Luxury Collections: NYFW Fall 2026

Maria McManus may have gleaned inspiration this season from her Irish grandmother, but granny-core this was not. The sustainably minded designer has been jamming to Sinead O’Connor, resulting in fall’s “modern heritage” look. Heritage elements included velvet and bouclé, “old-lady” fabrics according to McManus, as well as pointelle base layers and pearl embellishments. Giving them a modern slant, flannel menswear trousers were cut with extra slouch, while knit cardigans were treated to a shaggy, disheveled finish. The standout piece, though, was perhaps the most punk: a fitted skirt made of recycled python.

Alejandro Gómez Palomo has proven he can design the dreamy and fantastical with his recently rebranded, coed label Palomo. So for fall, the designer continued his spring season’s idea of dressing up. Titled “Limbo,” his coed lineup embraced sartorial wardrobing for the everyday unknowns with fabric innovation, like a tightly knit asymmetric women’s dress or wool skirt suits with cropped jackets inspired by ‘50s couture shapes. The Palomo man has always been sensual, flirty and a risk-taker, as seen through fall’s matador-inspired jackets, but so is his female clientele. This came through a leather lampshade bustier with long silk fringes, exaggerated wool suiting with nipped-in waists, and slick tuxedo pants paired with romantic blouses and sexy tank tops. They were all part of the assured, fun look Palomo has been succeeding with.

Nili Lotan has gone Western — but in her own polished way. Her own cowboy boots, which she said she thinks of as second skin, set the tone for fall. Fringe landed on bags, ruffled shirts peeked out from sharply cut blazers (including oversize takes), and base layers of shearling coats and denim anchored the collection, used generously. This wasn’t cowboy cosplay: it was Western refined through a sharp, almost European lens, with drop-shoulder tailoring, bomber jackets, vests, and the occasional scarf at the neck. The result was clean, crisp and quietly sophisticated.  

At the end of Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen’s fall runway show, the designer took a chilly plunge into a claw foot bathtub, signifying her collection’s theme of rebirth. The designer, known for working with deadstock materials, said she had been thinking about both childbirth and the new energy she’s feeling about her brand. In that vein, she celebrated the changing human body directly through hand-dyed bold red hues; twisted cardigans and coats with slits or buttons at the bust, perhaps for breastfeeding, and intriguing tops with rounded, wired hems that sat over the belly. The collection upheld Whalen’s push into offering more “meaty,” everyday silhouettes while balancing her signature, historically informed élan, like hip-padded and bustled skirts in sporty deadstock nylon, corsetry with garter belts, and tailored riding jackets.

Jonathan Simkhai opted for a presentation this season, sharpening his eye on what he says the brand does well with: evening and event dressing. From his Los Angeles vantage point, it all carried a relaxed sensuality — bias-cut dresses in unexpected proportions, strapless gowns with layers of feathers, and bags finished with hardware that echoed the clothes themselves. For men, the offer felt modern rather than formal, with tuxedo alternatives like zip-up track jackets with satin cuffs and a sumptuous belted car coat. Images of Naomi Watts and familiar faces in the collection anchored his event, showing how Simkhai’s brand of glamor comes together when worn, not just displayed.

In 2021, editor-turned-designer Isabel Wilkinson Schor launched New York luxury label Attersee to fill the gaps in her own wardrobe. For fall, she pushed Attersee into more playful territory with an emphasis on bold colors. Most notable was tailoring layered with red and cobalt structured button-ups with cinch-able d-ring back clips, layered turtlenecks and a great sporty chic double-face cashmere pop-over that added a sporty chic feeling to the line, which played into the “friction between two oppositional ideas” that come together as a “point of harmony,” she said.

Andreas Gursky’s crowd photography and radio television static inspirations came through textural viscose silk suiting and great chunky marled merino sweaters while the tension continued through bugle beaded apron tops against bonded satin trousers with moto-edged details. All in all, energetic new styles that will fit any sartorial wardrobe.

Focused on direct-to-consumer, Amir Taghi goes straight to the source to find out what his woman wants. “She wants to wear Amir during the day, everyday,” relayed the formal-focused designer during an appointment. Well, ladies, he’s listening. A creamy cloqué version of the pant set worn by Gwyneth Paltrow felt both easy and refined. Ditto for Japanese denim separates and simple dresses and circle skirts in warped floral prints. For a day at the office, a nipped-waist black suit with a sculptural peplum would be killer, but tailoring this chic deserves a night on the town, too.

Keith Herron’s 2026 collection, the return of the Space Cowboy, is a play on character study. The return references the character going back into a distant path, a unique one, essentially individualistic and rebelled. Drawing small inspirations from Japanese anime Cowboy Bebop or ’90s funk jazz band Jamiroquai, and reestablishing Advisry’s core mark of the hand. Herron showcases exaggerated hats that were in collaboration with milliner Esenshel where a conventional silhouette is reimagined to explore proportions and nostalgia in a modern but radical way. The glove is reintroduced throughout the collection in a variety of colors, amongst bouclé tailoring, denim and plaid garments — serving as a reminder that Advisry’s core belief is that fashion begins with touch, a feeling.

In tandem with the designer’s seasonless approach, Josie Natori rendered her signature streamlined silhouettes in new utilitarian fabrics, like stretch crepe and matte satin. Although the brand included some warmer outerwear, like the gray fur-knit combo and embroidered jackets, the collection was rife with more evergreen tops and dresses. “What women are really looking for are all the different possibilities to layer and to give attitude,” she said.

Ulla Johnson is expanding her brand universe, in more ways than one. The designer’s fall 2026 offering reflected burgeoning categories as well as her established strong suit. “We’re known for our dresses and silks, but our denim, outerwear and evening are all rapidly growing categories for us,” she said. “I really wanted to put together these very diaphanous things with things that felt very sturdy.” In that vein, she also contrasted jewel tones with pastels, perhaps best epitomized by an early pairing of a dusty rose sweater against fuchsia satin trousers.

As the name of Stephanie Suberville’s brand implies, Heirlome is all about meaningful connections. And for fall, that came through in potter Angelica Morelos’ Michoacán folklore characters. Printed on a silk blouse, the woven baskets they carried were taken alone elsewhere, appearing on a double-breasted blazer and wrap skirt. “We’re always pushing what we do with our artwork,” said Suberville who described these seasonal collaboration prints as “conversational.” Of course, they’re an easy way to draw the eye, but a pair of solid charcoal bustle trousers and a feather-light funnel-neck leather coat will be just as likely to spark up a conversation.

If you haven’t heard about it yet, “looksmaxxing” is beauty’s latest fixation. It is part of a subculture of trans-humanism where people are using AI, lighting filters and more to achieve cosmetic perfection. While remaining true to the brand’s DNA of gorp, heavy metal, and industrial-like garments in denim and leather, Elena Velez juxtaposed this trend with light and fragile pieces, like steel welded corsetry, to push the boundaries of what femininity can be.  

After dissolving into gimmicky merch, the 50-year-old brand Boy London has charged former AllSaints designer Can Tran with bringing the line back from IP death. His initial offering, which stormed the aisles of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Friday, remained faithful to Boy’s antiestablishment roots, albeit with too many Ann Demuelemeester references. Navigating a maze of straps, snaps, D-rings, zippers and removable pockets, this phoenix still has a way to go before it can rise from the ashes.

A Scottish native, Jac Cameron certainly has good advice for cold-weather dressing: “I just pile on the cashmere,” she joked during a fall walkthrough at the Twenty Two hotel. With New York still experiencing a brutal winter, one was tempted do just that by stealing her argyles, cables and funnel-necks right off their hangers to layer on top of one another. Continuing to evolve Rùadh beyond denim, Cameron also offered Victorian-inflected jackets and blouses, oversize suiting and regenerated leather pieces, which comprised a fuller wardrobe that would work just as well in the Highlands as it would on city streets.

For designer Jane Wade, her latest collection “feels the most like herself.” While previous collections closely referenced the designer’s time in corporate America, this season she took inspiration from her childhood adventures skiing and snowboarding with her family in the Pacific Northwest. And the references were there — from the use of paracord detailing, a rayon and nylon blend dress and a batting-lined wrap skirt. The inspiration also came full circle with Wade’s first collaboration with outdoor footwear brand Sorel, which resulted in multiple takes on its Callsign shoe model, including a thigh-high boot, a pony hair version and a mule.

Omar Bertona continued to push the envelope at Bugatchi with his elevated Italian Daydream collection.
The Milan-based designer, whose résumé includes Isaia, Caruso and Maurizio Baldassari, introduced the Made in Italy collection last season, bringing a fresh perspective to the men’s essentials brand without losing sight of its heritage.

As Bugatchi prepares to celebrate its 45^th anniversary, it has successfully moved beyond its roots in shirts and the Italy-made collection sits at the pinnacle. The fall lineup included plaid cashmere cotton blazers, single-breasted suits in a double-face stretch jersey fabric, a range of shirt-jackets, and shirts with a solid exterior and patterned interior that coordinated well with the brand’s core collection.

Marina Moscone gave a masterclass in source material in her fall 2026 collection, which contained all her wardrobe staples — delicate gowns, basque jackets and draped jersey — but upped the ante on their fabrications. Case in point: the brushed alpaca coat whose marled blues drew inspiration from Joan Mitchell paintings, or the bias-cut organza rhomboids creased, crinkled at the edges and stitched together into intricate-yet-unfussy wares.

Add Ossou to the list of luxury brands in New York treating denim like an art form. Inside the Pierre Augustin Rose gallery, where Ossou cofounders Nina Khosla and Talia Shuvalov presented their second collection, a Romanesque sculpture echoed the sculptural fits of their jeans, including a pleated velveteen pair and a trendy boot-leg with creased fronts. Surprisingly, the highlights weren’t denim at all, but shirts and knits in shades of brown, bone or butter that wrapped around the models’ bodies. “Denim is rooted in the West and we loved the feeling of Western blankets,” said Khosla.

Silvia Tcherassi’s fall collection was an exploration in contrasts, pitting soft against bold colors, matte against shiny textures and metal hardware against fluid draping. Leaning away from vacation wear toward red carpet and event dressing, the Colombian designer hit her stride, especially when exercising the bias cut for gowns that looked almost like they could “slide off the body,” she said. 

After whetting appetites with his spring debut, WWD one-to-watch Stephen Biga said he wanted to flesh out the “meat and potatoes” wardrobe of his medieval Mel Usine universe. Taking inspiration from the rearend of a Jules Coutan sculpture, he described the “real Mel” this season as a sexy bread-baker’s wench, dressed in jacquard tailoring or a sheer cape and skirt topped with a leather apron. Biga certainly proved his chops, leaving one hungry for his third course.

After visiting Sanssouci Palace outside Berlin, Libertine designer Johnson Hartig was so inspired by the palace’s architecture and ornamentation that he revamped his fall collection to incorporate elements of the building into the line. That included treillage and sun motifs that he recreated on the elaborate hand-embroidered coats and jackets that have become his signature, along with a range of gold tweeds that referenced the gilded interiors. There were also a number of more subtle patchwork cashmere sweaters, some floor-length, that proved Hartig, who is approaching his 25th anniversary, can still stretch his limits.

What would the Duke of York wear to an underground rave? Just ask Chris Leba, whose R13 collection looked like if a group of punks ransacked an English haberdashery. While he isn’t reinventing the wheel design-wise, Leba sure packs a whole lotta attitude into his style collages. Of this one, he said: “It’s a little Goth, a little ‘30s — it’s the R13 mix.”

Hanako Maeda doesn’t think the uniform and the romantic are mutually exclusive. Having worn school uniforms during her upbringing in New York and Tokyo, the designer wanted to infuse unexpectedly romantic elements into the collection, from puff sleeves on knitwear to asymmetric ruffles off bias-cut tulle. The intent was to dress the more extravagant pieces back with elevated takes on staples. “If you take a very classic tulle skirt with oversize men’s shirting an a cable-knit sweater, it’s more day-to-day,” Maeda said. “I love looks that bridge the gap between everyday and eveningwear.”