By Clare Pennington

Copyright hellomagazine

Ah, Fashion Month has well and truly kicked off with a fresh new season of shows! The world’s greatest designers have started showcasing their SS26 vision for both the adoring audience in attendance and the plethora of fashion fans glued to their screens to catch a glimpse of the trends we’ll all be sporting come the new year.

New York is the first of the Big Four to herald the start of proceedings, with beloved classic labels such as Tory Burch and Michael Kors taking to the runways, alongside edgier brands including Acne Studios and Off-White. Naturally, the glittering A-list took their seats on the front row – our favourite spots were fashion’s favourite darling Pamela Anderson looking flawless in top-to-toe black for Toteme and new face of Calvin Klein Rosalía looking sensational in the label.

We saw everything from super wearable classics to outrageous glitz and glamour and from one end of the spectrum to the other, the effect was the same – the burning urge to trawl through our closets and update our ensembles for the season ahead.

So listen up, and notepads at the ready. We’ve done the hard work for you and rounded up the best trends everyone should have on their radar for the season ahead.

The trends to know from NYFW SS26:

Understated Magic

New York always delivers when it comes to pared back, flawless tailoring, and this was demonstrated with aplomb by Veronica Leoni for her second collection at Calvin Klein, which took the brand back to its muted-yet-beautiful roots. The pieces were utterly wearable yet super covetable; structured slip dresses with bras peeping atop necklines, perfectly slouchy trench coats and delightful denim.

Michael Kors followed suit with a gorgeously fluid collection bursting with neutrals, punctuated by zingy yellow and soft pink, for ‘coolest girl in the office’ vibes, while Tory Burch’s delightful pencil skirt-and-vest combos were modelled beautifully by none other than Emily Ratajkowski.

Cool-girl party wear

We spend much of our time manifesting being at a cooler-than-cool party in New York, so we were thrilled to see that Nicolas Abern (making his debut for Area) got the message and sent models striding down the runway in unabashed maximalist pieces that would garner attention quicker than an ambulance siren going off in a library.

Meanwhile mini dresses that took up proper space despite their minute measurements were also seen at Aknvas while The Blonds showcased their usual heady dose of sparkle. Perfect party girl fodder.

Polka Dot Parade

Thought the polka dot takeover was a flash in the pan? Think again, as cool-girl label Khaite gave the humble motif a big fat stamp of approval by sending Kendall Jenner trotting down the runway in a surprise catwalk appearance in a voluminous grey skirt covered in giant polka dots.

Meanwhile at Altuzurra, polka dots were dinky and demure (much like those spotted at Tory Burch) and slinked down the catwalk alongside sharp leather and thoroughly grown up silhouettes plus fun, textured touches.

At Private Policy, Gen Z approved bubble skirts and crop tops had a spotty touch while Christian Siriano added an old Hollywood flourish thanks to the playful print.

A muted tone worn really well is New York’s speciality, and the hue of approval this season was humble baby pink, which was spotted at Tory Burch (in ladylike silhouettes), and Off-White where it was teamed with black to add edge. An earthier tone was spotted at Michael Kors where it worked in perfect harmony alongside rich browns and soft taupes.

And best of all, everyone’s favourite colour combo – baby pink punctuated with pillarbox red – made a welcome return at Bibhu Mohapatra, Private Policy and Prabal Gurung.

Headscarves

The accessory of the season as dictated by the American fashion capital? The headscarf! As spotted at Sandy Liang where it leaned into the cutesy vibe of the collection as a whole, while at Calvin Klein they added an extra touch to the slick minimalist outfits. Private Policy’s sumptuously soft satin offerings in rich red, bright blue and candy pink added a blast of colour.