After the models took their final lap at Sandy Liang’s spring 2026 show during New York Fashion Week, one attendee was quick to offer a standing ovation: 3-year-old Aaliyah, who leapt off her mother’s lap, clapping her tiny hands together.
Although she was probably the youngest front row guest, this wasn’t Aaliyah’s first runway. The toddler began attending Liang’s show last year when her mother, Jade Vallario, W’s senior accessories and jewelry editor, couldn’t find child care. So she decided to bring Aaliyah along and hoped that everyone would be fine with her last-minute plus-one—after all, she didn’t even need her own seat. “I’ve just been showing up and putting her on my lap, so I hope it’s okay,” she says. “They were cool with it.”
While some designers might balk at the idea of inviting a guest prone to unpredictable meltdowns and bowel movements, others welcome them. When writer Liana Satenstein reached out to designer Zoe Latta and Eckhaus Latta’s PR team about bringing her 6-month-old son, Sy, to the brand’s spring 2026 show, she wasn’t just met with acceptance, but enthusiasm. “They were thrilled,” she says. “They sent him an itty-bitty Eckhaus T-shirt in an XXS.” For the design duo, embracing their community is integral to their label. “Mike [Eckhaus, her codesigner] and I have never made clothes just for the fashion industry,” Latta says. “Our brand has always been a community-driven practice. We’re getting older, starting families. I think it contributes an honest portrayal of our brand and who it’s for.”
Latta even took her bow with her 3-month-old son, Grace. “I don’t like the spotlight, but if I have to take it, I at least want to be honest with the audience,” she says. “Emails are typed while breastfeeding, phone calls are made while making lunches. Having a clothing line and being a mother are full-time jobs. I’m not interested in hiding that behind the curtain.”
It’s no surprise that, like Latta, many of the designers who welcome children to their shows are parents themselves. “Sandy is a mom, and I know that she loves kids, so I thought it would be appropriate,” Vallario says. (Liang also took her bow with her son balanced on her hip.) For Satenstein, the Eckhaus Latta show has long offered a “baby-friendly vibe. I figured, why not? I’ve been going to Eckhaus for years, and there is always at least one baby in the mix,” Satenstein says. “I sat next to [The New Yorker writer] Naomi Fry, who told me she took her child years ago, too.” A bonus: The show fit right into Sy’s sleep schedule. “It was during the afternoon, so it felt right. No 9 p.m. shows for this one!” she says.
Still, it doesn’t take parenthood to welcome children into the mix. Designers Rachel Antonoff and Susan Korn—who hosted their second annual Best in Show runway, which paired adoptable dogs with human models—also welcome children. This season, that included a fussy baby. The two were hardly bothered, though. “I feel like my life would have been much enhanced had I attended fashion shows at a young age,” Korn says. Antonoff concurs: “Babies, children, dogs, cats—all welcome with us!”
Babies weren’t only sitting front row—they were active participants in New York Fashion Week. After Satenstein’s son, Sy, enjoyed the Eckhaus Latta show from the front row, he got in on the action by modeling for Colbo, carried down the runway in his mother’s arms. Writers Sarah Hoover and Leandra Medine Cohen both arrived at the Tory Burch x Substack party at Raf’s, babies strapped to their chests.
When it came to bringing her 17-month-old daughter, Fred, Hoover says it was a matter of convenience, “Raf’s is on my block, and the event was on a Saturday, when I spend time at home with my kids, so I really had no choice,” she says. “But also, Fred and I have breakfast and lunch at Raf’s a lot. It’s our date spot. I felt like I was cheating on her to go without her!” Echoing Vallario, Hoover knew that Burch and Derek Blasberg, the hosts—both of whom are parents—wouldn’t bat an eye at a tiny plus-one. “I hope I’m not disowned for forgetting to RSVP [Fred]. But, honestly, everyone seemed thrilled to have an afternoon squeeze on a sweet, chubby baby,” she says. “And it was a quick walk home in case we had a scary diaper situation.”
Still, while they’re certainly an attention-grabbing addition to any outfit, a baby is not an accessory. While many people are clamoring for front-row seats at a fashion show, some of the younger attendees may not grasp that just yet. Back at the Sandy Liang show, 3-year-old Aaliyah may be jockeying for a seat of her own come next season. “I don’t wanna sit on your lap!” she cries to her mother. “That’s okay, baby, you sit here and I’ll sit on your lap,” Vallario offers. So what gets Aaliyah pumped for a runway? “Bribery,” Vallario says. “We’re going to get ice cream after this.”
