For her spring 2026 show, Maria McManus gathered guests at the Crown Shy restaurant in the Financial District. With all the tables out of the way, and chairs lining the perimeter, the restaurant’s warm atmosphere was that of a minimally appointed living room. It made sense later, when McManus said that her inspiration this season was “very centered on women, and women coming together and collaborating to man the chaos that’s happening all around us.”
The Irish designer looked for ease in a kind of soft power: a champagne silk satin bomber jacket paired with a black skirt in her favorite Naia Renu fabric and trimmed in white French lace; a knit dress with a lovely rounded neck and three-quarter sleeves; cardigans and shirts almost carelessly tossed or wrapped around the shoulders. She collaborated with AGolde on a range of denim pieces which will debut later this year in Paris, including a pair of low-slung jeans in a powder blue wash and a denim version of her popular barn jacket. The silhouette was long, lean, and flowing—long dresses with smocked bodices half-tucked into wide leg jeans, leggings layered under midi-length pleated skirts, and a pair of terrific fully reversible double faced jackets; one in black and white, and the other in lilac and white. Many of the models wore ballet flats or Birkenstock gardening clogs.
“There’s a feeling of femininity that is speaking to me right now,” she explained backstage after the show. “Even though it seems that what we need is armor, this femininity—with its laces, crochets, and dance shoes just felt right.”
