The key trends shaping autumn fashion

Fashion is treating September as its own New Year. New York, London, Milan and Paris have already previewed the autumn-winter 2026 collections, and brands are now turning runway ideas into campaigns before the final pieces reach stores.

The season brings a clear invitation to take risks and have fun with clothing. After several seasons dominated by the clean look, social media’s messy-girl aesthetic is pushing fashion in a different direction. Stronger colors are replacing grays and neutrals, fabrics are gaining texture and volume, fitted trousers are returning as oversized silhouettes lose ground, and accessories are becoming more elaborate and eye-catching.

The change will not happen all at once. The codes of the 1990s remain visible, including Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel effect and the fashion house’s iconic jacket-and-skirt combination. The pencil skirt has become one of the season’s key pieces. Marc Jacobs revisits office dressing with straight tailored skirts and satin fabrics, while Tom Ford and Tory Burch use leather as a contemporary alternative. Saint Laurent looks further back to the 1980s with menswear-inspired suits and pronounced shoulder pads.

The new color palette is broad. Purple and red are taking over from summer’s turquoise, appearing in monochrome looks as well as accessories. More daring combinations follow the principles of color blocking, creating contrasts associated with the style of Cyndi Lauper and Madonna in that era.

Animal prints are also expected to remain prominent. Leopard will compete with zebra, snakeskin and the bambi pattern, while Dries Van Noten combines animal motifs with jacquard. Across the collections, the season’s defining tension is between past decades and a more playful willingness to combine colors, textures and shapes.