Romance Is Rewriting Spring 2026 Fashion: Here's What To Shop
The runways have spoken, and they are absolutely in their feelings.
I've been thinking about ribbons a lot lately. Specifically, the ones at Sandy Liang's show during NYFW earlier this month. Ribbons woven into cardigans and skirt suits, ribbons tied around heels, bows on essentially everything that held still long enough. The collection was inspired by Marie Antoinette living at the Petit Trianon, and the result was exactly as dreamy as that sounds: satin nightgowns worn as party dresses, quilted bedspreads reworked into jackets, girlhood and grandeur and complete commitment to the idea that beauty is enough of a reason.
Meanwhile, the rest of NYFW was busy making the same argument in different words: velvet, lace, ruffles, fringe, and bows across the board. The runways had a vibe, and the vibe was unmistakably romantic.
But here's the thing: fashion doesn't accidentally have a vibe. It reads the room, always. And the room, right now, is exhausted by cheapness in all its forms. The disposable relationship. The effortless everything. The commitment to keeping things light that has turned out not to be freeing at all, but just kind of lonely. Global searches for "romance" are at a five-year high. It proves that the Regencycore wave that Bridgerton set off in 2020 wasn't a pandemic-induced nostalgia trip. It was a signal that people were starving for yearning, for the slow build, for love that was actually worth wanting.
Fashion noticed first, the way it always does. Spring 2026 is its answer, and the answer looks a lot like lace and bows and a brooch your grandmother would approve of.
So, here's what we're shopping this season. Lace in all its intentional, structured, I-meant-to-do-that glory. Cinched and corseted silhouettes that nip the waist without requiring a dramatic exhale. Sheer organza for the occasion you're going to stop waiting for. Statement brooches worn like the thought didn't cross your mind for even a second (it did). Bows and ribbons on shoes, bags, in your hair, wherever they want to be. And one romantic ruffle or fringe detail per outfit—just enough to make the whole thing land. Romance is back on the menu, and spring 2026 is dressed accordingly.