New York Fashion Week was many things, but warm, it was not. Thankfully, the Fall/Winter 2026 season provides plenty of inspiration on the runway for both the pieces that will be available later in the year, and for how we might style our current wardrobes while we patiently (impatiently) wait for spring. The usual suspects were present: luxurious high necked bombers and structured wool coats, rich-toned leather gloves and cashmere knitwear ranging from dresses to pullovers in various colorways (see: Tory Burch). Silhouettes, particularly for the most wearable collections of the week, all felt loose and well-layered for the weather we were experiencing outside, but there was one shape that kept popping up throughout the week: the shroud.
Ashlyn FW26
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Aisling Camps FW26
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The silhouette first popped up at Ashlyn's Fall/Winter 2026 show, where tops had built-in shrouds with rounded shoulders and little front pleats to mimic arm holes. At Aisling Camps, the shroud was interpreted in a chunky, ivory knit, while at Fforme, it was all about pony hair stoles that seemed to lack a beginning or an end. Onto Rachel Scott's Proenza Shouler, where the shroud was wrapped and draped across the body in the form of silk tops and more fluid scarf-like shapes, not dissimilar to Khaite and Altuzarra, who both offered up versions in oatmeal cashmere.
Fforme FW26
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Khaite FW26
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It makes sense, during a moment like the one we are having both from a weather perspective and a political perspective, that we would be drawn to shapes that keep our limbs close to the body. There is a sense of cocooning and protectiveness that comes from the function of the shroud: to wrap oneself in fabric and limit motion, almost like a chrysalis. The urge to keep things close, to protect ourselves.
Proenza Schouler FW26
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Altuzarra FW26
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There was also an urge in New York this season to feel more grown up, and shawl-like silhouettes have always offered an element of sophistication. There is a neatness to a silhouette that cascades over the shoulders and stops just above the elbow–just enough room to still move freely, just inhibited enough to stay relatively graceful while doing it.
