The spring/summer 2026 collections arrived with a palpable sense of excitement, and for a good reason. This season marked a true industry reset, with nearly 15 newly appointed creative directors debuting their visions and setting the tone for the spring/summer 2026 trends across the major fashion houses. The overarching sentiment was expressive, celebratory, and deeply personal—driven by individuality and the pure joy of getting dressed.
The Top Spring/Summer 2026 Fashion Trends
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One of the season’s leading themes was “fashion as feeling”—a fitting sentiment not only captured in the movement of the clothes (the fringe! the feathers! the frothy lace!) as designers experimented with tactile textures and proportion, but also the emotional finale of Mathieu Blazy’s Chanel debut, when Awar Odhiang closed the show with a smile so bright it lit up the entire Grand Palais.
A certain kind of soft, relaxed elegance was also explored this season, characterized by scarf styling and fluid, draped shapes for an overall look that felt sophisticated yet undone. Prep’s moment continues, with an emphasis on color and practical layering that feels apt for transitional dressing, and a little more expressive than uniform.
The spring/summer 2026 collections pick up where we left off in the fall, with personality-driven looks rooted in wearability. Think of it as real-life dressing with a flourish.
Find an introduction to the key spring/summer 2026 trends below—with similar pieces you can already shop to recreate your favorite moods, as we wait for the collections to trickle in store.
Want even more trends? Make sure to check out our guide to the top spring/summer shoe trends, and the key spring/summer handbag trends.
Fashion As Feeling
There was a shared love of craft and bold use of color in the collections of Chanel, Bottega Veneta, Loewe, Balenciaga, Khaite, and Altuzarra. We saw several statement skirts paired with simple tops; the texture and dramatic proportion being focal point of the look. Try Loulou de Saison’s fringe dress, which is still neutral yet bold, or opt for Chloé’s tiered maxiskirt with a simple knit for playful charm.
Lady of Leisure
Driven by a sense of elegant ease, soft, draped tailoring and robe-like silhouettes define the mood—think of these as the kind of clothes Marella Agnelli might wear sailing the along the Amalfi coast. Long scarves are a key styling detail, wrapped around the neck or waist, with swishy tassels that sashay with each step. Look for pieces in silk and satin that move with the body just so, like Khaite’s butter yellow skirt or Fforme’s maxi dress.
Literary Chic
Fans of fall’s modern prep look will find much to love in spring’s take, as designers pushed the idea of uniform dressing into more expressive territory with offbeat color combos and layered styling. The look here is built around functional staples—cardigans, pencil skirts, button-downs, and V-neck sweaters—animated by the element of surprise, like flash of red peeking out from a printed shirt, or vibrant leather gloves that contrast a more muted color palette. Recreate the look with Maria McManus’s cardigan over TWP’s blue button-down and Burberry’s pleated skirt.
