“Repetition is more the norm than innovation,” wrote Ross Douthat in The Decadent Society, and the 2026 resort collections seem to bear out this assertion. A survey of about 120 collections finds the wheel of fashion turning at a moderate, perhaps more realistic, pace. Wearing a garment just once is a kind of sartorial debauchery that the industry and the earth can no longer sustain.
Also: Absolutism in fashion seems to be a thing of the past. Among the 11 trends identified here, four—sports, utility, tailoring, and pajama dressing—build on tendencies that have been around for a season or two. The return to a skinny-pants silhouette is newsworthy, but it should be noted that designers haven’t abandoned trousers with more generous mall-rat proportions. Similarly, while the Roman Holiday–style circle skirt looks fresh to the eye, pencil skirts are also on offer.
Chaos is a word that came up more than once in the season’s reviews and some of the trends read as reactions to that feeling of unrest. You could hide under the covers in chic street-ready pajamas, but instead why don’t you look…like you mean business in a dandified three-piece suit, run circles around your adversaries in sports-inflected looks, stun the crowds in wet-look sequins, don leather like soft armor, and act the superhero in a cape?
Prettily taking the edge of things are Impressionistic colors and prints, while back details offer a 360-degree perspective. Overall, the 2026 resort season as a whole feels both well-rounded and even keeled, so that you can best navigate the extremes of the world.
Round and Round: Take a Circle Skirt for a Whirl
Designers summoned the charm of the 1950s—and Roman Holiday—with circle skirts, which fall in soft drapes when not flaring in movement.
Fresh Paint: Fashion Takes on Impressionism
The 150th anniversary of the Impressionist movement, which was celebrated last year, seems to have seeped into the collections. You’ll want to show off these pastel colors and floral prints en plein air.
Sleep Cycle: Rousing Pajama Dressing
Yes, you can wear pajama-inspired looks without looking like you’ve just rolled out of bed. A piped shirt or jacket with flowy pants or boxer shorts are things many designers were dreaming of for resort.
Investment Dressing: Bank on a Luxe Leather Jacket
Whether you nab an oversize Nappa jacket, or squeeze into a cropped topper, a leather jacket is the investment piece of the resort season.
Narrow Margin: Skinny Pants Are Back
Skinny pants are most definitely in—but wide-legs, flares, and capris are still in the mix.
All That Glitters
Sequins add sparkle to holiday dressing.
Tool Cool: Cargo Pockets on Absolutely Everything
Solutions-friendly tool belts and pockets are ready for action.
Kick It: Sports-inspired Separates Are Still in the Running
Gray terry, side-stripes, basketball shorts, and windbreakers will add a bit of action to your wardrobe.
Triple Play: Designers Rethink the Three-Piece Suit
In this year of the dandy, designers are expanding the idea of the three-piece suit. Today a coat, matching shirt, bandeau, or skirt might stand in for the vest that matches a jacket and trousers.
Fly Girls: Capes Flutter Into View
Whether you’re going for a superhero vibe or playing the vamp, you’ll want to make room in your closet for a capacious cape.
Look Twice: Back Reveals Are Surprising and Sultry
Make them notice you coming and going in a garment cut to reveal the back.
