With fashion becoming expressive, celebratory, and deeply personal, 2026 flips the script on 2025’s season-less dressing. It’s time to cultivate a personal style — informed by individuality. From fluid dresses and relaxed tailoring to practical layering — the overarching vibe will be polished, yet undone. Preppy chic will continue to have a moment, and craft-led styles steeped in heritage will enjoy the spotlight. We get noteworthy designers to predict some distinctive trends which are likely to dominate most of 2026.
Gems and stones
Nikhil’s collection, titled NAIA: Rebirth of a Goddess, features intricate kundan-inspired beadwork
Jewellery, which has enjoyed the limelight as an accessory, will take centre stage as an outfit. “We’re seeing a decisive shift towards jewellery-integrated silhouettes, like in my collection NAIA, too where metal, stones, engineered directly into garments, blurring the line between couture and adornment,” says designer Nikhil Thampi. Nikhil’s collection, titled NAIA: Rebirth of a Goddess, features intricate kundan-inspired beadwork. Embellished gloved sleeves, beaded pallus, and a signature ear cuff that doubles as a strap elevates the pieces into sculptural expressions. Clever multi-way necklines offer versatility, eliminating the need for additional jewellery.
Embellished gloved sleeves, beaded pallus, and a signature ear cuff that doubles as a strap elevates the pieces into sculptural expressions
Metallic accents, jewellery-inspired, armour-like detailing have been seen across board. Another example is of AK|OK Anamika Khanna’s showcase at Blenders Pride Fashion Tour 2025. Anamika’s signature, soft-grunge-inspired pieces peaked with powerful chainmail looks presented as a unified statement, followed by sculptural silhouettes in motion.
For a generation that values individuality over excess, jewellery as clothing offers permanence, drama, and emotion in one statement. As Nikhil puts it: “It’s not about wearing more, but about wearing meaning, where every piece becomes architectural, wearable art.”
All set for corset?
Corsets had quite a run in 2025 and looks like they will continue to dominate the runways in 2026 too.
Evoto
Designer Ridhi Mehra shares, “I’ve been seeing some really exciting trends lately, but the corset has stood out the most, for me. It’s blending seamlessly into modern Indian wear, styled as corset blouses with saris or paired with lehengas, bringing structure while still feeling fluid and wearable. What I love is how it enhances the silhouette without overpowering the look, making it feel confident, contemporary, and still deeply rooted in Indian craftsmanship.”
Designer Ridhi Mehra
| Photo Credit:
PRAMOD
Corsets were prominent on runways at India Couture Week held in New Delhi recently, especially as designers like Suneet Varma and Roseroom by Isha Jajodia styled them with voluminous lehenga, skirts and capes. Bollywood actress Ananya Panday was seen cutting a fine figure in an ornate embroidered corset by designers Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla.
Weaving stories
In 2026, couture will be more instinctive. Designer Abhishek Sharma says, “We’ll see a stronger focus on sculptural silhouettes, organic textures and hand-built surfaces. The future of fashion lies in craft-led storytelling — where emotion, technique and form come together to create pieces that are intimate, intentional and enduring.”
Designers, both in India and globally, went back to the essence of craft, sharing their stories, emotions and thoughts through the power of their instinctual design process. Aseem Kapoor’s collection Akaar, showcased at Lakmé Fashion Week in Mumbai last year in October, drew inspiration from the spiritual and artistic traditions of ancient Peru, particularly the Nazca geoglyphs.
Clear cut
Designer Hemant Sagar of label Genes Lecoanet Hemant observes that there will be a return to clarity. “More intuitive, less noise; that thinking shapes how we imagine Summer ’26. For Genes, it shows up in colour: deeper blues, these watery teals and mints, set against sandier, earthier tones. Everything feels instinctive and direct, rather than decorative,” he quips.
At Chanel, Matthieu Blazy opened the show with a cropped trouser suit jacket
A wave of clarity and a style detox was also seen at Paris Fashion Week with heritage brands like Chanel, Dior, Mugler, Loewe and Balenciaga embarking on a palate-cleansing direction under the aegis of the newly hired artistic directors. At Chanel, Matthieu Blazy opened the show with a cropped trouser suit jacket, which was inspired by one of his jackets that was sliced off at the waist.
Jonathan Anderson’s first Dior prêt-à-porter womenswear SS 26 collection reimagined the house’s distinctive Bar jacket
| Photo Credit:
Alessandro Lucioni
After his successful sophomore menswear showcase, earlier this year, Jonathan Anderson’s first Dior prêt-à-porter womenswear SS 26 collection reimagined the house’s distinctive Bar jacket rendered in shrunken proportions styled with a preppy pleated skirt. Moreover, at Balenciaga, the newly appointed Pierpaolo Piccioli was inspired by a Cristobal Balenciaga couture dress: the Sack Dress of 1957. The designer was moved by its simplicity and radical modernism.
Structured silhouettes
In 2026, gowns and dresses will become expressions of form and intent. Designer Ranna Gill says, “We’re seeing a shift towards silhouettes that hold their shape while still feeling fluid on the body, with sharper cuts, thoughtful draping, and prints that feel purposeful rather than decorative.”
A red carpet staple, the peplum silhouette saw a major revival in 2025, evolving from its 2010s avatar into a more chic, refined, and edited style seen on Hollywood stars like Elle Fanning, who wore a custom black Loewe peplum gown to the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Even Kim Kardashian wore a vintage John Galliano peplum skirt suit for her Paris robbery trial. Be it structured blazers or button-down tops cinched at the waist with subtle flares, the current iteration of peplum favours the 1950s version a bit more than the aughts’ version.
Another structured silhouette which came to the forefront was the breastplate seen on stars, from Kiara Advani’s Met Gala debut in Bravehearts by Gaurav Gupta to Zendaya’s Critics’ Choice Awards appearance in a fuschia metallic Tom Ford bodice. According to Zendaya’s stylist Law Roach, her armour was customised according to the 3D scan of the actress’ body.
Occasion wear is no longer reserved for grand moments — it is about pieces that carry presence, translate across settings, and feel relevant to how women dress today.
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