For decades upon decades, events like New York Fashion Week (NYFW) were the ones dictating the year’s trends and fashions — but not anymore. Now that we’re in the influencer era, new trends around every corner of the internet are having a say.
If you open TikTok, you’ll surely come across a tiny new aesthetic, whether it be #WinterCore, #MaximalistGrunge, vintage, dad-core, or office siren. By the time NYFW starts, the internet has already moved on and is in a completely different mood, encouraging you to buy something to fit a new aesthetic. Trends that used to be annual or seasonal are now hourly.
To be honest, though, it doesn’t mean NYFW is dying: it means they’re finally being honest about what fashion is. For a few years, NYFW has tried to compete with these micro-trends, and all they’ve done is give us horribly expensive outfits.
They tried so hard to innovate that they made fools of themselves. It was sad to see reputable brands throwing things together at the last minute just to draw attention to their show, like the muddy Balenciaga show. I’m still scared of what they’re gonna do for Paris Fashion Week this year — but I digress.
For the 2026 Fall/Winter shows that started Feb. 11 and ran through Feb. 16, designers aren’t trying to declare a single “next big thing” or make audiences’ eyes bleed with horrendous outfits to make headlines. Their outfits say, “Here is our language.” They take it, remix it, and run with it.
From Michael Kors’ New York Chic homage, blending glamour with tough-structured wool coats, to Marc Jacobs’ mix of teeny pants and hot pencil skirts on the runway, this season isn’t dictating anything; it’s a voice creating an interpretation.
Personally, I loved seeing how the streets looked outside the shows. It finally feels like the nostalgic New York Fashion Week, with people bundled up in bold animal prints, funky hats, and faux-fur coats that deserve their own shine and stage. It’s not about unveiling and discovering the next hype, but celebrating the interpretation that already existed, this time through the eyes of a new generation.
The only reason I understand when people say NYFW has “lost influence” is because it’s competing with its old job: the trend machine. Remember when New York City, Paris, and Milan told everyone what to wear in the next season? Well, that ship has sailed! They reinvented, just as we reinvented, the ways we look for and find our trends.
I’m going to be completely transparent with you: even though I love that we don’t have a small “group” dictating trends, these micro-trends get on my last nerve. Micro-trends fit individuals into boxes and gatekeep the most bizarre things.
They also create bigger trends that spread through communities. I’ve seen it create a middle ground for fashion discussions, from street photos to micro-influencers with 2,000 followers to niche TikTok songs. They make fashion different, but also fun.
Even the runways this February are embracing this energy. Christian Siriano’s inclusive collection was surreal; it was pure storytelling! You felt something, instead of a trend to just copy and paste. Rachel Scott’s debut as Proenza Schouler’s new creative director brought a new voice and energy. Her collection had so much personality and texture that you couldn’t reduce it to one TikTok aesthetic.
Now we can’t talk about NYFW without talking about the biggest elephant in the room: Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren opened NYFW this year and somehow managed to appeal to everyone’s grandparents and to us. It wasn’t too classical or repetitive, but it wasn’t fully modernized, losing its Ralph Lauren appeal.
Again, they weren’t trying to trend-set anything, at least not how they used to. They were giving us a form of “trend,” if you can call it that. A trend that will never go away — a cultural currency; a connection between us and all other generations.
So, here’s my hot take: NYFW and all other fashion weeks haven’t lost their power. It just stopped presenting its controls and all the conversations surrounding fashion. They’ve finally stopped trying to be the trend clockmaker and started being a radio: a voice box.
They’ve refined their ways, from too much structure to muddy runways, to finally spiraling in the creative chaos with us, while still giving some of their house character. NYFW is providing an endless, infinite possibility for remixing what already happens online.
Where the trends used to be set in stone, like the Ten Commandments, NYFW is reclaiming its voice. Whatever they dictated before with a regime of only skinny supermodels, now they communicate it with a regime of mostly skinny supermodels. Honestly, thank goodness! This is much more exciting.
If you feel like NYFW and the other fashion weeks aren’t setting trends like they used to, you’re not going crazy; they’re not… but they’re a lot cooler now. It reminds us that fashion is no longer about a strict timeline. It’s a language, and it’s beautiful.
Maybe next week you’ll find me walking around campus in a 1920s dress, with silver pop-star jewelry and a pair of Jordans… never mind, I’ll interpret NYFW from home!
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest!