The 14 Biggest Fall 2026 Fashion Trends We Saw on the Runways

The fall 2026 shows may have ended in March, but the trends found on the runways in New York, London, Milan, and Paris are still fresh on our minds. While each label presented a distinct vision for the season, as always, there were certain themes and throughlines that connected the collections. Here are 14 of our favorites, which you’ll surely see everywhere come September.

Building a Wardrobe

For his final collection at Alaïa, Pieter Mulier stressed that his goal was to “create real clothes.” Turns out, he wasn’t the only one for the fall 2026 season: Celine, Loro Piana, Ralph Lauren, and many more focused on an approach to fashion design we’re calling “wardrobe dressing.” The look is less about fully styled, head-to-toe fashion, and more about key items that can be mixed into your closet and actually lived in. Prada reinforced the concept via its show format: 15 models repeatedly circled the runway, removing layers of clothing each time they walked.

Full-Look Policy

By contrast, fashion houses like Chanel—whose new designer Matthieu Blazy created a collection that sold out the day it hit stores—embraced the full look. Both he and Tom Ford’s Haider Ackermann, along with Celine designer Michael Rider, presented pieces that were meant to be worn and styled together. They would look stunning on a lucky celebrity brand ambassador hitting the red carpet.

Think (Faux) Mink

Minklike outerwear was everywhere this season: Gucci’s faux-fur coats were weightless in person; and the shearling coats at Valentino, Phoebe Philo, and Toteme were so refined they might as well have been made of mink. The Row offered a rare taste of the real thing with this shaved mink coat.

The Thrifty Mix

Many collections were rooted in mixing, embracing personal style, and buying secondhand. Rather than head-to-toe looks, these are outfits that have been collected over time. Meryll Rogge’s first Marni outing, as well as Conner Ives’s latest, felt sourced directly from London charity shops.

Material Girl

Designers this season embraced a wealth of new materials to intrigue their fans and followers. The Row had a silk dress presented inside-out, so you could see the threads. At Dior, Jonathan Anderson used houndstooth on a top and slacks to make it look heavy—but in reality, it was an airy wisp of pleated silk. One of Loewe’s models appeared as though they were trapped in a wind tunnel, because the garment they wore was made of rubber.

The Women of Wall Street

Following multiple seasons of oversize menswear silhouettes, this season brought a slimmer fit—sharply tailored dark suits appeared at Saint Laurent, Gucci, and Tom Ford. A fresh take for fall could also be found in the styling elements, like hats, coats worn over the shoulders, and a wealth of pinstripes.

What’s Your Fetish?

Fall 2026 saw elements of “innocence” turned on their heads. Fetishwear crept into details like McQueen’s babydoll top, which was made of body armor. Meanwhile, one of Phoebe Philo’s dresses seemed to be uncovered in all the right places.

Fancy/Casual

A trend from spring 2026 we dubbed the “Statement Skirt, Simple Shirt” formula has morphed into a cheeky play on hodgepodge dressing. Designers are enamored with mixing evening pieces with casual, everyday staples. At Lii and Prada, for instance, sporty jackets were worn with little silk skirts and nubby knits. And Alaïa and Altuzarra paired their evening gowns with peacoats.

Big Animal Print Energy

Leopard, and cheetah, and zebra, oh my! Animal prints are officially back. We were especially taken with Balmain’s fierce coat, paired with over-the-knee boots and a ’90s bag.

Color Clash

Designers took mixing hues to the next level at Loewe, Akris, and more. It turns out, forest green goes with baby pink, navy blue, white and silver (if Mrs. Prada has anything to say about it). The so-called “sin” of pairing pink and orange, meanwhile, got flouted at Louis Vuitton, where models also wore taupe hats and yellow pumps.

Weather Alert!

There’s no doubt that we will need clothes for extreme temperatures in the near future. These are pieces designed to protect you from hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters. At Saint Laurent, trenches came in thick swaths of oxblood PVC, and Junya Watanabe’s gilded gown had many uses against the end of the world.

Princess and the Pink

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Sofia Coppola’s film Marie Antoinette, and we have a feeling more than a few designers were inspired by pastel vibes and let-them-eat-cake excess. Valentino’s Alessandro Michele put lavender and pale pink on a lace evening gown, while Conner Ives’s rosy dress looks just like the one Gwyneth Paltrow wore to the Oscars in 1999.

Indie Sleaze Redux

The 2010s are back, 7 For All Mankind designer Nicola Brognano proclaimed with his fall 2026 collection. The creative director’s first outing for the aughts brand centered a Y2K sensibility, and a character loosely based on stars like Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, and Lindsay Lohan. “She’s a rebel, she’s a rich girl,” Brognano said of his muse for the season. “She can go out in the morning and come back the day after, wearing the same outfit, with a Starbucks cup in her hand and a bracelet from the club the night before.” Marc Jacobs’s take was ultraslim, and made the case for bringing back tights and leather shorts.

Big-Time Outerwear

Coats with bolder-than-bold shoulders, a jacket with a built-in muff—these pieces pushed outerwear to the limit. McQueen’s take on the trend manifested in the form of a feathered shrug worn with a sheer, lacy dress.