NYFW Loosens the Corset — and the Politics of Fashion
- Kaitlyn Rutledge
- Oct 19
- 4 min read
During SS26, New York designers crafted a free-flowing woman in a time of intense political restraint.
If there was ever a time to bring the myth of burning bras to reality, now may be the time. And it seems New York will lead the way.
Amidst sustained tensions across America, New York City hosted its Spring / Summer 2026 presentations, business as usual. Except, of course, for the designers using their platforms to stitch commentary and resistance into their newest collections, like Rachel Scott and Grace Ling.
New York designers are crafting a free-flowing woman in a time of political restraint. Save for a few designers, silhouettes are highlighting the feminine figure in a softer, more liberated manner than in past seasons. This idea opposes the continued popularity of styles favoring a “trad wife” aesthetic across social media. TL;DR: corsets are out; mesh, flowing fabrics, and showing a little skin are in.
Female creative directors — present at Anna Sui, Khaite, Sandy Liang, Diotima, and Grace Ling, to name a few — are particularly tapped into this movement. Designs from these creatives for the SS26 showings leaned into less structured bodices, still following a feminine silhouette. If there was a corset involved in a look, it’s built out to literally allow the wearer breathing space.
While there isn’t much confirmation that these designers are intentionally crafting looks rooted in political opposition, the correlation certainly isn’t lost on the viewer or wearer.
Women and gender historian Einav Rabinovitch-Fox suggests that feminism has long been a fashionable idea in America, harkening back to the dress practices of suffragettes and their predecessors. However, in contrast with styles that have coincided historically with waves of the Women’s Rights Movement, the feminist wave metaphor, and thus associating specific clothing with swells, has become more problematic.
“I think it might be more productive to think about [feminism] not as in waves, but where the conversations are,” says Rabinovitch-Fox. “In recent years, we see a lot more conversations about the body, for example, that we didn't have for years. Of course, the Dobbs [v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision], and trans rights, and all is part of that conversation. And I think even going through a pandemic that the idea of [the] body is really becoming tangible.”
And the woman’s body is always center stage during New York Fashion Week.
This season, Rachel Scott was a standout in the move towards womenswear’s free flow. As the newly appointed creative director of Proenza Schouler, her collaboration with Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez infused a new idea of femininity into the brand. This woman is just as sophisticated as Proenza collections past, but feels less constrained and more vibrant.
As if Scott’s new appointment wasn’t exciting enough, she also made a runway debut with her own brand, Diotima. The collection showcased cherry red and seafoam green tones paired with feathered, sequined, and netted textures amidst a landscape of minimalism across the designer’s contemporaries. In a statement made to Vogue, Scott said the SS26 Ready-to-Wear collection is “a moment of resistance that’s rooted in exuberance, joy, and sensuality, and is against any form of domination.”
Another attention-grabbing look was from Grace Ling — a floor-length gown, whose broad shoulders glide down the chest and torso to cinch at the hip front, leaving much of the midriff bare, as the top connects to a slinking skirt. The cut of the bodice gives the illusion of the hourglass silhouette, but the gown itself offers no point of restriction or manipulation to the body. The model gracefully, sexily glided down the runway, commanding authority in her bodily freedom.
It can be difficult to place attention and importance on fashion in a country losing democratic ground with each new policy proposal. However, clothing offers an everyday opportunity for resistance through bodily autonomy. The ideas of dressing an unrestricted woman, as crafted during the recent NYFW showings, carry political weight and ideas of hope that contrast with invasive government and policy happenings, like the Supreme Court’s current consideration of ruling against Colorado’s conversion therapy ban.
“Why are we dealing with fashion, right? When the world is on fire and there are really serious things to worry about?” asks Rabinovitch-Fox. “But I also think that fashion is a really powerful tool of resistance and of making statements in that world of fire.”
From the fashioning of the Suffragettes to win the vote, to asserting sexual freedom with the mini-skirt, style markers of cultural change are woven into the fabric of American history. Even in the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg fashioned resistance via accessorized collars as she contributed to groundbreaking decisions supporting gender equality, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community, amongst other marginalized groups. As of last month, Connor Ives’ Protect the Dolls t-shirt has raised over $600,000 for the Trans Lifeline nonprofit, once again proving the power of clothing in political resistance.
Fashion can operate as a unifier on both sides of the political aisle. In our cultural environment, perhaps the power of absent corsets on the New York runway functions as an act of political resistance through bodily autonomy.
The body is a political battleground, and fashion adorns this front. New York runways are too important not to keep an eye on in the present moment. Designers like Rachel Scott, Grace Ling, Sandy Liang, Ulla Johnson, Anna Sui, and their contemporaries are infusing their clothes with resistance — one gentle silhouette at a time.
“Even fascists understand the power of fashion,” says Rabinovitch-Fox. 🌀
Kaitlyn Rutledge is a writer, photographer, and Fashion Studies graduate student at Parsons School of Design. Though usually scouring the streets of New York City for the perfect lavender latte, she’s often covered in oil paints or finding zen at the yoga studio. Find her on socials @kaitlynsrutledge.