The city that never sleeps gets an added dose of adrenaline and drama this week—the style set is in town, and New York Fashion Week is officially in full swing. Though it may be less lauded than its Parisian and Milanese counterparts, New York Fashion Week still offers us a glimpse through the eyes of American style tastemakers, and sets the tone for the season to come.
Ralph Lauren kicked things off on 10 February with a pre-calendar show at the Jack Shainman Gallery, with stars like Anne Hathaway and Lana Del Rey in attendance. The undisputed master of American style opted for a pared-back palette and a focus on tailoring, setting the rhythm for the rest of the week. As collections from Proenza Schouler, Coach, and Tory Burch were shown in quick succession, some overarching themes for the style season began to emerge. Silhouettes are classic and streamlined, with an emphasis on fluid draping and movement, especially in Rachel Scott’s womenswear debut for Proenza Schouler. Craftsmanship and texture are key—think intricate badla embroidery at Tory Burch and liquid and double-dyed velvet at Ralph Lauren—and colour, it seems, is to be used sparingly or not at all.
Later in the week, we can expect showings from Norma Kamali, Sandy Liang, Calvin Klein, and more. Below, we round up our highlights from the Fall/Winter 2026 runways of New York Fashion Week.
Coach
For Coach’s Fall/Winter 2026 showing, Stuart Vevers gave us a grungy, all-American take on youth style, with surprising creative roots in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy certainly isn’t in Kansas anymore, and she seems to have taken a skater kid, punk rock detour on the way to Oz. Plaid shirts and varsity jackets were paired with distressed denim and tailored trousers alike, while high-necked silk dresses met chunky leather boots. A clever parallel revealed itself as the show unfolded—each grungy, greyscale look had a counterpart in vivid red and blue, mimicking Dorothy’s transition from sepia into technicolour. Accessories also dominated, fittingly for a leather goods brand. A reimagined, slimmer iteration of Coach’s classic Kisslock silhouette was front and centre, while oversized Messenger bags also made an appearance. In an encouraging sign for the brand, most of the select few items made available to shop online are already sold out.
Tory Burch
Everyone was calling it a Toryssance last fall, and with her Fall/Winter 2026 showing, there’s little doubt that the Tory Burch revival is still going strong. The American designer recently stepped down from CEO duties to focus solely on her role as creative director of the brand, and she has been fullthroatedly embracing the freedom that brings. The most recent result is a collection of classics that are rich in craftsmanship and detail. An East-meets-West theme emerged: think a trench coat with gold detailing reminiscent of Chinese lacquer paintings, and knit cardigans featuring badla embroidery hand-done by Indian artisans. And those colours—lush saffrons, deep apricots, and midnight blues that jump off the screen. On the accessory front, Burch introduced the Bunny knot on quilted handbags, a symbol of unity inspired by American horticulturist Bunny Mellon.
Proenza Schouler
Where is the Proenza Schouler woman off to in such a rush? The Fall/Winter 2026 collection marks a new beginning for the brand, as it’s creative director Rachel Scott’s womenswear debut following Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez’s departure to Loewe. It would be reductive to call Scott’s Proenza Schouler woman a girlboss, but she’s certainly embracing power dressing in full force. Fabrics were wrapped and cinched around the body, with skirts fastening at the back and emphasising the folds of the draping. The aim is to suggest “a woman in motion, moving quickly and with purpose,” the collection statement reads. Buttoned-up peplum jackets in denim and wool brought to mind Dior’s iconic Bar jacket, while the use of Donegal tweed also seemed to take a cue from Jonathan Anderson’s Dior. Florals also made significant cameos—and if you think that an odd choice for an autumn collection, note that they came in the dark, sensual form of night orchids.
Ralph Lauren
At Ralph Lauren, the goal seemed to be to make us throw out our entire winter wardrobe and rebuild it with only items from this collection. The brand’s Fall/Winter collection followed a strict palette of rich mahogany tones, shining in its attention to texture and craftsmanship. If you weren’t already convinced that Donegal tweed was having a moment after Jonathan Anderson showed it for Dior, look no further than this collection. The opening look of the show saw Gigi Hadid wear a body-hugging knit cashmere vest and skirt inspired by Donegal weaving. Other noteworthy fabrics included softly distressed leather and a liquid, double-dyed velvet. As it always is with Ralph Lauren, the styling was impeccable—layering was made to look sleek, silhouettes were cinched at the waist with a belt, and intricate metallic embellishments abounded.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA Singapore.
READ MORE