Loose Threads
The Jonathan Anderson for Dior ready-to-wear is in stores now and it’s more commercial and wearable than the runway pieces. I’m starting to “get” his Dior aesthetic more, but it’s very specific and sweet and I wonder how big the audience for this is. Thoughts?
Gwyneth Paltrow talked to Ethan Hawke for Vanity Fair about being a “nepo baby,” a term she called “quite ugly.” Hawke said, “People think it’s about doors being opened for them. That doesn’t matter. Doors get opened and closed for people and they either blow it or they don’t. But everybody is given a hand of cards.”
Hacks stars Meg Salter and Paul W. Downs parodied Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet’s orange Marty Supreme outfits at the Critics Choice Awards over the weekend and the result was chef’s kiss. Downs told Refinery29 on the carpet, “It’s like, reduce, reuse, recycle, rewear, you know? That’s the thing.”
@refinery29 And the best bit at the @Critics Choice Awards red carpet goes to…Hacks stars @Meg Stalter and @Paul W. Downs for “accidentally” channelin... See more
Sarah Jessica Parker will receive the Carol Burnett Award at the Golden Globes on Sunday, which is not at all a bad way for her to cap off the whole saga surrounding And Just Like That’s demise. The award is “presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to television on and off screen.” The red carpet images will be unavoidable on social media, but is anyone watching the ceremony?
Linda Wells’s report on the rich people stuck in St. Barths after New Year’s for Vanity Fair is a delight: “An AI investor named Tom O’Regan threw a ‘Stranded in St. Barths’ party at a villa. ‘Castaway Vibes & Tropical Beats!’ read the invitation. The dress code was ‘survivor chic.’”
And now, onto today’s big story…
10 Fashion Predictions for 2026
At the top of 2025, fashion was full of promise. We were awaiting eight designer debuts at major brands including Chanel, Givenchy, Tom Ford, Celine, and more. This seemed like SO many… until it ballooned to 15 debuts, and people got so excited about it that we started calling the Spring 2026 season the “Great Reset.” It wasn’t just another fashion month, it was supposed to be a whole new path forward for clothes and the industry at large. With sales slowing at luxury brands, things seemed sure to turn around with all this newness.
Only, things did not turn around. Instead, many wealthy clients got turned off, the resale market boomed, and brands re-issued old styles instead of coming up with new ones.
I like to start my annual predictions list by reviewing what I got right and wrong a year ago. Overall, I did pretty well! I was right about the Met Gala enjoying more cultural relevance than it had since the Camp-themed gala in 2019. After bizarrely celebrating the Gilded Age and He of Many Problematic Quotes Karl Lagerfeld, people were happy that the event finally celebrated Black creative talent.
I was also right that luxury price hikes would continue, although brands found a convenient excuse for these in Trump’s tariffs. Hermès raised handbag prices around 5 percent in the U.S., citing just this. However, luxury price increases slowed considerably in 2025, rising by an average of 3 percent between January and May versus a high of 8 percent in 2022, according to UBS.
Next, I truthfully had no idea we would reach what was seemingly Peak Facelift in late 2025, but I predicted that aspirational shoppers would invest in their faces instead of luxury goods. There is evidence this is happening. Interest in cosmetic procedures seems to be surging thanks to social media, while many consumers have said they would pull back on apparel purchases.
Finally, my rapid-fire designer debut predictions were pretty on-point. I was right that fashion people would love Matthieu Blazy’s infusion of pretension at Chanel, and that Michael Rider would try to come out swinging at Celine with a new “It” bag (which ended up being basically an old “It” bag). But — something I did not get right — not as many mid-range brands broke out as I expected. Instead, seasoned luxury buyers were more likely to go for secondhand products over more affordable, lesser known brands.
Looking ahead to 2026, the fashion industry is not in the best spot. Luxury sales may improve after six flat consecutive quarters, but growth is expected to be modest at best. Brands are struggling to re-engage wealthy clients disillusioned by price hikes and underwhelmed — if not downright turned off — by changes in creative direction. All the while, consumer attention is only getting harder to come by in social media feeds clogging with AI slop. And then, there’s the Bezos infiltration of the industry that many find quite distasteful.
Ahead, my predictions for 2026.
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