NYFW: REAL CLOTHES FOR REAL WOMEN
From left: TWP, Proenza Schouler, Kallmeyer, DVF.
By Christine Morrison
5 Minute Read
Age diversity was lacking at the SS27 shows, while models with muscles were rarer still. But the clothes better reflected modern women who live life in motion.
NYFW always brings the promise of renewal, and this season is no different. Spring/Summer 2027 was rooted in history, as fashion houses revisited archival ideas and familiar codes, while striving to adapt to the changing lives and priorities of women.
Designers recognize the women they’re designing for have changed significantly; our approach to aging and health now prioritizes strength and longevity, and bodies—thanks in part to GLP-1s—have become an even larger part of the cultural conversation. At the same time, the fashion industry has been building an intimate relationship with athletes and sports culture. But despite this proximity to strength, the runway ideal of women’s bodies remains thin.
What did appear in abundance was well-loved familiar fashion. Donna Karan reissued archival dresses through her ‘Icons’ collection, but this season they reflected an even greater ease and fluidity. DVF’s cult-classic wrap dress returned to the runway, along with variations on its body-draping design in ballerina tops, draped T-shirts and skirts. At Proenza Schouler, Rachel Scott revamped the 2008 “It” bag, the PS1, into the softer PS1 Walker, purposefully maintaining a connection to those who loved the brand from the start. But not every romp through the archives remembered the women who wore these clothes the first time. Tommy Hilfiger mined his ’90s greatest hits for a runway full of youthful celebrities, while Ralph Lauren paired familiar signatures with pieces that skewed decidedly younger and sexier.
But this season’s fashion did evolve: it was more fluid, at ease and increasingly designed around the realities of our lives. Unlike the oversized silhouettes that have dominated previous seasons, the ease and sense of feeling undone did not depend on excess volume. From Kallmeyer and Proenza Schouler to Michael Kors (who distinctly called out “anti-oversized”) and Calvin Klein, NYFW designers showed the difference between clothes that give the body room and those that make the body disappear. Defining shape rather than trying to erase it. Even Khaite, known for structure and sharp tailoring, moved toward more romantic, lingerie-inflected silhouettes and softer proportions.
The waist, in particular, was a main attraction, with designs focused less on revealing the body than embracing its shape. TWP showed chic utility belts and apron skirts; Sandy Liang reworked the fanny pack into a playful utilitarian accessory; Jamie Haller and Connor Ives showed cummerbunds; Kallmeyer used both as well as peplums to define the waist. Tibi continued its modular apron waists and double apron skirts this season while Norma Kamali defined and drew attention to the midsection with ruching and cut-outs. DVF debuted a new artistic director and pieces beyond the wrap dress that cocooned the body rather than constrict it.
Attention also shifted to the flank, as Proenza Schouler showcased low-slung skirts, cut-outs and draped construction that drew the eye to the side of the torso. Prabal Gurung, whose collections have often featured corsetry, stepped away from that structure in favor of gauzy gowns and looser-fitting dresses, a move that mirrors his belief that women deserve the freedom to move through clothes rather than be constrained by them. Rachel Scott, in her second season at Proenza, may have articulated this shift most clearly: clothes should adapt to women.
For aging women, this matters. As our bodies shape-shift, we’re often conditioned to believe fashion’s answer is either manipulation or camouflage. This season suggested an alternative: clothes that acknowledge who and where we are, without asking us to disguise or change. At the same time, the introduction of more technical fabrics, utility-minded details and pieces designed around the constant movement of women’s lives make traditional American sportswear and activewear feel increasingly conjoined. Tibi founder Amy Smilovic designed explicitly around the unpredictability of a woman’s full day. Several brands, among them Donna Karan, Monse and Simkhai, presented polished clothing with stretch, weather resistance and greater resilience. Fashion with as much functionality as aesthetic appeal.
This shift feels significant, not only because of the industry’s growing infatuation with sports, but because it echoes the original purpose of American sportswear — dressing women for increasingly fast-paced lives. Nearly a century ago, as women’s roles expanded, clothing became less restrictive and more functional to prioritize ease and freedom of movement. Today, as strength, longevity and physical capability shape how more of us think about our bodies, fashion is once again designing around women in motion.
Yet despite that emphasis on our capabilities, physicality remained largely absent from runway casting, which is discouraging after Fall 2026 had been widely hailed as a breakthrough for older models. This season, casting returned to familiar patterns, with thin, lean and predominantly young models walking the shows. Of course, there were exceptions and brands we applaud: Sabyasachi opened with 57-year-old Christy Turlington, TWP closed with 53-year-old Carolyn Murphy, 51-year-old Dominique Jackson appeared at Connor Ives, and 42-year-old Alexa Chung walked at Tory Burch. But these remained exceptions rather than evidence of a broader shift.
Select women designers are also pushing beyond fashion’s notoriously thin and young casting norms. Rachel Comey has long cast women across ages, while Zoe Latta of Eckhaus Latta has consistently broadened the runway with a range of ages and body types. This season, Daniella Kallmeyer joined that effort, opening her show with size-14 model Ashley Graham (in a fitted dress, no less), followed by models of various ages. Collectively, these designers expand not only how women are dressed, but who feels seen.
Representation is about more than recognition. It reflects a larger change in how women are thinking about their bodies. And more of us are training for strength, not the scale, with muscle now tied as much to aging well as to appearance. Off the runway, how we value the body is shifting toward what it allows a woman to do, rather than simply how little space it occupies.
Fashion has started designing for the women we are becoming. It’s time the runway reflects us, too.
