Fashion Month came and went, and this one was louder than most—new designer runway debuts kept the conversation humming, as we outlined in The Great Fashion Shuffle. From New York to London, Milan, and Paris, here is our edit of the most talked-about shows and the moments that will be remembered.
DIOTIMA — New York
DIOTIMA’s runway debut, led by Rachel Scott, had a clear mood: joyful, confident, and a celebration of Caribbean culture. Think saturated color, airy crochet textures, swishy fringe, and easy, body-skimming silhouettes balanced by clean, city tailoring. The overall effect felt lively rather than loud—clothes that move, flatter, and photograph beautifully. The timing added interest: the Jamaica-born, New York-based designer was recently named creative director of Proenza Schouler, with her first full collection due in February (and she confirmed that Diotima will continue.) The takeaway is simple: spirit and polish can live in the same outfit, and this is a label to watch.
MICHAEL KORS — New York
Kors called this one Earthy Elegance: the romance of far-flung places made city-ready. Soft tailored sets, silk kaftans, butter-soft perforated suede shirts, and casual sequin dresses that skim rather than cling. The palette stays in sun-baked “desert hues,” with movement built in—voile that billows, fringe and long leather tassel earrings that swing. The mood is relaxed glamour, sophisticated and easy. As Kors put it, “People always say, ‘What is American fashion?’ Well, I have to be honest, we invented comfort. We invented speed. We didn’t invent the ballgown, we didn’t invent the custom-made suit. We invented the idea of ease. So everything has that ease.”
ERDEM — London
Erdem Moralıoğlu spun a dreamy, research-rich story around Hélène Smith, the 19th-century Swiss medium whose shifting identities—monarch, mystic, Martian—became a frame for contrasts: precise tailoring against liquid drape, covered forms that flashed a whisper of skin, courtly references made modern. Lace and embroidery carried “otherworldly” clues (including nods to Smith’s automatic writings), while hourglass lines and pannier hints kept the silhouette poised rather than precious. Staged amid the gravitas of the British Museum during the label’s 20th-anniversary season, the collection felt like Erdem at his best: romantic, intelligent, and quietly theatrical—femininity with many facets, never confined to one narrative.
BOTTEGA VENETA — Milan
Louise Trotter’s first collection for the brand set a calm, confident tone: pared-back Italian luxury with a human pulse. You felt the house codes—supple leather, intrecciato craft, quietly impeccable tailoring—reframed for day-to-day modernity: elongated trenches, generous knits, unfussy suiting, oversized carryalls, and grounded flats instead of runway wobble. The mood was ease with intent, less about spectacle than about pieces that slip into a real wardrobe and get better with wear. A starry front row (Julianne Moore, Michelle Yeoh, Vicky Krieps, Louisa Jacobson, Uma Thurman) underlined the moment, but the clothes kept the volume low and the impact high—an assured reset rather than a rupture.
VERSACE — Milan
Ex–Miu Miu design director Dario Vitale opened his Versace era with an intimate, after-hours presentation inside Milan’s Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, staged like a grand apartment you’d been invited to wander through. The clothes dug into Gianni’s 1980s archive for attitude—body-conscious, nightlife-ready, a little dangerous—then scrambled it with modern, deliberately messy styling: sharp jackets over slip-thin pieces, lingerie notes peeking out, high-shine accessories, and plenty of leg. Critics called it audacious and polarizing by design, but the message was clear: restore the raw glamour and erotic charge that made Versace iconic, and aim it at a new generation.
FERRAGAMO — Milan
Since taking the helm in 2022, Maximilian Davis has been streamlining Ferragamo back to what the house does best: quiet Italian luxury rooted in craft (think a lineage that runs from Salvatore’s Hollywood shoemaking to today’s Florentine leather know-how). Spring 2026 kept that brief steady—modern, calm, and wearable—presented outdoors in the courtyard of Portrait Milano, a nod to the brand’s Milan presence. You felt the heritage without nostalgia and the accessories story staying central (the Hug family remains a pillar) as Davis continues to give the label a clearer, more contemporary point of view. In short, Ferragamo reads focused and confident.
GUCCI — Milan
Instead of a runway, Gucci premiered “The Tiger,” a short film by Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn — the opening move in Demna’s new era at Gucci. Starring Demi Moore, Edward Norton, Ed Harris, Elliot Page, Keke Palmer, Kendall Jenner, and Alex Consani, the film traded catwalk spectacle for character and story, using cinema to ask who wears Gucci now and why. The Milan premiere on September 23, followed by screenings in New York and again in Milan, signaled a reset that feels intimate, narrative, and confidently off-schedule, with wardrobe clues shown in context rather than on a runway.
TOD’S — Milan
Since arriving, Matteo Tamburini has been tuning Tod’s back to its sweet spot: Italian ease built on leather craft. Spring 2026 leaned into that philosophy with a mood of late-August calm—sun-soft, unhurried, and quietly luxurious—drawing on photographer Claude Nori’s images of Italian summer holidays. The result read less like “showpieces” and more like a wardrobe you live in: supple leather reworked with deft hand, relaxed tailoring, and pieces that gather patina beautifully. It felt pragmatic and indulgent at once, which is Tamburini’s signature—and a clear, confident path for the house.
GIORGIO ARMANI — Milan
Milan paused to say goodbye. On September 28, the house closed Milan Fashion Week with a candlelit tribute in the cloistered courtyard of the Pinacoteca di Brera—a show Armani had planned for his label’s 50th anniversary that became a farewell after his passing earlier in the month. The clothes were quietly luminous: lightweight, fluid silhouettes in greys, deep blues, and green, titled “Pantelleria, Milan,” a nod to places he loved. Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi played live; guests including Richard Gere, Glenn Close, Cate Blanchett, and Spike Lee looked on as the finale bowed to legacy rather than spectacle. After the last blue gown, Silvana Armani and Leo Dell’Orco stepped out to receive the applause—an elegant handoff for a house built on grace.
HERMÈS — Paris
Hermès stayed the course under Nadège Vanhée-Cybulski, offering a calm, sensual take on the house’s equestrian roots. Shown on a sand-strewn set, the collection moved between utility and polish—sleek leather pieces, quilted silks, easy shirts and skirts—mostly in sun-baked neutrals with sharp flashes of red. Riding references read as mood rather than costume (think shoulder-baring racer backs, lean boots, unfussy bags), the kind of quiet luxury that slips into a real wardrobe and gets better with wear. After a decade at the helm, Vanhée’s hand feels steady: heritage, edited for now.
LOEWE — Paris
The Proenza Schouler duo opened their Loewe chapter with a calm, confident evolution rather than a rupture—craft pushed forward, silhouette simplified, and color used with intent. It read like continuity with a new accent: discipline, tactility, and quiet glamour that respects the house’s handwork while resetting its day-to-day wardrobe. Early reactions from editors and buyers framed it as a poised first step that builds on Jonathan Anderson’s legacy without imitation.
BALENCIAGA — Paris
Pierpaolo Piccioli’s first Balenciaga arrived “from a place of love and connection,” dialing down cynicism and dialing up emotion. He sifted founder-era codes through his own romantic clarity, softening the silhouette and letting color and movement breathe—an elegant counterpoint to recent intensity. A star-studded crowd (notably, Meghan Markle) underscored the moment, and the runway closed to a standing ovation.
MIU MIU – Paris
Miuccia Prada turned the show into a meditation on women’s work. The brand described Spring/Summer 2026 as a consideration of labor’s meaning and visibility, and you felt that in the apron motif, smocks and workwear cues reframed for city life. The vibe mixed utility and polish: sharp little jackets over soft knits, pleated skirts, easy trousers, and accessories that moved—keys, belts, bags—so the clothes looked lived in rather than styled to perfection. It read as pragmatic and modern, a reminder that Miu Miu’s wit can be grounded in real life while still telling a bigger story about agency and everyday glamour.
DIOR — Paris
Stepping into a lineage that runs from Christian Dior to Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and Maria Grazia Chiuri is no small feat. Appointed in June 2025, Jonathan Anderson—the Loewe revitalizer and JW Anderson founder—arrived with high expectations after a well-received menswear debut. For womenswear, he set the tone with scenography: an inverted pyramid hovering over a half-open Dior box, a film of archival fittings and runways, and a single provocation—“Do you dare enter the house of Dior?” The collection answered by recoding icons rather than embalming them: hats returned as a signature, the Bar silhouette was tweaked with new proportions, bows threaded through looks, and a light, ready-to-wear read on Junon nodded to couture history without getting stuck in it. The impression was of a designer acknowledging the weight of the house and moving it forward with clarity and nerve.
CHANEL — Paris
Under a galactic set, Blazy blasted Chanel into a new orbit, honoring the codes while changing the cadence. He was explicit about the aim: he wanted Chanel to feel like a real wardrobe, not costume, and the clothes reflected it. The collection balanced polish with propulsion, trading fuss for momentum and making the icons feel immediate again. A starry house crowd signaled how quickly the vision is resonating. Day one, and the runway felt like a future classic.