Once again, it’s September, and Fashion Month is just beginning.
With so much of the world going through serious communal and social change, both good and very bad, this season’s Fashion Month could hit a crescendo and make a huge splash and statement or choose a more subdued path of solace. What will the colors be? The textures? The designs? The structures? What will we see?
I know for sure what I would like to see: more natural materials, more innovation in women’s silhouettes and much more size inclusivity. Somewhere within the last few years, that conversation has gotten lost, and we need it back.
And since we’re diving into Spring/Summer 2027, will the colors finally get brighter?
For the last few years, we’ve been living in deep browns, tans, grays, blacks and greens. Maybe that has reflected the world around us, which has often felt like a sad and bleak place. But fashion’s consistent ability to reinvent itself could become a catalyst for visual change.
Fashion may not solve the world’s problems, but it absolutely helps shape how we see ourselves, what we value and what we imagine next. We have gotten better about moving away from animal skins and fur, but I’d also love to see much more upcycling and reworking of real archival pieces, paired with materials that feel intentional, beautiful and built to live in. That could truly make a difference in what younger generations, Millennials and Gen Z, want to buy. The desire is there. The creativity and astute eye just have to meet it.
And what we’ve already seen from Ralph Lauren’s Spring 2027 ready-to-wear collection feels like a promising peek into what I hope could be the path ahead. Iridescent and ombré color palettes are making a comeback, with shades like butter yellow punched up and made richer. The silhouettes feel liberated, more opulent and fanciful, with playful accessories and details like deep turquoise, jacquard prints, feather boas, feathered-collar vests and dramatic sheer gloves.
There’s denim alongside dyed pleated organza gowns, silk chiffon in iridescent rosy pinks, metallic golds and, to close the collection, a deep black-and-gold chain-mail frock. This is more of what I want to see: color with intention, softness with strength, and pieces that still feel feminine and spirited without losing their polish. Ralph Lauren’s ability to marry classic structure with something freer and more romantic feels especially right for where fashion could be headed next.
I want livelier colors. Bolder hues. Not clownish, but rich shades that make a statement. I want to see what soothing strength looks like when it’s tailored this time around, through jackets, trousers, skirts and dresses. I can’t wait to see what New York Fashion Week has to offer this year. I want to see what American designers are really going to put forward.
European designers often seem to have a leg up in certain areas, but I’m rooting for American designers to make a stronger statement this season. I also want to see who shows up from the new school, like Rachel Scott for Proenza Schouler. Who feels fresh? Who feels necessary? Who feels like they have something to say?
There’s nothing like the present. And to say the very least, the Love Fraîche woman has places to go and wants clothes that can take her there. Give her more color. More imagination. More inclusivity. And garments worth showing up in.
We’re just getting started.
We’ll be back.
