Whether it was Tommy Hilfiger’s East Coast prep or Comme des Garçons’s Anglophile collection, Balenciaga’s 18th-century dream dresses or Prada’s flapper frocks, the spring 2006 collections offered variety with a soupçon of fantasy. And 20 years later they just might offer a road map for the trends of the spring 2026 season to come. While combing through spring collections from two decades ago, I was mentally ticking off trends from the recent shows in Copenhagen. These included sportiness, a touch of militarism, some great pantsuits, romantic flourishes, legginess (often via bike shorts), fun with foulards and tassels, and new takes on the Ivy look.
Kicking things off in New York, a marching band played “Smells Like Teen Spirit” at the Marc Jacobs show, which included school uniforms and prom dresses. Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez added Arts Crafts-inspired embellishments to their garments, while Narciso Rodriguez went sparer than spare. Over in London, Gareth Pugh and Erdem Moralıoğlu made their runway debuts, with the support of Fashion East and Fashion Fringe, respectively. And C-Neeon, a brand that has been forgotten to time, made a bold impression with handblocked prints in the Bauhaus spirit.
In Paris, punks stormed the runway at Junya Watanabe and Riccardo Tisci came out strong with his first ready-to-wear collection for Givenchy, which featured prize-fighter belts, but the show that will forever knock me out is Martin Margiela’s “dissolve” lineup, featuring packing tape and colored ice-cubes that dyed the models’ dresses as they melted.
Ann Demeulemeester
Anna Sui
As Four
Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière
C-Neeon
Chalayan
Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld
Chloé by Phoebe Philo
Christian Dior by John Galliano
Comme des Garçons
Dolce Gabbana
Dries Van Noten
Fashion East: Gareth Pugh
Fashion Fringe: Erdem Moralioglu
Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci
Gucci by Frida Giannini
Hermès by Jean Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier
Junya Watanabe
Louis Vuitton by Marc Jacobs
Luella
Maison Margiela
Marc by Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs
Marni by Consuelo Castiglioni
Miu Miu
Narciso Rodriguez
Nicolas Andreas Taralis
Paul Smith
Prada
Proenza Schouler
Rick Owens
Rochas by Olivier Theyskens
Saint Laurent by Stefano Pilati
Sophia Kokosalaki
Stella McCartney
Tao
Tommy Hilfiger
Undercover
Veronique Branquinho
Viktor Rolf
Vivienne Westwood
Yohji Yamamoto
Zac Posen
