This season, American designers place themselves at the center of their mood boards – the image of themselves they want to recreate in new collections.
Marc Jacobs draws on his own eras – 1993, 1995, 1998, 2003, and 2013 – as sources of inspiration, placing them alongside 90s Prada and the legendary Ellen vintage store on the Lower East Side.
Michael Kors, celebrating the brand’s 45th anniversary, draws inspiration from the Fall 1998 show. He also notes that despite years in the industry, his client base is expanding with a new generation that values heritage as much as modernity.
Some of these nostalgic imprints are not surprising. Ralph Lauren, the tartan authority of American fashion, has always highlighted Ralph Lauren as his favorite designer – and who could blame him? Lauren’s philosophy of combining the old with a wildly expressive character explains why his brand remains relevant.
The question is whether these nostalgic turns will help the American industry, which has faced tariffs, fragile retail, and restricted access to markets due to the social-media energy. Is this remix of old classics meeting the needs of clients who seek vintage and things from the past, or is it only a way to dodge market realities and the rich marketing noise? Are designers mostly pampering consumers who, growing into a style, expect something beyond just a new piece? Either way, Instagram and starry looks continue to influence consumer choices, sometimes diminishing the value of true quality and originality of items.
Nostalgia as a Test of Modernity
For the fashion scene this is a real dilemma: is the present-day world so overloaded that returning to the past becomes a noble escape, or, conversely, the responsibility of the creative leader is to offer something truly relevant and capable of shaping today’s style?
After so many years in business, I already have a third generation of clients. I often hear that girls steal things from their grandmothers.
Marc Jacobs, in his publication, contemplates where fashion is headed now. His minimalist 90s shapes with muted yet glamorous details emphasize an era when influencers and stylists were alive before the rise of clickable content – but times have changed. At the same time, clothing should remain not only a conservative solution but also carry a note of surprise: wearability plus distinctive details, such as expressive socks or dresses with refined tailoring. Otherwise, fashion risks losing its meaning.
At Lauren’s, clients expect not merely pieces following fashion trends, but a wearability concept: a fusion of vintage motifs with expressive details – double pleats, a coin belt, and a soft leopard scarf – which come together in his individual pieces. After the return to masculine silhouettes on the Milan show, fans sought stylistic cues precisely in his approach. He creates items that blend heritage and modernity – quirky yet functional details that appeal to those seeking a personal style.
However, not every designer can offer a “new version of the old” – often funds or charisma are lacking. American designers are trying to do more: they seek to combine ambition with real style, rejecting excess in the name of a true image. Thus, for example, showing a long pale-blue sleeveless vest that contrasts with a neon palette can be an instance of how refined details can create contemporary charm. Pieces that are comfortable to wear and at the same time unexpected – these are what give modern fashion its meaning.
Two designers stand out in emphasizing this line: Kors with expressive outerwear, where New York style makes the coat a gateway to street elegance, and with unexpected details that create a distinctive look. Another talent is Wes Gordon of Carolina Herrera, who invited muses from the art world as inspiration – this creates looks where city-dwelling women’s wear combines simple silhouettes with expressive accents. Such choices can be a path to a new understanding of what “urban elegance” means in the modern world.
There are also those for whom the past becomes a pattern too deep to move forward. Some design houses dive into retro moods so deeply that comfortable progress seems a myth. But others have found a way to blend heritage with the future, creating bold yet rational faces for the urban woman that do not lose touch with reality today while still valuing history.
In this context, Calvin Klein demonstrates a distinctive approach: the third season under Veronica Leoni aims to merge the aesthetics of past decades with modern minimalist expressiveness. The brand turns corporate luxury into a kind of dialogue between past and future, while preserving the charm of American style that does not simply repeat the classics but reinterprets them for contemporary needs.
More broadly, the richness of the past identifies new voices and styles that deftly weave heritage with today’s vision. They create rational yet ambitious solutions for the urban woman, preserving historical depth without hindering forward movement.