NEW YORK FASHION WEEK SPRING/SUMMER 2026: DAY 2

AREA
review by MAREK BARTEK

all images AREA via vogue.com

Next on the list of designer firsts: Area returned with Nicholas Aburn’s debut, bringing a playful, almost chaotic energy to the New York schedule. Aburn, fresh from Balenciaga couture, spliced downtown toughness with uptown sparkle: cropped cargos with bedazzled drawstring necklaces, denim reimagined into trompe l’oeil jorts and a bow-front mini, and crystal-tangled bandeaus that recalled the brand’s party roots. Eveningwear pushed  even further, from architectural gowns in red and royal blue to basketball jerseys sequinned into dresses. The finale was dedicated to gowns of tinsel, sequins, and confetti sealing the mood. Aburn’s message was clear and loud, letting us know that dressing up is fun again, and Area’s next chapter promises exuberant possibility.

CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION
review by MAREK BARTEK

all images CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION via vogue.com

Veronica Leoni’s second outing for Calvin Klein Collection played with the brand’s icons but at the same time tested her own lens. Staged at the Brant Foundation, she grounded her vision in New York street life. Oversized blazers worn with visible bras and boxers, laser-cut leather robes disguised as terry, and broken suits that looked convincingly lived-in. Though some gestures seemed a little overworked — crinkled looks or a gown woven from underwear waistbands — the strongest moments were simple ones. Perfectly tailored suit sets, a trench over jeans, a paper-thin bomber, effortless layering. Calvin Klein’s legacy lies in stripping away excess. Leoni is circling that idea, and the challenge will be how simply she can land it.

OFF-WHITE
review by MAREK BARTEK

all images OFF-WHITE via vogue.com

Off-White returned to New York with IB Kamara staging his “Fountain of Youth” show on a Lower East Side rooftop, graffiti-splashed and alive with local energy. The collection fused sport, streetwear, and sharp tailoring, combining crystal-studded denim, airbrushed hoodies, body-con knits, and sheer shirts with padded shoulders. It was bold, graphic, and fast, echoing Kamara’s insistence that streetwear is not dead but evolving. Collaborating with the New York Liberty women’s team and nodding to hip-hop’s pioneers, Kamara grounded Off-White in the city’s youth culture. Vibrant, playful, and deeply rooted, it was his clearest expression yet of where he wants to take the brand.

CAMPILLO
review by MAREK BARTEK

all images CAMPILLO via vogue.com

Patricio Campillo’s third New York show shifted from viral slogans to a deeper meditation on craft. Inspired by repetition in Mexican artisanal traditions of basket weaving, knotting, smocking, he re-contextualised heritage through meticulous construction: silk shorts pieced from woven panels, leather-strip bombers, trousers laced with basketry. Despite the labour-intensive techniques, the collection felt light, applied to clean menswear silhouettes of shirts, trousers, and jackets. Campillo framed the work as both a reflection on luxury and a dialogue with Indigenous communities, connecting Parisian feather ateliers with Mexican artisans. Romantic and grounded, the collection proved that refinement and heritage can speak the same language.