The Re-flex

The power silhouettes of the ‘80s found new form on the ready-to-wear runways of Spring/Summer 2026. Big slouchy shoulders, boxy blazers, colour-blocking, oversized pussy-bows, neck ties and power-suiting are the new wardrobe must-haves. Trend forecaster WGSN has called it “Nu romantic”: a sense of exuberance counterbalancing the era of quiet luxury and “Recession core”.

This energy was heightened by a wave of debut shows and changes at major houses as designers synthesised the past with a new vision. Several weaved '80s references into cool modernity, and a contemporary version of female empowerment emerged: power and protection (some called it "armour dressing"), strength softened at the edges, the idea of "sculpture in motion": a modern trope for a woman not only taking charge in the workplace but challenging ideas of patriarchy and owning their independence. 

At Saint Laurent, creative director Anthony Vaccarello’s vision for his 30th collection show in Paris presented sexy, self-assured women in a garden of white hydrangeas at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Shirts plunged into oversized pussy bow detailing – the pussy bow has been a house signature since the '70s – but flowery femininity leaned into a harder, provocative vibe, and the shirts were paired with voluminous leather blousons, shades and pointed stilettos. Vaccarello’s sheer nylon trenches – high around the neck, cinched with belts with strong, structured shoulders and a hint of voyeurism – summoned fierce femininity, his collection exploring the duality of modern women.

Chemena Kamali killed it at Chloé. Models power walked in slouchy ankle-length coats of the kind Kim Basinger might have teamed with a trilby and smudgy black eyeliner in Nine and a Half Weeks. Kamali also explored high-necked oversized bomber jackets in supple leather and those staples of the '80s aesthetic: the cigarette and stirrup pant.

Jonathan Anderson's womenswear debut for Dior was big and bow-tied. The creative director presented a new take on the house's iconic New Look silhouette realised through his signature play on proportion.

He opened with a sculptural bow-detailed dress, a motif that also appeared on mini skirts, sculptural blazers, bustiers and a covetable collection of shoes. But any hint of "princess" was skewed, and his voluminous skirts raised well above lady-like lengths.