“You can actually mix and match colors on top of each other to create an entirely new combination, rather than have to only choose one thing,” said one designer during the fall 2026 shows in New York. “Each one of these things can be almost like an accessory,” said another, gesturing towards a rolling rack of dresses, blouses, and jackets. Both were emphasizing the multi-functional, endless-combination potential that their pieces held. It was a puzzling sentiment considering that clothing, not accessories, tends to be the main event, and yet, it’s all part of new-wave prep’s great revival. Call it: the small plates-ification of American sportswear.
Any New Yorker who enjoys dining out remembers the “small plates craze” of recent years. Seemingly overnight, an abundance of buzzy new places had discovered the idea of tapas. Instead of anti-socially sinking your teeth into your main, a patchwork-tattooed waiter (probably in Williamsburg, asking: “So have you dined with us before?”) would recommend “three to five” shared dishes (cue said waiter: “We can check back in later to see if you’re still hungry”), and a less rigid ritual took place. Our clothing is now doing the same.
When Michael Rider presented his debut vision for Celine last July, many immediately pointed to the overt styling. Rider injected the French house with a fresh bout of his Ralph Lauren Polo-certified prep, layering necklaces upon scarves upon blazers upon cardigans—which themselves were sometimes worn as scarves and necklaces. It was a tempting display for those that order the whole menu. At Dries Van Noten, Julian Klausner was up to something similar, clashing prints in the house’s signature aesthetic cacophony. Back here in New York, an emerging label called Lii was carving its own path. The 2026 LVMH prize semifinalist Zane Li has spent the last few seasons developing his own futuristic take on the layering scheme, filling his collections with bold color-blocking and paper-doll silhouettes that challenge the eye.