NYFW SS26 color trends: From brights to pastels and burgundy

Although New York’s runways appeared to be dominated by black, white, and a wide range of neutrals, there was no shortage of vivid brights and soft pastels—ideal for adding a lively touch to spring collections while remaining commercially appealing.

Sunshine Yellow

A sunshine bright shade of yellow emerged as the standout mood-booster. Designers used it for a variety of fabrics, from chiffon to gabardine and mixed with neutrals, monochromes and pastels.

Prabal Gurung SS26

Look 13: a yellow chiffon turtle-neck blouse with a split-front and single shoulder over pale blue chiffon pants.

Sergio Hudson SS26

Look 23: a high-waisted yellow mesh pencil skirt was shown with a cropped tie-front white shirt.

Tory Burch SS26

Look 19: a yellow cotton gabardine split front skirt with a black leather belt and a grey polo neck knit top.

Bright Red

We’d have to look back many seasons to find a moment when bold red was absent from New York’s ready-to-wear runways. In an era marked by heightened tension, the color red continues to stir passion, intensity, and desire in equal measure.

Leesle SS26

Look 8: a wheat-colored two-piece suit with an Asian style jacket and red piping. A red vest was layered over a neutral one with a red print.

Phillip Lim SS26

Look 2: A red wrap skirt with a stencil print and a broad white border was shown with a grey silk top with lace trim.

Bibhu Mohapatra SS26

Look 26: a pink satin suit with a bolero jacket over a purple bralet, and mini skirt trimmed with red and worn with red over-the-knee boots

Deep Burgundy

As a counterbalance to the brights and pastels, designers leaned into rich berry hues and deep burgundy—a palette carried over from Resort ’26. These darker, mood-laden tones can replace black and brown or mix with lighter tones.

5000 SS26: designed by Taylor Thompson

Look 2: a burgundy zip-front funnel neck jacket over a grey pinstripe vest and matching slim pants.

Lafayette 148: designer, Emily Smith

Look 11: relaxed burgundy pants and a pink long-sleeved blouse with a double draped front detail.

Marina Moscone SS26

Look 16: a burgundy dress with an asymmetric sleeveless pleated top and ankle-length pleated skirt.

Pale Blue

A cooling counterpoint to the warmer brights, this particular shade gave a modern twist to classic ‘baby blue’ and was an easy color to mix with other shades.

Brandon Maxwell SS26

Look 13: a blue swing shaped button-down shirt with a herringbone pattern and a sheer overlay was layered under a similar shirt with stripes. They were shown over blue skinny jeans with ripped knees and an exposed weft.

Cynthia Rowley SS26

Look 27: a zip-front technical jacket and matching knickers, both in color blocks of blue, white, pink and ochre.

Kate Barton SS26

Look 20: a pale blue jacket in a semi sheer technical fabric over a pink high-cut maillot with white stripes.

Coral Reef

Straddling the line between pink’s softness and orange’s vibrancy, nothing signals high summer like the color coral. On NYFW SS26’s runways, coral tones offered vitality, playfulness, and adventure.

Alejandra Alonso Rojas SS26

Look 20: a coral-colored brocade relaxed jacket with colorful embroidery over a white corset and matching overlong pants.

Ulla Johnson SS26

Look 37: a lighter coral-colored flowy blouse with a ruffle front over darker coral-colored textured pants.

Frederick Anderson SS26

Look 13: a coral-colored soft satin boat-necked cropped top with matching relaxed pleated front pants.