From power shoulders to regal romance and sultry shimmer to indie sleaze, Benjamin Fitzgerald breaks down the season’s defining fashion trends

The spring/summer 2026 shows – featuring the latest women’s collections from major houses, indie
brands and emerging talent across London, Paris, Milan and New York – saw the biggest number of designer debuts in fashion history, making it one of the most critically watched as the creative direction of some of the world’s biggest, and most storied, maisons was recast once more (see Melissa Twigg’s analysis on page 56). But how does Matthieu Blazy’s modernising of Chanel or Jonathan Anderson’s recoding of house archives at Dior translate into the clothes we’ll all be wearing this season? Read on for the eight biggest trends seen on the runways and soon to be on everyone’s fashion feed.

It’s a man’s world

Men’s shirting took the spotlight across several big-name brands and emerging designer talent for the SS26 season. For his debut at Chanel, Blazy began with crisp white shirts that riffed on those worn by Coco’s lover, Boy Capel, reimagined in collaboration with the heritage French shirtmaker Charvet; the word “Chanel” sewn in red obscurely redefining the meaning of logo-ed luxury.

Still in Paris, Sarah Burton’s sophomore womenswear show for Givenchy tapped into oversized white shirts, where they fell like full-length dresses. At Louis Vuitton, the standout look was a crisp white shirtdress with an asymmetric bubble hem and XXL collar, and Loewe’s SS26 show by new creative directors Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez presented looks with different coloured button-downs stacked, and the odd men’s rugby polo too, for a lesson in mannish layering.

Cinched waists, big shoulders

This season, the hourglass silhouette makes a powerful and feminine return, cinched and sculpted to perfection. At Mugler, where Miguel Castro Freitas made his debut, jackets, coats and dresses traced the models’ natural curves, in homage to Mugler’s iconic tailoring, while at Loewe, the hourglass shape came to life in supple leather jackets and a form-fitting dress with coloured layers falling at the back.

Under the glow of the Eiffel Tower, Saint Laurent channelled ’80s office mode, with big-shouldered leather jackets, trench-style overcoats and bomber jackets paired with pencil skirts or fitted bottoms to emphasise the waist, a notion seconded at Stella McCartney, who sent out power suits with exaggerated shoulders, and at Khaite, where many looks had a strong upper structure and distinct waistline – via belts, cinched tailoring or fitted bodices.

All that shimmers

Shimmer also took centre stage this season as designers embraced sequins, sparkles and even recycled glass to up the ante on glam. At Valentino, Alessandro Michele’s Fireflies collection glowed with gold and silver sequins illuminating soft silks and fluid drapery. Still in Paris, Nina Ricci’s rock-infused collection offered a romantic blend of chiffon, velvet and glimmering jacquards, with goth king Rick Owens even joining the sparkle renaissance, layering his sculptural silhouettes with subtle sequinned shimmer. Stella McCartney scattered sequins across shirting, denim and her iconic Falabella bags, while in New York, Area leaned in to glamour with glitzy mini-dresses and crystalline embellishments. As did Temperley London, indulging in hand-beaded sequins and delicate appliqué for its Gilded Story pieces, while in Milan, Emporio Armani sent out glittery harem pants in summery aquamarine and springtime lilac. But it was Louise Trotter for Bottega Veneta who stole the shimmer show; the debutante crafted floorlength maxi skirts with hand-applied refined shards of recycled coloured glass that shimmied and shook to the beat of the models’ struts.

Fringing and feathers

Feathers were flying at Chanel, where Blazy used plumes as trims, and on collars and sleeves, referencing Coco’s 1920s flapper gal and bringing softness and romanticism to some of the more structured silhouettes like the classic tweeds suiting known to the heritage house. The Row ruffled its usual quiet minimalism with the use of more texture via feathers, including a blouse covered in black feathers, and a long skirt with a feathered texture, while Alaïa used faux feathers of macramé and hand-knotted pearls in their SS26 womenswear, alongside fringed midi dress.

Bold, hot colours

Colour popped off monochrome looks this season. In Paris, Tom Ford’s SS26 collection saw designer Haider Ackermann use bold colour accents such Klein blue, bright green, warm oranges and soft pinks to spark up neutral gowns and tailoring.Colour also played an important role in storytelling this season. At Courrèges, the show featured a gradient of temperature in colour from cooler tones, such as teal and navy in early looks, through to brighter tones with sun-bleached dresses closing out the show. Also in Paris, Issey Miyake played with colour blocking and bold contrasts – think ochre, copper, indigo, arsenic green and metallic accents, while luxury darling Hermès punctuated its supple leather-heavy collection with the house’s bitter orange and vibrant red in trousers, bags and scarf details.

Boudoir chic

Vivienne Westwood’s Paris show set the bar high for boudoir, with sheer gowns, saucy satins and lots of lace, with veteran model Heidi Klum closing the show in a racy white number with garters and all. Schiaparelli followed suit with mesh and sheer fabrics revealing parts of the body, tight leather cocktails and jumpsuits in sheer chiffon and polka-dot fabric, while Givenchy sent out lace babydoll dresses under blazers, super busty bralettes and slip dresses in satin or silk for glamorous bedroom-inspired looks to spice up the summer.

Indie sleaze

Indie sleaze, with references of grunge, lo-fi glamour and nocturnal rebellion, rocked the SS26 season, first in New York with Coach via sleeveless leather biker jackets, torn-up sweaters and coin-purse necklaces worthy of Jenny from Gossip Girl. In Paris, Glenn Martens worked distressed deconstruction, spectral layering and worn finishes at Margiela, while in London Burberry sent out reworked trenches, sparkling chainmail dresses and silver scarves riffing on the decadence of 2010s indie sleaze.

Regency romance

Regency-inspired aesthetics were a big trend across the SS26 runway collections, as designers reworked historical romantic and courtly motifs into contemporary silhouettes. In London, Simone Rocha’s show, staged in the courtly Mansion House, played with ultra-feminine ballgown motifs, as seen in crinolines, hoop skirts, bustles, scalloped taffeta and organza over crinoline, offset by pillowcase bags, frayed edges and distressed touches to modernise the formality.

In Paris, Jonathan Anderson’s first Dior women’s collection drew heavily from the maison’s archival legacy that included Victorian and early 20thcentury references such as bows, capelets, towering hats, sculptural coats, bows and ribb. At Louis Vuitton, it was a more subtle Regency – staged in apartments once occupied by Anne of Austria at the Louvre, the collection opened with pared-back, stone-hued, draped and fluid silhouettes worthy of a contemporary queen.

Also see: Sophomore collections at Paris Fashion Week, ranked