September in the fashion industry is, in many ways, a resetting period. Think of it as the new year’s resolution for the Spring/Summer period. This is especially so for New York, who leads the calendar in shows, giving us a taste of what’s to come alongside its European counterparts in London, Milan and Paris.
Last week, New York Fashion Week concluded, giving tastemakers and menswear enthusiasts alike a look into the proverbial crystal ball of what Spring/Summer 2026 has in store for the season. One theme stood out above all others: a reimagining of traditional menswear. Brands like SIVAN, Todd Snyder, Bugatchi and J. Press showed that while the classic contours of menswear remain, there is plenty of room to inject personality and redefine the classics.
Designers Rethinking Menswear
Sivan
Jack Sivan’s eponymous line, SIVAN, drew inspiration from the everyday rhythms of New York life for the brand’s inaugural runway show, SIVAN Boulevard. A diverse cast of models brought these scenes to life, embodying the city’s commuters, errand runners and night-life seekers, while highlighting Sivan’s mastery of soft tailoring and his reimagined approach to menswear. “For this collection I wanted to capture the rhythm of commuters moving down a New York block,” Sivan explained. “Our work begins with tailoring, but expands into pieces that live on the street; clothing you can imagine being worn from day to night, office to bar, in step with the city.”
The collection leaned on traditional suiting, reinterpreted through Sivan’s creative vernacular. While the base palette of navy, grey and tan felt familiar, strategic pops of color – from pink to mint to a bouquet of red roses—challenged the boundaries of classic menswear and emphasized a joyful sense of self-expression. Accessories reinforced the city-centric narrative: one model carried a bucket of paint with a brush tucked into his chest pocket, another held a bouquet of flowers, and commuters carried briefcases supplied by British heritage brand Ettinger. “It was an honour to see Ettinger bags featured in Jack Sivan’s debut at New York Fashion Week,” the brand said. “Our heritage of British craftsmanship and timeless design found a natural place in a show that celebrated diversity and a modern approach to tailoring. To be part of such a fresh and forward-looking vision on the New York stage is something we are truly proud of.”
Models were cast to reflect Sivan’s commitment to inclusivity, a principle central to his bespoke philosophy. “If my job as a tailor is to make clothes that fit, then it’s only right to show the wide range of people they’re meant to fit,” he said. The result was a collection that celebrated the eclectic energy of New York, combining craft and character, tradition and immediacy, in a wardrobe designed for life on the city streets.
Todd Snyder
Todd Snyder’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, La Buena Vida, captured the effortless ease of a sun-soaked, vacation-minded wardrobe with a twist of faded glamour. Inspired by the Graham Greene version of Havana—bygone, a little sexy and full of intrigue—the collection played with the tension between classic menswear and a more relaxed, adventurous sensibility. Sueded linen Ricky jackets, silk suits with shorts, high-waisted trousers and belted field jackets combined structure with ease, while lounge shirts in oversized Flamenco dots and awning stripes added personality.
“La Buena Vida isn’t so much a destination as a state of mind,” Snyder said. “It’s the faded glamour of Havana in the 1950s mixed with the swagger of a guy, wearing a linen suit, who just stepped off a seaplane in Miami in the 1980s. There’s an inherent push-pull to the clothing, between the structure of the tailoring and the soft sensuality of the silhouettes.” Through his own lens and a bit of history often lost by most designers who seek to reimagine menswear, Snyder looked across the Gulf of Mexico rather than across the Atlantic, adding depth and narrative to each look that feels refreshing in its celebration of male sensuality on the runway.
Bugatchi
Bugatchi’s Spring/Summer 2026 Made in Italy capsule reimagines traditional menswear through a distinctly Italian lens. Under the creative direction of Omar Bertona, the collection draws inspiration from midcentury Italian style, the sun-soaked villas of Lake Como, and the rugged beauty of Pantelleria Island—the same Mediterranean gem Giorgio Armani referenced in Milan earlier this summer—offering a sophisticated wardrobe that is anything but boring. Tailored pieces—lightweight jackets, linen and silk suiting and cotton-cashmere track sets—sit alongside casual staples, while exclusive handmade prints inspired by local flora bring personality and ease to the collection.
Fabrics are carefully sourced from Italy and Europe, blending buttery-soft cotton-viscose, linen and silk to create airy, wearable clothing that moves with the body. Across the collection, Bertona balances the precision and structure of classic menswear with playful touches—oversized prints, textured knits and relaxed silhouettes—showing that refinement doesn’t mean a need to be restrained by any principle of traditional menswear to still be sophisticated and timeless.
J. Press
Perhaps the most anticipated runway show of New York Fashion Week came from a century-old prep institution, J. Press. The excitement was fueled by the brand’s new leadership under creative director Jack Carlson, whose debut collection for Fall/Winter 2025 offered a vivid reexamination of prep, blending the heritage of Ivy style with Carlson’s signature irreverence. Using the familiar vocabulary of J. Press—soft-shouldered blazers, khakis, button-downs and Shaggy Dog sweaters—as a foundation, the collection explored broader narratives in menswear while remaining rooted in tradition.
Archival references and editorial flourishes brought the collection to life: a red tailcoat and Tyrolian Janker paid homage to Carlson’s time in Oxford and Kitzbühel, while boatneck knits straight from Take Ivy and handcrafted accessories from vintage college pennants injected whimsy and craft. Carlson also reinstated the original J. Press “Ivy” blazer format and revived the iconic red-on-white label across categories, reinforcing the collection’s ties to heritage while allowing for playful reinterpretation.
The show was a hit on social media, resonating with both long-time enthusiasts and a new generation of menswear fans. Prep served as both lens and canvas, showing that J. Press can honor tradition while delivering personality, narrative and a distinctly modern energy. As a debut, it marks a strong opening for Carlson to make his mark, continuing to define and expand the boundaries of prep and menswear while keeping the aesthetic modern, vibrant and relevant.
Where to Next?
With New York behind us, London, Milan and Paris take the stage, featuring an exciting array of menswear designers and collections. See the full fashion calendar here.