Our Favorite Trends From New York Fashion Week FW26

Fashion Week began with its traditional opener, Marc Jacobs. His energy always feels fun, whimsical, and endlessly creative—setting the tone for excitement, exploration, and imagination. My favorite part, as always, was discovering new designers, like Zoe Gustavia, Anna Whalen, and seeing how each voice spoke the same language differently through fabric, silhouette, and movement.

Across runways, certain trends stood out as well. Think: playful fringe, sexy and light sheer, dramatic and soft capes, confident suiting, and the return of cropped fur jackets. These are small, powerful gestures that can make a look yours. They feel alive, expressive, and unforgettable this season especially.

Below, we break down some of our favorite trends from the New York Fashion Week FW26 season. 

Fringe, But Make It Evolved

Fringe made one of the strongest arguments for itself this season, particularly through knitwear and tactile surfaces. At Diotima, I fell in love! The fringe was heavy, weighted, and structural, integrated directly into the body of the garment. Knit pieces felt grounded and architectural, with fringe >AREA, fringe took on a lighter, more playful form. It appeared delicate, sometimes nearly translucent, introducing texture without heaviness. It brought air and movement, shifting the fringe into something expressive rather than anchored.

Cult Gaia approached fringe through fluidity while maintaining weight and substance, creating pieces that were cozy but dynamic. It combined the grounding energy of Diotima with playful movement, resulting in looks that felt intentional, alive, and tactile.

At Altuzarra, fringe functioned more as an accent, subtle and precise, enhancing the garment without overwhelming it. It introduced movement without dominating the overall silhouette.

Across all four, fringe wasn’t decorative. It wassrc=”https://media.essence.com/vxcjywbwpa/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2261339416-scaled.jpg” alt=”Our Favorite Trends From New York Fashion Week FW26″ width=”400″ height=”600″ />Model on the runway at the Diotima fashion show as part of RTW Fall 2026 on February 14, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 15: A model walks, fashion details, the runway at Cult Gaia show during New York Fashion Weekon February 15, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images)AreaAltuzarraSheer Joy

Sheer emerged as one of the most playful and emotionally expressive elements of the season. Not as a provocation, but as a possibility.

At Altuzarra, sheer pieces felt sensual and controlled, revealing and concealing at the same time. The transparency wasn’t fragile; it was confident.

Newcomer Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen brought a softer perspective. Her use of sheer felt muted, playful, and intimate, fabrics that floated rather than clung, creating silhouettes that felt emotionally open.

At Collina Strada, sheer fabrics were light and expressive, introducing movement and youthfulness into the garments. AREA also embraced sheer, layering transparency alongside texture to create playful, experimental, and alive looks.

What defined sheer this season was its range. It wasn’t about exposure; it was about lightness. Sheer allowed garments to breathe a bit.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 11: A model walks the runway at the Collina Strada show during the New York Fashion Week February 2026 on February 11, 2026 in New York City.(Photo by Estrop/Getty Images)Altuzarra Zoe GustaviaPlayful Suiting

Suiting this season moved beyond uniform and into identity.

At Prabal Gurung, tailoring felt expressive and intentional, balancing precision with softness. Ashlyn explored suiting through proportion and restraint, creating silhouettes that felt modern and controlled.

LaQuan Smith approached suiting through sensuality, emphasizing the body without sacrificing structure. At Michael Kors, suiting appeared refined and confident, reinforcing its timelessness while still feeling current.

At Sergio Hudson, suiting felt powerful and unapologetic, sharp, precise, and deeply intentional.

This wasn’t suiting as imitation or borrowing from masculinity. Yet instead, it was reclaiming structure as something distinctly feminine. Suiting this season had a pulse.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 14: Models walk the runway at the Prabal Gurung Fall/Winter 2026 Fashion Show at Cipriani 25 Broadway on February 14, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Ostuni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)Model at the Ashlyn fashion show as part of RTW Fall 2026 on February 12, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 14: A model walks the runway at the LaQuan Smith show during the New York Fashion Week February 2026 on February 14, 2026 in New York City.(Photo by Estrop/Getty Images)NEW YORK, USA – FEBRUARY 13: A model walks the runway during the Sergio Hudson Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2026-2027 fashion show as part of the New York Fashion Week on February 13, 2026 in NY. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)Model on the runway at the Michael Kors fashion show as part of RTW Fall 2026 held at the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center on February 12, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images)The Cropped Fur Jacket

Fur appeared throughout the week, but one of its most consistent forms was the cropped jacket, a silhouette that shifted fur’s traditional heaviness into something more immediate and alive.

At Khaite and Bronx and Banco, cropped fur jackets felt structured and intentional. The proportions were precise, balancing glamour with control.

At 7 For All Mankind, cropped fur appeared more relaxed, introducing movement and softness. The pieces felt playful, less formal, and easier to inhabit.

At Eckhaus Latta, cropped fur jackets leaned into comfort—cozy, tactile, and emotionally warm & fuzzy while still maintaining their cropped proportions.

The cropped silhouettedecoding=”async” src=”https://media.essence.com/vxcjywbwpa/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2261820026-scaled.jpg” alt=”Our Favorite Trends From New York Fashion Week FW26″ width=”400″ height=”600″ />NEW YORK, USA – FEBRUARY 15: A model walks the runway during the Bronx & Banco Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2026-2027 fashion show as part of the New York Fashion Week on February 15, 2026 in NY. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 13: A model walks the runway for the 7 For All Mankind FW26 fashion show during New York Fashion Week at the Starrett-Lehigh Building on February 13, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Victor Pagan/Getty Images)A model on the runway at the Eckhaus Latta fashion show as part of RTW Fall 2026 on February 14, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images)The Return of the Cape

Capes emerged across runways this season in multiple forms—fur, knit, and draped—reintroducing a silhouette that hasn’t felt this present in years.

At Fforme, the cape appeared almost as a shawl, draped softly over the shoulders and bust. It felt intimate and restrained, adding dimension without overpowering the garment underneath.

Calvin Klein presented dramatic capes, large fur constructions layered over outerwear thatdecoding=”async” src=”https://media.essence.com/vxcjywbwpa/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2260985009-scaled.jpg” alt=”Our Favorite Trends From New York Fashion Week FW26″ width=”400″ height=”600″ />Model on the runway at the Fforme fashion show as part of RTW Fall 2026 held at Iron23 on February 13, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images)Calvin KleinNEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 11: A model walks the runway at the Tory Burch show during the New York Fashion Week February 2026 on February 11, 2026 in New York City.(Photo by Estrop/Getty Images)NEW YORK, USA – FEBRUARY 12: A model walks the runway during the Zankov Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2026-2027 fashion show as part of the New York Fashion Week on February 12, 2026 in NY.(Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) TOPICS:  black designers fashion trends New York Fashion Week nyfw

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