New York just turned the page on a new fashion mood. Across the SS27 runways, colour came alive, femininity took unexpected turns, and familiar silhouettes were given a playful new attitude.

From romantic forms and whimsical prints to softer tailoring and expressive proportions, the signals for the season ahead are already clear.

We’re watching the runways, decoding the shifts and looking ahead .. so you know what’s coming next."

MOOD 1 . WHIMSY, WITH A TWIST

If there was one through line across New York this season, it was joy. Tory Burch called her show The Joy of Getting Dressed, and it showed  embroidered, embellished cardigans styled over pencil skirts, pastel pleats softening sharper shapes, colour combinations chosen for the sheer pleasure of wearing them. Michael Kors brought his own version of playful romance to the runway with sculpted tailoring, feminine cut-outs and polished, '60s-inspired silhouettes, while Monse leaned into deconstructed florals, petal-cut lace and sculptural tulip appliqués for a softer, more painterly take. Bibhu Mohapatra pushed the mood further still, drawing on the eccentric spirit of Marchesa Luisa Casati for saturated colour, sequins and dramatic silhouette  proof that femininity this season came with a wink, not a whisper.

MOOD 2. COLOUR TAKES OVER

Spring's usual soft palette got a decisive shake-up. Diane von Furstenberg the house that introduced the wrap dress back in 1974 took a no-holds-barred approach to colour and pattern this season, sending a fluid, one-shouldered silhouette down the runway in chartreuse, fuchsia and violet. Prabal Gurung's "Ray of Light" turned volume itself into the statement with a feather-cascaded red gown, while the street style circuit outside the tents ran just as bold, with bright yellow, orange, vivid blue and confident colour-blocking replacing anything too safe.

MOOD 3. SCULPTED & MODERN

After several seasons of soft, undone dressing, New York brought back architecture defined shoulders, clean lines, and silhouettes built with real intention. This was fashion as design object: considered, precise, unmistakably modern.

MOOD 4. BACK TO 60's

Mod prints and playful proportions brought a distinctly retro energy to New York this season  nostalgia styled with a modern edge rather than played straight. Tartan and graphic pattern-play showed up across multiple collections in unexpected silhouettes, while polka dots made a ladylike, runway-scale comeback in voluminous skirts and cinched bodices. Off the runway, the mood carried through the street style crowd too, with metallic outerwear, floral pencil skirts and saturated colour proving the season's retro references were anything but costume-y.

MOOD 5. HERITAGE, REIMAGINED

The season's most significant moments came from designers looking backward to move forward. Henry Zankov opened New York's calendar with his debut for Diane von Furstenberg the brand's first official show in nearly a decade staged on the High Line and built around what he called "body language": the same liberated ease that made the brand's original wrap dress a symbol of freedom fifty years ago. 

And in the week's most anticipated return, Sabyasachi Mukherjee brought his collection Bengal Byzantine Broadway to the New York runway for the first time in nearly twenty years seventy-two looks pairing denim, plaid and cowboy hats with Indian craftsmanship and jewellery drawn from a collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.