The word ‘historic’ was so present this season that it almost hung over the SS26 collections like an unofficial title. And rightly so, because a huge game of musical chairs took place at the top of the fashion world. No fewer than fourteen designers presented their first collections as the new creative directors of some of the most influential fashion houses. This tectonic shift in the creative landscape inevitably created a sense of new beginnings.
The promise of a new fashion era was palpable everywhere. But after four weeks a familiar picture emerged. The trends that gradually crystallized from the shows moved into familiar territory despite all the stylistic innovations.
The ten most important trends for SS26 at a glance.
Light as a feather
If there is one dress with feathers that will remain etched in the collective fashion memory after this Fashion Week, it is the one from Matthieu Blazy’s debut collection for Chanel. But the designer was not the first nor the last to choose this material.
The season featured an abundance of textures and movement, with feathers playing an important role. Whether as part of waistcoats and headdresses, as with Ann Demeulemeester, or as decoration on skirts, as Pierpaolo Piccioli chose for Balenciaga – the resilient material proved extremely versatile.
Game of ruffles
After years of clean lines, fashion is rediscovering its soft side this season. Ruffles popped up everywhere – not as a nostalgic gesture, but as a conscious break from the strictness of recent years. At Marques’ Almeida they were irregular and spontaneous, at Alberta Ferretti they were more refined and in soft, flowing layers that played with light and movement. Chloé ultimately translated the ruffle into a modern volume that balanced between sportiness and romance.
Sea of flowers
Floral prints for spring have never been groundbreaking and never will be. Yet not a season goes by without the floral pattern flooding the catwalks. Rabanne opened the flower parade with a look that was reminiscent of an eighties revival and almost looked like it came out of a colorful music video. Valentino took us back to the seventies with a flowing metallic dress in shimmering green tones, whose floral print resembled a painting dipped in lamé.
In comparison, Loewe was almost reserved. The tight mini dress with small, delicately arranged flowers looked as if the flowers had been painted with a fine brushstroke.
Yellow tones
After several seasons in which neutral tones and earthy nuances dominated, color returned to the catwalks in full force. Yellow in particular turned out to be the color of the moment – present in the most diverse nuances.
At Miu Miu it appeared as a vibrant complement to sporty shapes and graphic patterns, lending the color an almost utilitarian severity. Alexander McQueen focused on the dramatic effect of yellow in voluminous, floor-length dresses that allowed the fabric to dissolve in movement and light. Balenciaga in turn translated the color into sculptural shapes and structured surfaces, so that yellow radiated less lightness and more architectural precision.
Fringe party
At first glance, the fringe trend hardly differs from the aforementioned feather look. However, texture played a central role in the spring/summer 2026 fashion scene, and fringes were ubiquitous in all their variations.
At Chanel, the technique was expressed in a tactile opulence with a gold combination with fringes, while Alexander McQueen gave the theme a rougher touch. Metallic shiny threads hung loosely from a crop top, paired with jeans. Loewe presented the most architectural variant with electric cobalt blue fringes emerging from a sculptural skirt, combined with a voluminous jacket that gave the whole a modern practicality.
A touch of Marie Antoinette
Already last spring, many brands began to reinterpret the panier-like dresses of the eighteenth century, with exaggerated hip volumes reminiscent of courtly silhouettes. This season the picture was less clear, but opulent volume, as Marie Antoinette would once have appreciated it, was especially prevalent in dresses.
The volume gave skirts and dresses a lively dynamic. They appeared on the catwalk inflated, folded and with a lively movement. This was seen, for example, in Jonathan Anderson’s debut for Dior’s women’s collection and also at Givenchy under the creative direction of Sarah Burton. Louis Vuitton, in turn, presented a transparent combination of trousers so wide that they could almost pass for a skirt, accompanied by a bodice and a cape with such voluminous shoulders that they were no less dramatic than the skirts. Fittingly, the show took place at the Musée du Louvre, in the spaces that once served as the summer residence of Anne of Austria, Queen of France.
A field full of lilac
On the color wheel, yellow and purple are opposite each other, and in the spring/summer 2026 season they will compete with each other. The purple hue appeared in various shades – from cool lilac to deep purple. Chloé chose a soft lilac shade for a dress that fell in soft folds around the hips and hem. Balenciaga showed a slimmer silhouette in bold purple, enlivened by draperies at the hem. Moschino combined the color with playful details, such as oversized flounces and an accentuated hip volume that was reminiscent of couture shows.
Game of silhouettes
Designers play with silhouettes, and the jacket in particular became a few centimeters shorter. It appeared on the catwalks in a shortened variant, which draws attention to the lower body and at the same time modernizes the classic shape. Whether it was the minimal version at Chanel, the sleek geometry at Max Mara or the avant-garde creation at Alexander McQueen, the cropped version breathes a breath of fresh air into the classic suit look.
Dark lingerie look
Just like the influence of the eighteenth century, lingerie-inspired fashion on the catwalk is now a familiar sight. This season, however, this look is significantly darker and even more sensual.
With Tom Ford, the slip dress became a deconstructed work of art. Transparent lace inserts were combined with graphic lines and strong contrasts. Patou showed a playful take on the lingerie theme, with the delicate bralette and the combination of a floral miniskirt and tights reminiscent of a classic pin-up silhouette. Jean Paul Gaultier took the theme to the extreme. A deep-cut bodysuit with a sheer skirt sat so low it almost reminded me of stockings.
Orange
Not only yellow and purple, but also orange gives bright signals for SS26. The color, which has long fluctuated between warning signal and retro charm, was unmissable this season.
At Ottolinger, intense orange is combined with psychedelic paisley patterns and a flowing, asymmetrical silhouette. Saint Laurent takes an opulent approach with a voluminous ruffled dress reminiscent of the 1980s. Finally, Jean Paul Gaultier shows a futuristic catsuit with a sculptural bustier – a look that is somewhere between science fiction and haute couture, in an orange shade that looks like liquid metal.
This article has been translated into Dutch using an AI tool.
FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up the translation of (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time that they can spend on research and writing their own articles. Articles translated using AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor before going online. If you have any questions or comments about this process, please email info@fashionunited.com.
