested to see the commercial interpretations of both Noir Kei Ninomiya and Junya Watanabe; permanent favorites for me.
Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood spring 2026 
Kiko Kostadinov spring 2026 
Simone Rocha spring 2026 
Sacai spring 2026
and additionally…
Town and Country asked me to report on the rise of the Green Screen Fashion Critic and the interesting dynamics at fashion week.
Before fashion month kicked off, I asked the top retailers in the U.S. what their bestseller predictions were for the fall 2025 season for Vogue. Hint: beige!
The influence of Old Prada is everywhere right now, especially on the runways and in the wardrobes of fashion insiders. I’ve always been a fan of Old Prada and have been collecting it for years secondhand and via the outlets, so naturally, I’m thrilled. I wrote about it for Elle.
Trend predictions…
Old Marni feels like the next big thing: Meryll Rogge closed fashion month and her show was outrageously good, riffing on genius little details like embellished mary-janes and chaotically good clashing colors. It’s easy to see why she’s taking over Marni and I’m so excited. Marni, pre-Francesco Rizzo, was one of those incredibly distinct, art-focused brands so clearly designed by a woman for women. It’s been one of my favorite under-the-radar brands to shop secondhand for years because it’s highly under-valued. I hope Rogge restores it to its former weird, handmade artistic glory but in the meantime I predict old Marni and its similar art teacher, intrinsically Italian aesthetic will rise in popularity.
Chartreuse: One of my favorite examples of impactful color this season was lush, sickly chartreuse. Valentino and Ulla Johnson both did it so well. It fits in with vintage silhouettes so perfectly and feels fresh and slightly disturbing while still maintaining its allure. I expect to see it become an it-color in the next few seasons.
Poetry is so back: Is poetry back? We already saw the rise of the literary it girl these last few years, but now fashion brands are obsessed with niche poetry. JPG promoted John Giorno’s infamous dial-a-phone live at the show and on its instagram for spring 2026. Elsewhere, Lana Del Rey read poetry for Zimmermann and Pam Anderson recorded a poetic-like reading of the Valentino show notes. There are so many other examples. It feels like poetry/spoken word arts is a huge rising trend. Poetic symbolism tends to thrive during times of conflict; I predict a major resurgence of poetry culturally.
A new culture of suit making: Two of the most exciting brands I love right now are doing something no one else is: creating really directional, unique pant and skirt suits for women. Both Matières Fécales and Willy Chavarria are doing it. Matières Fécales hand-distresses really cool, sharp-shouldered skirt suits (they sold out at Dover Street Market, according to the brand) and Willy Chavarria makes these very outsize, big power suits inspired by the lore of 80s icons like Claude Montana. I want to see more of a culture of designers making strong, powerful, directional attire like this for women. Thinking of the context of suits is also really interesting, especially at a time when employment is at a huge low. Will we see more creative, expressive suits that look really great? I think so. I would wear both.
Aesthetic Alienation: Kiko Kostandinov sent outfits down the runway that looked like they came out of a video game or fantasy world (The Legend of Zelda) or Star Trek. JPG looked very Fifth Element. Noir Kei Ninomiya as always, is on another planet. Even Balenciaga’s bug-eyeglasses (very early Pierre Cardin!) looked like they were ready for space. Miu Miu went back to the 1940s - 1970s with aprons and Valentino was super 1970s. Thom Browne presented literal aliens. Fashion is not in the present; designers are obsessed with transporting us to different worlds in our strange times, either those that are fictionalized or from the detached, unfamiliar past. We’re all alienated, so let’s alienate. Fashion will see more fantasy as it dips into stranger and more obscure worlds. No one wants to be here on Earth in the present anymore. Take us away.
Expressive darkness: Dilara Findikoglu, Collina Strada and Elena Velez among others all referenced the darkness of our current times which manifested in a new look that doesn’t shy away from bold, neo-gothic, otherworldly references (think: goths in the Dust Bowl) that have close ties to subcultures like emo, punk or grunge. Joy is boring. We’ll see more designers showcasing formerly taboo emotions.
Surreal Jewelry (and perfume collaborations): It’s impossible to count the brands that launched perfumes this season (Vaquera, Vivienne Westwood, Balenciaga, Miu Miu); it’s a literal sign of the economy. Brands are also creating oddly satisfying, unique runway jewelry collaborations like never before, but they’re actually super fun. Ashley Williams’s toilet paper roll bangles by YVMIN are one of my favorite examples. Collina Strada also created ring pop-like baubles and drippy, amorphous earrings with Awe Inspired that felt really special. More expressive jewelry will be all over the runway in the coming seasons.
Everything literally looks vintage: Would you rather buy a $5,000 Chloé floral dress that is a copy from the archives or the real thing for a fraction of the price? Some luxury shoppers haven’t caught on yet, but brands are literally rehashing the archives at breakneck speed like never before. Shopping secondhand has never been as mainstream as it has now, and that is definitely inspiring brands to pump out copies of the originals people are buying on The RealReal and at consignment shops. I’m not talking about taking light reference from archive styles, like Jonathan Anderson and the Dior Bar Jacket (I wrote about fashion obsessing over archives four years ago (!) for Elle), but rather things that, at first glance, could literally look like the real deal vintage, taking it one step further. Designers like Alessandro Michele are leaning more and more heavily into creating work that literally looks vintage. I adored Miu Miu’s aprons—I have a vintage floral paint smock from the 1970s that looks almost identical to one of the runway looks. This is one hardcore trend that isn’t going anywhere soon.
Emerging designers to watch…
Paris and New York bookended the season are both perpetually-known for their rising labels—one of my favorite elements of each new season fashion month.
Paris
The emerging designer scene in Paris right now is interesting. It feels like the same incredible, talented group of 5-7 names has gained more mainstream respect and recognition in a way that rising designers in New York still haven’t. Still, I would like to see more NEW, FRESH names on the calendar in the future. I absolutely love Jenny Fax’s unique vision of cool, weird girls with a fun, silly, bizarre Kawaii twist. This season felt office siren-coded. Julie Kegels continues to emerge as a very interesting label—especially loved her using big stickers as jewelry this season. De Pino is very cool and you can absolutely see the influence of 2010s Margiela SO MUCH—the designer used to work there. August Barron (formerly All-In) is another standout for me. So many cute, covetable pieces and great styling. The huge, monumental gowns at Caroline Hú were (and always are) insanely gorgeous and she always does the best sneaker collaborations. This season we saw ballerina mary-janes in shiny, delicate pinks, made with Adidas/CLOT inspired by Adidas Originals’ Taekwondo shoe.
New York
Add these names to your list, or follow them on Instagram if you don’t already.
Dollar Store Couture (profile here) did its first show pre-fashion month and it was the most exciting thing I’ve seen in a long time. Designer Anja Cecilia makes work using Dollar Store finds and it’s so New York. Waiting to see which buzzy PR firm scoops her up for her next show; which I predict will bring her into the fold as one of the city’s most visionary new voices.
You need to know Grace Ling who puts a focus on sculptural, minimalist tailoring and Tyler McGillivary who has an innate talent for making fun, wearable clothes for real world cool girls.
Elsewhere, Vettese presented one of the most interesting and directional shows of the season, which melded Victorian sailor aesthetic with Y2K dance club culture.
Melke presented another great collection utilizing creative upcycling and references to the midwest, featuring one incredibly iconic dress covered in antique fishing lures.
Meruert Tolegan is a Kazakh designer that continues to pump out beautiful, ethereal tulle gowns and panniers worthy of a modern Marie Antoinette dream.
Some of the pieces from Sandy Liang’s new collection (though she’s definitely no longer emerging, she’s still growing), like the doll clothes-covered dress, were the strongest looks she’s created in years.
Tara Babylon’s prints and patterns are some of the most joyful things we saw.
Dauphinette’s imaginative show was so dreamlike and fantasy-inducing, featuring a gown full of beetles and upycled sequined and beaded corsets that rivaled what one might see on a couture runway.
Caroline Zimbalist is doing some of the greatest work in the industry with natural materials.
Pipenco is what the fashion world needs right now, and has mastered storytelling and structural, exciting silhouettes that keep us on our toes.
What people actually wore…
One of my favorite things about fashion month is seeing what people actually wear out on the streets or inside the venues. I’ll be doing a newsletter breaking down some of my own fashion week outfits, very soon. In the meantime, here are a few things I noticed that I loved and would wear:
Extreme hats: Feathers, sequins, beads…nothing is too over-the-top. Gone are the days of simple bucket hats. We love drama.
1930s little French military/police hats: I know two different maximalist girls scooped up these vintage (almost antique) little block-like hats while in Paris and I also got my own version in gray. They really align with the 2010s military jackets that are also all over the runway.
Sequin maxi skirts: Or any long, dramatic skirt. I remember seeing several long sequined maxi skirts I coveted in bright shades of orange or green.
Pearls: They were everywhere, in the form of huge necklaces, bags, hats, brooches, even worn in the more traditional sense as bite-sized baby strands or as a single pendant.
Marc Jacobs era Louis Vuitton: A handful of fashion people are very into it right now, wearing the little jackets, blazers and dresses to shows.
Until next time dolls,
Kristen
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