De gustibus non est disputandum, the ancients said—“taste is not disputable.” Yet in fashion the notion of “good” taste is alive and thriving, as is its “evil” twin (bad taste). The Ivy look, for example, is widely accepted as representing a certain level of respectability, which is why it has become a default uniform for everything from interviews to court appearances. In recent years, minimalism has started to challenge prep’s primacy, with cashmere challenging Fair Isles, double-face wools replacing sturdy tweeds, and monotones gaining precedence over the pink and green. You might say that the stereotypical Scandi look has been exported on a grand scale. Let us not forget that COS, a part of the H&M Group, is an acronym for collection of style.
There’s no denying that Karin Gustafsson and team presented a very polished and stylish fall 2025 collection in Brooklyn today. Not only was it easy to imagine these looks on the streets of New York or Stockholm—or almost any capital city—but they were outfits that would be clocked. One of the factors contributing to the growing cult of COS is, as Gustafsson put it, “that [the offering] is not so overpowering; it’s more about the wearer’s personality. The clothes,” she continued, “are very combinable, wearable in many different ways, by many different personalities.”
The show’s title, Dark Romance, referred to the season’s rich palette of navy, slate gray, burgundy, inky black, and darkest chocolate brown. Solids were broken up by a few stand-out plaids, and texture was added through basket-weave knitwear and a somewhat derivative shearling coat. Although there was a clean-lined ’90s vibe to much of the collection, Gustafsson said that she and the team had been looking at structured New Look silhouettes of the ’50s. Happily they abstracted and modernized these references, which you could see in open necklines and belted waists and a barrel coat (look 22). The menswear was fairly classic with a ’90s twist, with details like small belts allowing fit adjustment. The materials looked as soft as the construction appeared neat and solid. The most “extreme” looks for men were a Darcy-like cape and a collarless suit; otherwise the options were updates to classics with nice details like tabs to allow for a customized fit. This viewer also saw aspects of fall’s medieval trend in tunics worn with skinny pants, a fluid draped set with a hood, and adorable sock boots.
When asked why a Swedish company based in London chooses to show in New York, Gustafsson said, “I think COS’s language really resonates with New York and our connection with art and music. New York is an amazing place of creativity.” The production values and the front row suggested that COS is making it in the city that never sleeps.
