The SS26 Fashion Trends We’re Looking Forward to & Why

 Every season, spectators, customers, and industry insiders alike look to the runways of Paris, Milan, New York City, and other major cities to decipher early signals for the coming seasons.Last year’s SS26 runways included some of the most highly anticipated shows in years, largely due to the unprecedented number of debuts like Jonathan Anderson at Dior, Michael Rider at Celine, and Glenn Martens at Maison Margiela. While design legends like Junya Watanabe and the late Giorgio Armani reaffirmed their mastery of the zeitgeist, rising vanguards like Feng Chen Wang and Willy Chavarria continued to disrupt menswear codes with diverse perspectives.We’ve curated the most significant design developments that emerged from these collections. Proportions shifted, historical references spanned centuries, and an air of whimsicality was palpable. Silhouettes were scaled to new heights as new design vernaculars blurred the lines between womenswear and menswear. SS26 was not a season for the average; it was a season of emotion and imagination.Here are the trends we’re looking forward to seeing unfold and why they work.The “Dress” ShirtForget the tailor — the SS26 runways say it’s okay to drown in your dress shirt. Imagine your favorite shirts scaled up, reaching below the thighs or even brushing at the ankles. Dress-length shirts came down the runway in various forms, from Vivienne Westwood’s long-line rugby shirt to Prada’s extended workshirts and Loro Piana’s printed tunics. Whereas Dior’s “dress” shirt is so long that it doesn’t need to be paired with any bottoms, others like Ami Paris styled the garment into multi-layered looks.While menswear has had its love affair with the waistline crop for several summers now, hemlines are dropping down far below the hips. Taking ‘oversized’ to the max, these big and breezy shirts can be a lifesaver in the heat by optimizing aeration.Granny KnitsSweaters and cardigans carried a particularly grandma-esque sensibility through details like delicate yarns, as seen in Feng Chen Wang, pastoral scenes as seen in Junya Watanabe, and floral motifs as seen in Amiri. Even solid knits were rendered in gentle hues of baby pink and blue, such as in Louis Vuitton and Margiela.There’s nothing more sentimental than a family heirloom, and perhaps it’s that emotional connection that designers aim to tap into with this season’s knits. While bringing a playfulness to menswear with folkloric themes and quaint details, the granny knit can be an ideal transitional sweater – especially those with mesh-like construction and delicate yarns.Regiment CoatsFrom nylon bombers to leather flight jackets, military-inspired outerwear styles are a fixture in modern men’s style, but rarely do the uniforms of antiquity reappear – until now. The SS26 runways brought them back in full force, with examples of single-breasted, double-breasted, and ornately braided regiment coats.While Ann Demeulemeester rendered faithful replicas,