New York Fashion Week in February 2026 was spectacular. Designers played with material, color and patterns. Each label was different, making it exciting to see each collection being unveiled. While this winter’s fashion week was exciting, it was also very informative for this year’s trend predictions.
One major trend we saw at this February’s fashion week was the prominence of the Y2K aesthetic. Many big labels featured Y2K style elements, with accessories, colors, layering and design elements. From this, we can infer that Y2K style will be bigger than ever this year.
However, this is not the only style that was showcased. Here is everything you need to know about the standouts of New York Fashion Week.
Image Credit: Charlota Blunarova from Unsplash
Ralph Lauren
Gigi Hadid returned to the runway in 2026, opening Ralph Lauren’s show on February 12. She wore a black turtleneck with a cropped vest and maxi skirt set in dark brown. This was accented by brown leather boots, bag and a silver, low waisted chain belt.
Gigi’s opening look was honestly my favorite look from this collection. While all of the looks were classy and timeless, Gigi’s look had a playful, modern vibe while still maintaining the signature Ralph Lauren classic style. It also hints that the Y2K trend is here to stay — between her skirt set and belt, her outfit brought back the 2000s in a chic way.
Ralph Lauren debuted their fall collection, focusing on a dark brown color palette. The rest of their collection was reminiscent of Y2K style as well, featuring many low-waisted statement belts, along with big fur coats and even a peplum top.
This show tells us a lot about this year’s trend forecast — it hints at dark brown becoming one of the biggest color trends of the year, as well as the continued return of Y2K style through statement belts.
Image Credit: Thomas Habr from Unsplash
7 For All Mankind
7 For All Mankind had one of the most unique and fun collections of New York Fashion Week. Between bold colors, distinctive silhouettes and tons of accessories, this show stood out. This was my favorite collection of the year. It is playful, fun, unique, while also keeping up with trends.
One element that was very prominent was the use of mini length skirts and dresses. This collection had over half of its looks feature mini hemlines, including Y2K reminiscent micro-mini skirts. There is a huge trend on social media right now that is centered around the words: skirts should be the size of a belt. Multiple of the skirts in this collection channel this trend, with a low-waisted, super short style.
The dresses within 7 For All Mankind’s show are stunning. Many are silk, with strapless or halter necklines and bunched fabric. To keep up with current trends, which is the bold color trend for spring, a few of these dresses were made in bold colors (purple, lime green).
If you want a fur coat for fall/winter, buy it now while it is on sale. Many of the fall 2026 ready-to-wear collections incorporated fur coats, so we can expect to see this become a major trend later this year. These coats also tie back to the statement coat trend, where Gen Z is opting for unique outerwear over basic coats (If you are interested, read my TTM article about statement coats here).
The cherry on top? Accessories. There were chunky layered necklaces, skinny scarves, long gloves and fun bags. Each outfit was paired with multiple accessories, accenting the clothes while simultaneously giving the look a finished feel. These are also a big part of the Y2K aesthetic in this collection because Y2K style typically features a mix of playful accessories.
This also is an indication that one of the big trends for this year will be the comeback of multiple accessories. This collection, along with multiple others, have begun replacing the clean girl/minimalist aesthetic with a quirky/maximalist vibe. We can expect to see maximalism and wearing many accessories begin to get more popular this year.
Image Credit: Michael Lee from Unsplash
Dolce and Gabbana
Dolce and Gabbana’s Fall 2026 collection was almost entirely monochromatic. Many of the pieces were only black, with a few exceptions for white polka dots or stripes. However, this show gave us much more than neutral colors.
Several looks from Dolce and Gabbana’s runway show were partly see-through, many of which included lace details. These ranged from lace dresses to skirts. The lace is the star of the show in these outfits — it is more eye-catching than the item’s level of sheerness.
This collection predicts the future of outfits for a night out. We have seen lace come back into the spotlight with the viral Intimissimi tops. However, Dolce and Gabbana’s show infers that the future of going out outfits will be mostly sheer, while also incorporating a lot of lace detailing. The lace detailing here is the crucial part — we have had trending sheer tops for months, but many do not include lace. This detail could be a huge standout for fashion this year.
While bold colors are going to be huge for spring, it can be inferred that fall will have a more neutral and dark palette this year. Between Ralph Lauren’s dark brown ensembles and Dolce and Gabbana’s black collection, we can predict that fall/winter fashion trends will be the opposite of how it will be in spring.
Image Credit: Highlight ID from Unsplash
Sandy Liang
If you thought bows were finally out of style, you are (maybe sadly) mistaken. Sandy Liang’s Fall 2026 runway show featured many ensembles with bow details. These were anywhere from one bow on a top to an entire dress made out of bows.
One standout part of this collection was how innovative it is. For example, the dress made out of bows is one of the most unique dresses I have ever seen. It is playful and elegant at the same time. Many other outfits featured unexpected elements, such as fluffy feathers on the shoulder seams and a wide range of styles (partly sheer mini dresses to conservative maxi dress/coat outfits).
Sandy Liang’s collection is yet another example of Y2K returning in a modern way because of the ruffles. Ruffles were huge in the 2000s. While they were not made in the same way that they were back then, multiple looks have cascading ruffle details, bringing a new style to a classic trend.
Conclusion
While these four designers had standout collections, there are many others who had great shows as well. New York Fashion Week was successful this year, giving us trend predictions, great celebrity looks and fun designs. Check back in the fall to see if these trend forecasts are correct!