12 Things We Loved from FW26

The FW26 collection, shown on Wednesday night – the first official day of NYFW – was a banger, simply put. Tory’s starting point was the idea of style, not fashion. At a time when the world feels chaotic, she wanted to ground her vision in pieces that have endured for decades, if not centuries, and then delicately reinterpret this style canon through proportion and technique. It made for fashion that hit the precious sweet spot where feel-it-in-your-bones nostalgia converges with want-to-wear-it-now freshness. It was a collection rich in detail and storytelling, so much so we needed a few days to fully process. Without further ado, the things we loved most…

In the show notes, Tory spoke about “classics shaped by history and utility.” Among these, the Shetland wool sweater, which is both airy and light but extremely warm and durable. Ours came in primary colors with a slouched silhouette, and were especially cool half-tucked into leather pencil skirts. Another play on a venerable knit — a navy boatneck with a dotted pattern in stitched raffia, in place of a traditional intarsia.

Another show, another iconic venue. This season it was the Brutalist Bauhaus masterpiece by Marcel Breuer on the Upper East Side. The raw concrete space was tempered by the beautiful runway set: a grid of warm wood paneling and yellow-tone carpeting – the sort of aesthetic push-pull that Tory loves. The Breuer, built in 1964-66, has been through multiple incarnations: the Whitney museum, the Met Breuer, the Frick Madison and now the home of Sotheby’s – officially known as Sotheby’s at the Breuer. The legendary auction house has hosted sales for the collections of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1996), Maria Callas (2004, 2007), Leonard Lauder (2025), and in a delicious bit of synergy, Bunny Mellon (2014, 2017). Read on!

Rachel Lambert Mellon, best known as Bunny, was an iconic horticulturist, landscape designer and philanthropist. A good friend to Jacqueline Kennedy, she redesigned the White House Rose Garden in 1963. Her exquisite yet restrained approach to design, a longtime inspiration to Tory, could be seen throughout the collection. It took full flight in the new Bunny Knot, a detail discovered by Tory on a quilted cushion in her Antigua home, originally owned by Mellon. On the runway, the simple crisscross knot was dotted on soft diamond quilted handbags, made into sterling silver jewelry and blown-up as gleaming hardware on chic high-vamp shoes. If you want to delve deeper into Bunny’s world, we recommend Bunny Mellon Style, with a lovely foreword from Tory.

Tory believes that truly stylish people operate by instinct, not rules. She loved the chic incongruity of summer-coded accessories worn with fall and winter clothes. This bag, based on a style Tory carried to Grateful Dead shows in high school, is handwoven by the artisans of Marasim, a social venture founded by the inspiring Nidhi Garg Allen, that promotes and preserves traditional craft. The woven leather belt, another summer staple with, yes — history and utility – was reinterpreted with an amped proportion and compelling color story. In her review Vogue Runway executive editor Nicole Phelps, wrote, “[Tory] may have single-handedly turned the woven leather belt into an It item, too.”

Coat: The printed calf-hair coat from Resort ’26.
Top(s): A wool gauze henley, a FW26 outtake, layered under a navy The Row v-neck sweater.
Pants: Resort ’26 wide-leg pants in wool with a faded grid pattern
Jewelry: A sardine brooch, borrowed from FW26.
Sunglasses: XL Wraparounds from SS26 (coming in April)
Handbag: The new Lock duffle, a FW26 outtake
Shoes: The FW26 round-toe pump in navy

Another wonderful rule-breaking moment: rich hand-done embellishment on the coziest of knits. You can almost hear Diana Vreeland in your heads, Why don’t you… wear gilded embroidery on a Tuesday morning? The FW26 embroidery is created through a traditional Indian technique called badla, using hammered gold and silver threads to create a dimensional pattern.

Marine motifs are a perennial reference for Tory. Our shell jewelry is a summer staple and has some very chic fans. Here, ultra-slim sardine pins brought a flash of silver to sweaters and coats. The vintage-inspired fish pendants were a more expressive statement — an articulated design with moving scales and a head that opens up to stow secret cargo.

Tory talked about “clothes with a history” — pieces that had a purpose originally and through time, we came to associate our own stories with them. Corduroys can trace their roots back to ancient Egypt and later to the uniform of both the Monday-to-Friday working class and weekending upper crust in Europe. But Tory relates them to her father, Buddy, who had a pair of well-loved yellow corduroys.

On the runway, they showed up in apricot- and sandy-colored wide-wale. The spirit of Buddy’s style could be seen throughout the whole collection. “My dad had one approach to style and design,” she said. “’Be true to yourself and don’t try to be something you’re not.’“ Wise words!

I’m not a regular braid. I’m a cool braid. Hairstylist Guido Palau wanted a simple, sleek look with a hint of edge to throw it all off. He and his team sectioned models’ hair to create the illusion of an undercut with a traditional single braid. “It’s a bit skater,” Palau explained, “but very well done, with a groomed finish.”

Along with requirements to physically be in the office, work dress codes have splintered. We loved Tory’s modern proposal for looking professional and polished in way that’s not boring or cookie-cutter: the mix of tailored textures, measured dose of color and accessories that feel like an expression of individuality.

Confident use of of color is a Tory USP. Exhibit A: this trio in a lush palette of poppy, chartreuse and mandarin, which offered three different takes on a chic low-waist silhouette. A drop-waist with a standaway shape in washed silk, a body-skimming tank with twisting pleats and folds, and, last, an evolution of the fluid draped and knotted jersey that Tory has played with over the years. It’s about options and what suits you best. Surely, Bunny and Buddy would approve!

While playing Pass the iPhone, our front row crew — including Marcello Hernandez, Tessa Thompson, Amanda Seyfried and Yuqi — was adorably goofy as they gamely mugged for an impromptu video.

And that’s our dispatch, everyone. We leave you with a celebratory shot of Tory and her cast of beauties. Tell us what you loved most from the show!