Fashion girls don't ask for much, just four weeks twice a year to ooh and aah at new runway collections from New York, London, Milan, and Paris. Now, the most wonderful time of the year has returned: Fashion Month, ready-to-wear Fall 2026, women's edition.
From now until March 11, never-before-seen shows, front row formations, and street style looks will emerge with every refresh of an Instagram feed. So much so, you're at risk of every chronically-online runway fan's worst nightmare: missing a notable moment or two. Never fear: Marie Claire curated the highlights worth adding to your calendar now.
Here's an overview: New York Fashion Week ran from Feb. 11 to 16, showcasing standout stateside labels like Ralph Lauren, Tory Burch, Coach, and Proenza Schouler. Then, the focus shifted to London Fashion Week from Feb. 19 to 23, where Erdem, Chopova Lowena, and Simone Rocha took center stage. Milan Fashion Week is up next—running from Feb. 24 to March 2—with runway debuts from Maria Grazia Chiuri at Fendi and Demna at Gucci. By March 10, Paris Fashion Week stars like Chanel, Dior, and Hermès will have closed the curtain on another memorable Fashion Month.
The "big four" fashion weeks are notorious for flying by. Before you know it, Zendaya or Jennifer Lawrence will be walking a red carpet in a new Fall 2026 design. So to prepare for the next slate of trend-setting collections, here's everything you need to know about each city to make the most of Fashion Month, even if you can't tune in from the front row.
What to Expect at New York Fashion Week
There's no such thing as a slow start to Fashion Month. Marie Claire's fashion editor, Lauren Tappan, said the energy at New York Fashion Week is "unmatched." The street style is as much a spectacle as the actual runways, where "both emerging labels and established brands deliver thought-provoking collections."
Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren presented runway shows before the calendar officially opened, on Feb. 9 and 10, respectively. The former took over the Park Avenue Armory—a location he's returned to frequently over the years—with slimmed-down, '90s-inspired looks at half the widths of previous collections' cartoonish proportions. The latter flooded the Jack Shainman Gallery in Lower Manhattan with equestrian tailoring, knitwear, and not a single quarter-zip.
Rachel Scott's debut at Proenza Schouler officially opened NYFW on Feb. 11. 42 looks spanning shift dresses, monochrome suits, and patterned outerwear introduced "this incredible New York woman who's intellectual, who's tied to the arts," Scott told Marie Claire after the show.
She was also one of the first creative directors to take her final Fall 2026 bow with an "ICE OUT" pin atop her blouse. "If I have any form of audience, I absolutely need to say something," Scott added, standing in solidarity with people affected by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) violence. Later in the week, Collina Strada creative director Hillary Taymour, Zankov founder Henry Zankov, and Maria McManus followed Scott's lead.
Later that day, Michael Kors's show hosted one of NYFW's most star-studded front rows with Uma Thurman, Dakota Fanning, Rachel Zegler, Alex Consani, and more on the guest list. The celebrity sightings continued at Calvin Klein, where guests ranged from Dakota Johnson to Lily Collins. Marie Claire editors still aren't over Johnson and Jodie Turner-Smith's adorable reunion steps away from the catwalk.
Additional calendar standouts from Ulla Johnson and Coach to Sandy Liang and Tory Burch proved "there's no single aesthetic or theme that defines NYFW," Tappan added. (Models hopped down Sandy Liang's Post Malone-lined runway in two-inch bunny slippers, which senior fashion news editor Halie LeSavage called "a slumber party remix of the slipper shoe trend.") "It's endearing and beautifully eclectic, and that's what makes it so special." Catch every available livestream here.
What to Expect at London Fashion Week
Fashion features editor Emma Childs says London Fashion Week is where "out-of-the-box weirdos thrive—myself included." The Fall 2026 calendar was no different with IYKYK fashion houses like Conner Ives, Harris Reed, and 16Arlington leading the charge.
Even so, "the London collections are less about wearability and more about fantasy—art for art’s sake," Childs adds. "No one represents the city’s eclectic style better than Simone Rocha," whose Feb. 22 livestream introduced her upcoming collaboration with Adidas. Hot on the heels of last September's ballerina crocs, Rocha outdid herself with Adidas Tokyo-adjacent sneakers, featuring rows of crystals atop each toebox. The trainers—plus track jackets, hot pants, and triple-striped sweats—are set to launch next fall, all of which "feel very authentically my handwriting," according to her British Vogue interview.
Few cities do punk fashion better than LFW, but that's not to say it's glamour-less. On the contrary: "Last season, Erdem and Richard Quinn—two celebrity red carpet favorites—showed ornately beaded outerwear and evening gowns that took my breath away from the front row," Childs says. Richard Quinn's Spring 2026 motifs—including white rosettes, pearl-encrusted bodices, velvet trains, and bows aplenty—returned on various Fall 2026 ballgowns.
Burberry closed the calendar, in a slot it holds every season. With Olivia Dean, Jodie Turner-Smith, Kate and Lila Moss, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Alexa Chung, Iris Law, and more on the guest list, Burberry earned an honorary trophy for "most celebrity-packed front row."
What to Expect at Milan Fashion Week
Two days after the Winter Olympics concluded, the city shifted gears to Milan Fashion Week. In addition to pillars like Prada, Max Mara, Dolce & Gabbana, and Moschino, Dior alum Maria Grazia Chiuri presented her first Fendi line on Feb. 25. It was every bit a major return: She worked as the label's accessories designer from 1989 to 1999. Senior fashion news editor Halie LeSavage "saw Grazia Chiuri keep her promise to revisit Fendi staples, from the bag silhouettes to the geometric, interlocking 'F' logo, with fresh eyes." What's more, "I also noticed signs of a new, streamlined direction—one that feels a touch more mature than the free-wheeling, sequin-filled bags from last season."
The next day, Marni will welcome Belgian creative Meryll Rogge as creative director, before Demna's initial Gucci show on Feb. 27. (His first collection, Spring 2026, traded the traditional runway format for a look book and short film The Tiger.) Later in the week, after a sophomore show from Bottega Veneta's Louise Trotter, Giorgio Armani's niece, Silvana Armani, will offer up her first Emporio Armani show. Judging by Armani Privé's Paris Couture Week front row (where Silvana also designs), the stars will turn out to support her again.
What to Expect at Paris Fashion Week
The longest "week" of Fashion Month also happens to be the most reliably noteworthy, interim style director Ana Colón says. When the final round of Paris Fashion Week shows premiere, "guests and spectators alike can wrap up their observations from the full season, finalize their trend prognostications, and have a more informed sense of what the next six months hold for fashion," Colón explains.
According to Vogue, 68 shows and 31 presentations will premiere every day, beginning on March 2 until March 10. "The most powerful luxury conglomerates, like LVMH and Kering, are based in the French capital, as are many of their brands; so you can always expect a strong showing from them," Colón adds.
LVMH owns Dior, Celine, Givenchy, and Loewe, while Saint Laurent and Balenciaga belong to Kering. Contrary to the Spring 2026 circuit, which hosted creative director debuts at Dior, Chanel, Balenciaga, Loewe, Jean Paul Gaultier, and more, only one new designer will join the Fall 2026 ranks: Antonin Tron at Balmain on March 4.
On the other end of the spectrum, Pieter Mulier will also take his final bow at Alaïa that day, before succeeding Dario Vitale at Versace come July 1. Off-White's March 5 show will double as a homecoming of sorts, following two years in the NYC scene. Meanwhile, Alessandro Michele's Valentino will transport his Fall 2026 show to Rome as an "homage to the origins and enduring heritage of Maison Valentino," the brand shared in a press release. Talk about a grand finale.
