The SS26 fashion month has officially kicked off, with New York Fashion Week beginning this season’s proceedings – and there’s a lot to look forward to. With a score of debuts from newly-installed creative directors, as well as plenty of newcomers and up-and-coming designers to have on your radar, we’ve got your full guide to the shows here.

But what of the SS26 collections themselves? To help you get ahead of the curve, I’ll be bringing you all the freshest looks from the runway as they happen. From the latest from the global houses to under-the-radar names about to hit the big time, consider this your cheat sheet to the new season. You’re welcome.

Valentino

As high concept as we’ve come to expect from Alessandro Michele, for SS26 he took inspiration from the writings of Italian poet Pier Paolo Pasolini and art hisorian Georges Didi-Huberman and, in particular, their opposing opinions of the use of fireflies as a metaphor for hope. While Pasolini, wirting in the throes of WWI saw them as a light on even the darkest of nights, Didi-Huberman sees their promise as fleeting and inconsequential, writing, “It takes almost five thousand fireflies to produce a light equal to that of a single candle.”

So, what exactly does that all have to do with clothes? In his show notes, Michele wrote of the ability of fashion to “profane the existing, emanating glows of enchantment and radiant signs brimming with grace.” And, certainly, there was a lot of levity and joy on the catwalk. Colours were classic Michele – a kaleidoscope of blues, pinks, yellows, purples and greens with a nostalgic tint – while ’40s silhouettes were embellished with velvet bows, dainty floral prints, and bold accessories. The inspiration was clearest in a series of sequinned gowns, some even featuring firefly motifs, which closed the show – if you’re a fan of Michele’s disco-meets-Downton-Abbey aesthetic, you’re going to love this.

McQueen

“We push against nature, tempering instinct in the name of order. What happens when we give way, satisfying our deep-seated desires and innate impulses? What does it take to stir and submit to that primal drive?” These were the questions posed by Sean McGirr in the show notes for McQueen SS26 collection, which, in turn, took its cues from 1973 horror classic The Wicker Man.

This push and pull between the allure of the wild and the human instinct for order was seen in repeated references to McQueen’s signature miliatry jacket, seeing it deconstructed, distressed, reimagined through the codes of streetwear, and paired incongruously with frayed bumster trousers. Likewise, tightly cinched corsets and figure-hugging tailoring were matched with voluminous silhouettes, floaty fabrics and light-hearted floral prints. Quintessential McQueen.

Dior

The pressure on Jonathan Anderson right now is undoubtedly immense. Alongside being one of the hardest working designers in the industry, repsonsible for a mammoth 18 collections per year across his work for JW Anderson, Uniqlo, and Dior (equating to one collection very three weeks, including couture), SS26 saw his debut ready-to-wear collection for one of the world’s most famous, and historic, fashion houses. Stepping into the shoes of the much-loved Maria Grazia Chiuri, and himself a much-admired designer in his own right, for whom the moniker ‘genius’ is often bandied about, there was a lot to live up to.

Describing his approach in his inaugural show notes, Anderson wrote, “Daring to enter the house of Dior requires an empathy with its history, a willingness to decode its language, which is part of the collective imagination, and the resoluteness to put all of it in a box. Not to erase it, but to store it, looking ahead, coming back to bits, traces or entire silhouettes from time to time, like revisiting memories. It’s an ever-evolving sentiment and task that is both complex and instinctive.”

All very reasonable. One, after all, doesn’t hire a designer of Anderson’s calibre expecting a carbon copy of house codes, but a pushing of the envelope expressed, as Anderson said, “through the filter of Dior”. This was most readily seen in Anderson’s reintepretation of the Bar jacket: shrunket, cropped and paired with a pleated miniskirt for a look that was equal parts tennis court and board room. While fabrics were resolutely Dior (think soft silks, flowing chiffons and structured wools) silhouettes and details were all Anderson. Among the most successful were voluminous dresses with skirts of interwoven silk, tactile skirts and dresses in tightly ruffled chiffon, and an ‘imploded’ hat that every star will no doubt be clamouring to wear at next year’s Met Gala. A change of pace for Dior, undoubtedly, but then as Anderson concluded, “Change is inevitable.”

Schiaparelli

The show notes offered up after any given collection can often read like the vague, emotional and often inpenetrable musings of a perfume advert. It was refreshing, then, to be presented with Daniel Roseberry's clear-eyed reflection on his latest outing for Schiaparelli, even if its inspiration — the dichotomy between entertainment and true cultural engagement, and the tension inherent in high fashion between artistic merit and wearable practicality — may be less so.

"I leapt at the opportunity to show at Centre Pompidou, particularly in the same gallery that had housed the Brancusi retrospective just 18 months prior," explained Roseberry. "Not because I wanted this collection to explicitly center on the relationship between fashion and art, but because I felt, and feel, that going to a Schiaparelli show should feel like going to a museum: an experience equally inspirational, aspirational, and reassuring. It should feel Iike dancing in the dark — just as liberating; just as private; just as joyful."

On the runway this meant clean lines — silk column dresses, sharp-shouldered jackets — leant the brand's signature surrealist and couture-style elements via trompe l'oiel knitwear, carefully place cutaways, exaggerated embellishment and a distinct palette of black, white an crimson. Or, as Roseberry put it, "Who doesn’t want to participate in a fantasy made easy for daily life? Why can’t fashion — even everyday fashion — be art?"

Stella McCartney

The biggest surprise on the Stella McCartney runway? Not that the British designer largely eschewed her signature slouchy oversized tailoring in favour of flirty minidresses and voluminous gowns, but that it opened with a performance by Oscar-winner Helen Mirren. Shown at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Mirren narrated the lyrics to The Beatles' Come Together; a reminder of the star power behind a brand whose economic woes have set the rumour mill turning? Perhaps, but the collection itself was a true show of creative strength.

As ever with Stella McCartney, there were technical innovations to be admired. Firstly, Fevvers – a sustainable plant-based alternative to feathers – and, secondly, Pure.Tech, which the show notes describe as "the first-ever programmable material that absorbs and neutralises pollutants including CO₂ and NOx, converting them into harmless compounds." Essentially, buy yourself a pair of Stella McCartney jeans and you'll be a really well dressed air purifier. Accomplished, assured and feminine in a way we don't often see from Stella McCartney, this collection was a much-needed reminder that, under the right designer, the coming together of style and substance can actually equate to something transformative.

Lanvin

The sophomore collection from Lanvin creative director Peter Copping, where his debut was a return to tradition and a refreshed look at Lanvin's heritage, for SS26, Copping takes Lanvin's house codes out on the road with a renewed sense of exploration. Keeping the figure of Jeanne Lanvin at its heart, and staged on a runway dressed in 'Lanvin blue', feminine chiffons and cabochon embellishments were met with architectural silhouettes, bold colour choices and a particular emphasis on the back of garments in a modern reinterpretation of the design elements that obsessed the house's eponymous designer. While Lanvin may not shout as loud as its French counterparts, the strong, well executed and coherent vision on display here promises much for the future.

Ferragamo

A 1925 image of silent film star Lola Todd unearthed in the Ferragamo archives led creative director Maximilian Davies to a fresh examination of the Roaring Twenties for SS26. “I was interested in how certain materials, prints and textiles were imported from across Africa and the Caribbean into America and Europe to become a sign of status,” explains Davis. “This was a moment where women were creating a new femininity – it was a celebration of freedom, a reclaiming of self. It was a period when people were creating spaces for themselves and rebelling against societal norms – and that spirit translated into people’s wardrobes.”

In that spirit of freedom and celebration, lines were long and louche, fabrics sumptuous and colours rich and inviting. Metallic silks shimmered throughout, spliced with lace, embellished with feathers or shredded into tassel-style fringing. A masterclass in easy, nonchalant elegance we could probably all take a lesson or two from.

Tod's

Tod's went back to basics for SS26, presenting a refined collection celebrating the fine Italian craftsmanship that has long been its calling card. Named 'Leave Your Mark', at the heart of the collection was the brand's signature Gommino driving shoe, elements of which were referenced with metallic hardware on bags and loafers, and in the leather of shift dresses and skirts. Lightening every was a breezy palette of sunshine yellow, sky blue, crisp white and burnt ochre, punctuated by parasol-style stripes on tailored coats and Oxford shirts. As a grown-up vision of summer on the Italain Riviera, there was a lot to love here.

Fendi

Fendi SS26 by Silvia Venturini Fendi

"It's about a relaxed and colourful sense of ease with a romantic elegance," said Silvia Venturini Fendi of her namesake house's vibrant SS26 collection. "It's not about a single definition but a fluidity between everyday life and exquisite craftsmanship. Simple gestures with complex work behind them. This duality has always attracted me." Set against a kaleidoscopic backdrop designed by Marc Newsom, the collection was a masterclass in colour, imagining a futuristic summer as seen through the classic Italian codes of Fendi.

The real story, as ever with Fendi, was in the fabrics and textures. Crisp, crunchy cottons in a rainbow of hues worked into razor-sharp pleats on skirts and dresses, bomber jackets made romantic with organza collars and frilled cuffs, furs reimagined in latticework weaves and daisy patchwork. Sportswear silhouettes remain strong this season, elevated in lace and chiffon, and accessorised with seriously good handbags. This is the sunny side of Fendi – and I'm here for it.

Etro

If your summer vibe falls squarely in the boho-festival-chic-maximalist Venn diagram, Etro's Marco De Vincenzo has you covered. Taking the house's signature bold patterns and layering them with an anything goes approach, this was a collection all about self-expression, freedom, creativity, and fluidity.

This season's emerging domainant trend – fringing – was in evidence throughout, here rendered in light-refracting beads that crackled and clicked as models stalked an unusually dark runway. Elsewhere, crisp cotton pinstripe shirts were worn over floral prints and bold paisleys, while ruffles and asymmetric hems added volume and movement. When you're looking to kit yourself out for the beach clubs of Ibiza or Mykonos next summer, don't go anywhere else.

Burberry

Moments before the Burberry show commenced on the last day of London Fashion Week, it was announced that the brand had reentered the FTSE 100. Undoubtedly a huge relief for the beleagured British brand, which has undergone a multi-million pound restructure over the last few years to bring it back from the edge, this levity seemed to be reflected in Daniel Lee's latest outing.

Returning to Perks Field in Kensington, Lee drew on Burberry's long-standing connection with the British festival scene for a collection that was visually lighter and brighter than anything we've seen from the brand in recent years. Gone were the thick parkas and heavy tweeds, replaced with a summery palette of yellow, lime, pink and teal, while crochet, cotton poplin, raffia and leather reflected the eclectisism of the global music scene. "Music is about self-expression, originality and belonging," said Lee. "From festivals and stadiums to open-air concerts, every summer the UK comes to life with style and sound. Musicians have always been pioneers – fearless in the way they dress and sound."

Erdem

Ever the esoteric, Erdem Moralioglu honed in on the figure of 19th-century Swiss medium Hélène Smith to inspire his SS26 collection. Shown at the suitably globe-trotting British museum, Smith believed herself to have led many past lives as, for example, a member of the French court, an Indian princess, and a Martian space traveller — offering up plenty of fodder for a hugely beautiful collection.

References to Smith's specific past lives were present in sumptuous teal and cerise Indian silks, pannier-style skirts, majestic floral embroideries, and futuristic laser cut gowns. But Moralioglu also played on the very notion of self-perception, and how it shifts according to age, space, environment and context. Here is a woman dressed for business a pinstripe suite, for bed in a silk dressing gown, in laidback neutrals and scene-stealing neons. Something for everyone then.

Harri

Image: Alexis White

Image: Alexis White

Harri, the London-based design house headed by creative director Jordan Kelsey, made its name on larger than life, inflatable garments that were intriguing on the runway but weren't necessarily all that practical for real life. With its SS26 collection, MuseumWear, the house offered something quieter, more grown-up, but still rooted in its urban, contemporary design language.

"It’s our way of bridging the gap between the art you stand back and marvel at, and the art you carry with you, live in, and move through the city with," read the Harri show notes. "MuseumWear is for people who wander through galleries, who show up to openings, who stay curious, who absorb culture and add to it in their own quiet ways. This collection isn’t about performance. It’s about access. It’s about translating the surreal into the everyday without losing its pulse."

Toga

Toga has long been one of London's go-tos for clothes you actually want to wear. Which may sound a little oxymoronic – we are after all talking about London Fashion Week, where every brand's raison d'etre should be clothes you want to wear – but in a town which made its name on emerging and experimental designers, what happens on the runway doesn't always translate that well to your everyday life. Toga creative director Yasuko Furata, however, has always taken a more measured approach to her experimentation – and SS26 is a case in point.

Named 'Ordinariness, Mediocrity, Versatility', Furata found inspiration in a video of the artist Claes Oldenburg, leading her to an interrogation of what makes the seemingly ordinary become special. "After showing the previous collection, which addressed form and formality, I wanted to create pieces distanced from the complex and intellectual or the appearances thereof," explained Furata. "But I didn’t want to make something merely upbeat. Instead, I hoped to more simply capture things as they are and generate new forms from them." What this translated to was the seemingly everday – A-line skirts, Oxford shirts, tailored shorts, flip flops – elevated via long ruffled hems, cleverly draped fabrics, layered silhouettes, and offbeat accessorisation. Pretty, covetable and undeniably interesting.

Tove

Given the quiet self-confidence and assuredness with which Tove presents each new collection, it is remarkable that the brand has only been in existence for six years. Where other fledgling brands might be tempted to resort to Instagram-worthy staging, flashy brand collabs or gimmicky venues, founders Camille Perry and Holly Wright have stuck to their guns; offering up season after season of understated sophistication.

For SS26, this meant an exploration in subversion – of dresscodes, of gender coding, and of the very way garments are constructed. Broad-shouldered masculine tailoring was cinched tightly at the waist and redesigned in reverse, exposing the back for a flash of feminine sensuality. Soft fabrics and romantic layers were reworked into the service of structured asymmetric dresses and armour-like croc-effect leather was manipulated into cascading folds. This is the woman we all want to be when we grow up.

Richard Quinn

Opening with what proved to be the only true supermodel of London Fashion Week – an appearance by Naomi Campbell – Richard Quinn presented his vision for an old-school night at the opera this season. Held at the historic Sinfonia Smith Square in Westminster, and staged to a live performance by the English Chamber Orchestra (including a highly dramatic rendition of Eurasia's Give a Little Respect), this was everything we have come to know and love Quinn for: couture-level craftsmanship, intricate embroidery, bold floral prints and unabashed glamour.

An antidote to the all-athleisure-all-the-time mode of modern fashion, where even tailoring for the office feels a tad too formal for most, Quinn's collections are always a much-needed reminder of the joy there is to be taken in dressing up. Am I suggesting you wear his ballgowns to Tesco? Of course not – and the parade of no fewer than 14 bridal gowns that closed the show were evidence that these are very much gowns for special occasions – but should you decide to be just a little bit extra for your next trip to the theatre? Well, that's quite alright by Quinn.

Ahluwalia

Presented in the elegant glass atrium of the NoMad hotel and soundtracked by what is quickly becoming this season's hottest accessory, a string quartet (see also: Kent & Curwen and Richard Quinn's full orchestra), for her SS26 collection, Affinity, Priya Ahluwalia drew on cinematic depictions of romance. With inspiration running the gamut from Shakespeare to Bollywood, and with references to the Nigerian god of love and fertility, Oshun, Ahluwalia's typically eclectic take on colour and print was realised in recurring motifs of cherubs (particularly effective when acid washed on recycled denim), paisley and Indian embroideries.

Silhouettes ocillated between romantic draping, intricate knotting and relaxed tailoring, with Ahluwalia also offering up two of this season's emerging trends: bubble hems and fringing. Oh, and trainer fans will be pleased to see that the brand's sell-out collaboration with Puma returns this season. The latest black and silver tieration drops on 26 September – mark your calendars accordingly.

Carolina Herrera

Leaving behind its long-standing home on the New York Fashion Week schedule for the first time ever to stage a show on Madrid's Plaza Mayor, creative director Wes Gordon took inspiration from both the city's 17th century heyday and its 1980s La Movida movement to create a collection that was flamboyant and feminine in equal measure.

“Madrid has always been one of my favorite cities in the world — rich in history, art, and culture. It’s home to incredible creatives with a unique approach to beauty and joy,” said Gordon. “There’s something about this city’s rhythm — its appetite for life — that inspires and energises me and is deeply aligned with the Herrera woman.” The collection offered a neat suffusing of Spanish spirit with the brand's signatue sophistication. The classic Herrera florals, for example, were present and correct but offered in the form of carnation (Madrid’s flower and emblem of beauty), violettas (a nod to the city’s native sweets), and the Retiro rose, cultivated in the park’s historic Rosaleda. Colour palettes, too, melded timeless monochrome with flashes of sunshine yellow, scarlet and lavender. The results? Accomplished and utterly gorgeous.

Mithridate

For SS26, Mithridate creative director Daniel Fletcher looked back to the hedonistic world of the 1980s Sloane Ranger to create a collection firmly rooted in the quintessentially British idea of town and country. Playfully interlacing the ideas of a 'town wardrobe' (business shirts, tailoring, and loafers) and a 'country wardrobe' (jersey rugby shirts, carpet bags and cable kint jumpers), the vibe was at once modern and nostalgic: romanticising an era of excess, dressing for dinner and old-school travel while offering up contemporary ways to wear those very same evening dresses now.

His second outing under the newly-revitalised Mithridate brand, Fletcher is bringing a thoroughly British sensibility to this Chinese fashion house — and with true English practicality, his clothes remain some of the most wearable on the runways. With his debut AW25 collection about to hit stores, don't be surprised if you suddenly start seeing this label everywhere.

Coach

Images: Isidore Montag

Presented at NYC's Pier 36, Stuart Vevers' latest for Coach conituned the deisgner's interrogation into modern American style with a collection aimed squarely at the brand's burgeoning Gen Z customer. “For spring, I thought about a delicate balance of polish and shine with grit, a pairing I think of as very New York," explained Vevers. "By grit, I mean resilience, and the beauty of how the city comes back to life every morning. The glamour of the steel and glass made more beautiful by the bleaching sunlight, the patina of time, and the buff and burnish of life in our shared city.”

On the runway this translated to a palette of black, white and neutrals, distressed detailing, burnished leathers and long, laidback silhouettes. Layers were very much the order of the day — Coach continues to excel at everyday outerwear — with the collection largely doing away with dresses in favour of slouchy separates as part of a co-ed show that made little distinction between pieces for men and women. An accomplished, and undoubtedly commercially successful, outing.

Michael Kors

A fan of neutrals? Then you’re going to find much to love in Michael Kors’ SS26 collection. Themed ‘earthy elegance’, and incorporating inspiration from Kors' own beach house, this collection was all about slouchy oversized tailoring, draped silhouettes, warm, natural tones, and a simultaneously polished but laidback form of chic.

It’s you but on a really good day or, as Kors explained, when you’ve just returned from holiday. “The simple truth is that escapism helps us tremendously,” said Kors. “So many of us live urban lives, and when you travel, you learn about yourself, you learn about other people, you learn about life. It’s nature that always knocks us out, but balanced with elegance and sophistication – that’s everything I want this collection to convey.”

Off-White

After a two-season hiatus, Off-White returned to NYFW with a love letter to the city’s black culture – and its enduring appeal on mainstream pop as we know it. Staged on the rooftop basketball courts of the New Design High School, both in tribute to the creatives the school has produced and the next generation of talent destined to come from it, creative director Ib Kamara presented a co-ed show characterised by a bright palette of pastel purple, lemon yellows, baby pinks and olive greens made fierce by graphic panelling and sleek silhouettes.

“Disco, hip-hop, graffiti, and what is today known as streetwear all flourished in the cradle created by African creatives who chose the city as their playground,” said Kamara in his show notes. “Most of these phenomena happened in the 1970s, when freedom, invention, and sensuality bloomed in an urban environment that, by glaring contrast, was dire and gritty, permanently on the verge of bankruptcy. Call it invention as resistance, personal expression as a means of survival. There is a vitalistic [sic] force to this urge which is forever empowering. This collection is ideally charged with that same energy and spirit, but there is nothing nostalgic about it. Rather, I am after the sense of urgency and presence that’s equally and quintessentially NYC.”

Collina Strada

Image: GoRunway

Image: GoRunway

Named ‘Shade’, Collina Strada’s SS26 show was a high-concept affair inspired by the inner ‘shadow’ selves and dark impulses we all repress but, in our troubled times, appear to be letting slip with increasing frequency. On the runway this translated to a visually striking collection featuring 24 pairs of identical looks; one representing light, and the other shade.

Silhouettes retained the brand’s signature prettiness via ruffles, flowing lines, floaty fabrics and sparkling embellishment, and, on the light side, were offered in a soft palette of sherbet yellow, cream, sky blue and lavender. All of which, of course, served to underline the starkness of the all-black looks next to them, which could have felt gimmicky were it not for the extent to which the concept was taken. Models were dressed not only in black looks but also black body stockings and mesh face coverings that blurred the features. They were also paired with models of similar heights and builds, walking a few steps behind to reinforce the idea of the shadow self. Equal parts creepy, ethereal and beautiful, this is how to make a political statement with fashion.

LaPointe

Image: Janice Yim/ Kessler Studio

Image: Janice Yim/ Kessler Studio

Presented at the brand’s recently unveiled New York atelier to a front row including Jonathan Van Ness, Jodie Woods and Suede Brooks – all of whom were no doubt eyeing pieces for their next red carpet appearance – the LaPointe SS26 collection was all about ‘look at me’ statement dressing. And feathers. Lots of feathers.

Playing with transparency, embellishment and the juxtaposition between modest silhouettes, peekaboo cut-outs and barely-there fabrics, these are dresses destined for big, glamorous events and underscored by an appreciation for fine craftsmanship. "For Spring 2026, I am returning to my roots as a fine artist and painter,” explained Sally LaPointe. “Each look was conceived as an individual painting – carefully layering textures, colours, and techniques to stir visceral emotion, leaving the viewer with a sense of inspiration and allure." Masterpieces indeed.

Read more: How to get involved with London Fashion Week SS26