Prabal Gurung Spring/Summer 2026
New York Fashion Week continues to be a mirror of the times - fluid in form, yet bold in vision. Designers gravitated toward silhouettes that felt expansive and free, crafting movement into every step. An atmosphere of festivity, bold colors, and theatrical detail that pushed past the ordinary. Beauty mirrored this mood with experimental twists and flashes of bold creativity, while a quieter narrative unfolded backstage - an emphasis on radiant skin and thoughtful care, grounding the season’s exuberance in a natural, effortless glow.
Here are five key trends we spotted during this season’s Fashion weeks.
Puffed-up pants
Michael Kors / Altuzarra / Ashlyn / Adam Lippes - Spring/Summer 2026 - The Impression
Voluminous trousers are making a bold return. Once dismissed as casual weekend wear, the balloon and harem-inspired silhouettes have been redefined on the Spring/Summer 2026 runways, offering a sense of ease without sacrificing elegance. Billowing fabrics, playful cinching at the waist or ankle, and exaggerated proportions transform the pants into a statement piece.
- Michael Kors elevated the silhouette with fluid draping and sleek monochrome styling, proving the voluminous pant can move seamlessly from laid-back to refined. The look felt modern, elegant, and surprisingly sensual.
- Brandon Maxwell & Adam Lippes refined the shape by tucking structured tops into the billowing waistline, creating a sculpted, hourglass effect. Their take balanced exaggerated volume with precision tailoring.
- Ashlyn & Collina Strada pushed the drama further, showcasing bold colors, textures, and playful proportions. Their designs embraced the pant’s theatrical edge, capturing the season’s carefree and celebratory spirit.
- Altuzarra embraced bold experimentation with color, material, and texture. From burgundy leather to desert taupe balloon trousers, paired with snakeskin accessories, the collection proved that taking sartorial risks can deliver striking, unforgettable results.
Joyous celebration
Area / Christian Siriano / Luar - Spring/Summer 2026 - The Impression
The runways this season shimmered with a carnival spirit, where fashion became a spectacle of color, texture, and movement. Designers embraced excess with unapologetic joy, transforming festive motifs into high-fashion statements that captured the exuberance of summer.
- Area leaned fully into celebration, sending models down the runway with confetti-like embellishments and iridescent details that shimmered under the lights. Metallic finishes and playful textures gave the collection a sense of motion, echoing the energy of parade and performance.
- Christian Siriano translated festivity into couture glamour, with neon-bright gowns and sculptural silhouettes that radiated optimism. His palette of hot flashes and glowing tones channeled the spirit of carnival while remaining rooted in red-carpet elegance.
- Luar brought the carnival directly to the runway, infusing his collection with a theatrical edge. From dazzling textures to dynamic accessories, the pieces embodied community, joy, and spectacle—an ode to fashion as both celebration and cultural commentary.
Teal shades
Ashlyn / Laquan Smith / Zankov / Tory Burch - Spring/Summer 2026 - The Impression
A deep, aquatic teal surged across the NYFW runways, emerging as one of the season’s defining colors. Neither subdued nor overpowering, it struck a balance between elegance and vibrancy, offering designers a versatile hue to reinterpret through contrasting textures and moods. Paired with neutrals or presented in head-to-toe statements, teal brought a fresh sophistication to Spring/Summer 2026.
- Ashlyn showcased teal in fluid, sculptural silhouettes, using the shade to emphasize form and movement. The color amplified the architectural precision of her tailoring, adding a bold yet refined edge.
- Teal’s sultry edge came through in body-conscious cuts and glossy finishes, transforming the shade into a symbol of confidence and allure. LaQuan Smith positioned the hue as a bold alternative to the season’s neon spectrum, pairing vibrancy with unapologetic sensuality.
- When paired with earthy browns, teal revealed a more grounded sophistication. At Tory Burch, the contrast elevated American sportswear into something both practical and chic, softening teal’s intensity while highlighting its versatility.
- A glittering teal dress shimmered under the lights at Zankov, transforming the shade into a statement of vibrancy and joy. The sparkling finish elevated teal beyond daywear, proving its power as both playful and glamorous.
Colorful lashes
Ulla Johnson / Collina Strada / Eckhaus Latta - Spring/Summer 2026 - The Impression
This season, lashes became the canvas for experimentation, replacing traditional blacks and browns with flashes of unexpected color. From sky blues to frosted whites, the beauty look was playful yet subversive - equal parts whimsy and rebellion.
- At Anna Sui, pastel-blue mascara brought a dreamy bohemian spirit to the collection, a softer nod to maximalism that brightened the gaze without overwhelming it.
- Eckhaus Latta, working with Isamaya Ffrench, turned lashes into something ethereal. Translucent white extensions caught the light like snowfall, leaving behind only a whisper of shimmer and shape, giving models an otherworldly aura.
- For Collina Strada, color became a clever accent, with feline-inspired eyeshadow paired with vibrant flashes at the outer lashes. The detail was playful yet symbolic, echoing the brand’s themes of sustainability and animal symbolism.
- Meanwhile, Ulla Johnson, translated the trend with delicacy, incorporating subtle tints of yellow shade that felt modern and wearable, making the runway look accessible beyond high fashion.
Care radiance
Ashlyn / Eckhaus Latta / Altuzarra - Spring/Summer 2026 - The Impression
This season, radiance was redefined. Instead of glassy, high-shine skin or layers of contour, the focus shifted to thoughtful preparation - skincare as the ultimate beauty statement. The glow was born backstage, through facials, hydration masks, and partnerships with skincare houses, turning the runway into a quiet celebration of care and authenticity.
- At Altuzarra, the look was intimate and fluid -bare skin with the faintest hint of dew, reflecting the collection’s understated elegance. Ashlyn emphasized purity and restraint, sending out models with untouched complexions that softened the sharper edges of her architectural silhouettes.
- Eckhaus Latta made backstage part of the spectacle itself, collaborating with Dieux to showcase under-eye patches as models walked. It was beauty in progress, an embrace of transparency that reframed skincare prep as performance.
- At COS, minimalism took form in hair and beauty alike. Loose, barely-there ponytails paired with powdery nude lips projected a quiet nonchalance, the kind of understated chic that feels effortless yet intentional. Calvin Klein, meanwhile, stripped things back to their rawest expression: skin laid bare, matte and unadorned, lips washed in neutral tones. It was minimalism pushed to its extreme, redefining power not through excess but through restraint.
The CIC Take
Spring/Summer 2026 was defined by a spirit of liberation and play, where joy, experimentation, and care intertwined across fashion and beauty. Exaggerated silhouettes, carnival-inspired exuberance, bold splashes of color, and radiant skin all spoke to a season unafraid of contrast, where spectacle met restraint, and creativity found balance in authenticity. In a cultural moment shaped by shifting values and evolving expressions of beauty, designers used the runway not just to dress the body, but to celebrate individuality, ritual, and the sheer pleasure of self-expression.
This is just a snapshot of our analysis from Fashion Week - contact us for our latest in-depth NYFW Spring/Summer 2026 report.