Straight From the Streets of NYFW: 6 Trends Fashion's Coolest Dressers Are Wearing

Consider this your fall shopping list.

New York Fashion Week spring/summer 2026 street style.
(Image credit: Steph Geddes; The Style Stalker)
Allyson Payer's avatar
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For some, mid-September means back to school and the start of football season. For fashion people, it means it's time for another New York Fashion Week. NYFW spring/summer 2026 is wrapping up, and the beautiful weather in NYC means the show attendees have had the freedom to wear their best looks—sans concerns about puddles and umbrellas. While the runways have been filled with upcoming spring trends, the fashion crowd has been embracing all of the latest fall trends to view the collections over the past week.

I put my fashion-editor sleuthing skills to work and examined hundreds of outfit photos in search of the trends that popped up the most outside the spring/summer 2026 shows. Six, in particular, caught my attention repeatedly, and they happen to be some of the most wearable fall trends. Below, see them IRL on the streets of NYC and shop the standout fall trends for yourself.

Checks, Please

Step aside, stripes and polka dots—the It classic print of fall is plaid. The fashion crowd incorporated plaid into their NYFW wardrobes via shirts, skirts, dresses, and outerwear, giving their outfits a preppy-chic feel in every instance.

Woman wearing check print clothing during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: Steph Geddes)

Woman wearing check print clothing during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Woman wearing check print clothing during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Woman wearing check print clothing during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Shop Checked Pieces

Lace Everything

Of all the street style trends I spotted at this season's shows, romantic lace was probably the most prominent. Whether as an accent or head-to-toe lace, the fashion crowd went wild for the trend. If you want some fall shopping inspiration, I highly suggest adding a lace piece or two to your list.

Woman wearing lace clothing during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Woman wearing lace clothing during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Woman wearing lace clothing during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Woman wearing lace clothing during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Shop Lace Pieces

Red Accent Sweaters

For the past several seasons, there's been an It red piece, and the buzzy piece for fall 2025 appears to be the red accent sweater. To attend the shows, the fashion crowd wore them draped over their shoulders, around their waists, and layered underneath outerwear. There's no easier way to add a pop of color to your outfit.

Woman wearing a red accent sweater during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Woman wearing a red accent sweater during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Woman wearing a red accent sweater during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)

Woman wearing a red accent sweater during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Shop Red Sweaters

All the Animal Prints

As I'm sure you recall, last fall was all about leopard print. It's still very much a thing, but this fall, all animal prints are on board. Spotted outside the shows (in addition to leopard) were snake, zebra, and cow print. You can go the subtle route and incorporate the trend via an accessory or make a statement with a dress or jacket. Either way, you'll look incredibly forward this season.

Woman wearing animal print clothing during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: Steph Geddes)

Woman wearing animal print clothing during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Woman wearing animal print clothing during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Woman wearing animal print clothing during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Shop Animal-Print Pieces

Column Skirts

Flared skirts are lovely, but the trend all over the sidewalks of New York for the past several days has been column skirts. Think of them as longer pencil skirts. If you ask me, it's one of the chicest, most elegant trends of the season, and I love seeing how the show attendees styled them. (More often than not, it was with basics.)

Woman wearing a column skirt during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Woman wearing a column skirt during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: Steph Geddes)

Woman wearing a column skirt during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Woman wearing a column skirt during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Shop Column Skirts

Tan Outerwear

The brown-outerwear trend of last fall and winter is still alive and well, but the outerwear color I saw again and again on the streets of NYFW was tan. Whether in the form of a trench, barn jacket, or bomber (to name a few), tan was everywhere I looked. Like brown, it's one of those outerwear colors that looks elegant no matter what you wear with it.

Woman wearing tan outerwear during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: Steph Geddes)

Woman wearing tan outerwear during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Woman wearing tan outerwear during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Woman wearing tan outerwear during NYFW S/S 26.

(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

Shop Tan Outerwear

Allyson Payer
Allyson Payer
Senior Editor

Allyson is a senior editor for Who What Wear. She joined the company in 2014 as co-founder Katherine Power's executive assistant and over the years has written hundreds of stories for Who What Wear. Prior to her career in fashion, Allyson worked in the entertainment industry at companies such as Sony Pictures Television. Allyson is now based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She holds a BFA in theater arts. Her path to fashion may not have been linear, but based on the number of fashion magazines she collected as a child and young adult, it was meant to be.

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