New York Fashion Week SS26 officially kicked off on September 11, and as always, the city delivered chaos, craft, and a little camp. From Calvin Klein trench coats with hair attached (yes, hair) to LUAR’s Carnival-esque spectacle, designers reminded us that fashion week is not just about clothes — it’s about storytelling, performance, and, in some cases, outright theater.
Here are the standout moments that turned heads, raised eyebrows, and maybe had you rethinking your closet.
Calvin Klein’s Morning-After Hair Fantasy
For her second collection at Calvin Klein, Veronica Leoni decided that wardrobe staples weren’t enough — they needed body hair. Think timeless trenches and blazers draped with hair and shredded fabrics, nodding to the “morning-after attitude.” It was a love letter to cinematic American archetypes with a surreal twist. Leoni called it a “way of being rather than a way of appearing,” but let’s be honest — the hair coats are going to be haunting fashion Twitter for weeks.
Grace Ling’s “Future Relics”
Fresh off her collab with Kylie Jenner’s Khy, Grace Ling doubled down on the whole futuristic-minimalist-savage-but-cute aesthetic. Her SS26 collection turned “found objects” into accessories — padlocks, keys, knives — all serving as biomorphic charms on sleek silhouettes. It felt like raiding an alien flea market and somehow walking away chic.
Area’s Gift-Wrapped Chaos
Area continues to make camp couture its brand DNA, and SS26 was no exception. Starting with sporty-glitzy hybrids and ending with gowns dripping in ribbons and bows, the show felt like it was daring us to add “gift-wrapping inspo” to our Pinterest boards. Denim was twisted, gowns were off-kilter, and the bows were unapologetically extra.
LUAR’s Carnival Explosion
If NYFW had a party, LUAR threw it. Raul Lopez turned the runway into a Carnival dreamscape: cobalt suits, clashing textures, masquerade pom-poms, and accessories you’d spot at both a parade and an art installation. The collection blurred lines between performance and fashion, serving pure drama with feathers on top.
Off-White™ on the Rooftop
Virgil’s legacy continues to evolve, and for SS26 Off-White™ staged its show on the rooftop basketball courts of New Design High School, complete with graffiti murals as backdrop. The collection leaned collegiate but luxe, with vibrant colors and a sneak peek at a New York Liberty collab. Think varsity jackets if they had a trust fund.
Tyler McGillivary’s Mermaidcore (with Sara Paxton!)
Remember Aquamarine? Well, Tyler McGillivary sure does. Sara Paxton — yes, the actual mermaid from the movie — walked the runway with the conch shell, and the nostalgia nearly drowned us. The rest of the “Mermaiden” collection embraced sea siren chic: netted dresses, silver starfish details, and oceanic colorways that screamed splash-meets-Sundance.
Collina Strada’s Double Vision
Leave it to Collina Strada to literally make us confront our shadow selves. In “Shade,” models walked side by side with their “darker” doubles — pastel versions in lilac, butter yellow, and green against their shadow twins in black lace and tulle. The result? A poetic meditation on duality… and the most fashionable therapy session you’ll ever witness.
