At New York Fashion Week, Necklines Are High
Ruffled, ruched and strangely regal, high necks are apparently everywhere at the moment.
In pursuit of feeling sexy once again? Looking to break out of the perpetual bleh of whiplash-inducing weather? Searching for something, anything, to make you feel glamorous amid grey days? Forget the going-out top and mini skirt. What you need is a Victorian collar.
Across the New York Fashion Week Fall 2026 runways, designers are making the case for over-the-top accessorizing just below the chin. Reliably held on the slushiest days of February, New York’s Fall shows have a way of lifting spirits through sartorial fantasy. And this season, that escapism shines brightest with high-neck ruffles.
Photo: Filippo Fior, Courtesy of Collina Strada
The most notable example is Collina Strada, where frothy ruffles were dramatic to the point of dark romanticism. Titled “The World Is A Vampire,” the collection brought eerie Victorian folklore into the present day. “As the metaphorical and literal weather worsens outside, we withdraw into self-made sanctuaries,” designer Hillary Taymour wrote in her show notes. “We wrap ourselves in translucent layers, organza collars rise at the neck in protection.”
At Coach, designer Stuart Vevers also opted for fantastical world-building. For his Fall 2026 show, he looked to The Wizard of Oz—specifically, Dorothy’s transformation from sepia-toned dullness to vibrant technicolour. His gradient collection followed a similar evolution, starting with greyscale pieces and peppering in pops of red and blue. A throughline? Prominent collars, which were opulently folded and intentionally wrinkled.
Photo: Isidore Montag, courtesy of coach
Throughout, there was a feeling of downtown grunge synonymous with Vevers’s New York image: tattered lace edges, intentional wrinkles and patchwork blazers made of repurposed materials. When presented alongside the weathered details, the built-in ruffs gave a layer of protection to Coach’s thrill-seeking cool kid.
Such self-preservation appeared to be top of mind for Rachel Scott, who presented her first collection as the Creative Director at Proenza Schouler. The CFDA-winning designer is beloved for always keeping women’s bodies top of mind. Ahead of this debut, Scott told fashion critic Cathy Horyn that she looked to create a freeing collection for a multifaceted metropolitan woman. The result: chin-grazing button-ups and slinky downtown dresses that exposed the shoulders and décolletage, but not the neck.
Photo via launchmetrics/spotlight
As Scott showed, there’s a sense of freedom in reframing allure through the lens of concealment. This was also the idea at Zankov, where designer Henry Zankov hiked his signature knitwear far beyond the collarbone. First, a tall feather tucked into a folded sweater, reminiscent of heavily-adorned aristocrats. Next, a thick scarf with tassels hanging as wind-resistant accessories. Elsewhere, striped turtlenecks served as second skins, with pattern play accentuating poised necklines. In true Zankov form, there was a sense of peculiarity pulsing through the collection, but he wasn’t alone in his collar-focused agenda.
photo via launchmetrics/spotlight
Heritage house Ralph Lauren put its spin on embellished neckwear, with tightly wound scarves and wide, sculptural collars bringing a regency-core polish to its all-American aesthetic. Tory Burch also focused on below-the-chin real estate, with propped-up trench collars and colourblocking layers. Carolina Herrera presented starchy frills alongside seductive leopard-print separates.
Ralph Lauren, photo via launchmetrics/spotlight
Each variation appears as a take on the retooled period piece. It’s fitting, then, that as Fashion Month begins, the biggest on-screen influence is Wuthering Heights. The film, whose sexy costumes are a smorgasbord of vague Victorian codes, is building on the cultural impact of Nosferatu and Frankenstein before it. These big-screen Victorian stories, and the runways that coincide with them, all feed into a zeitgeist-y appetite for over-embellished glamour and gothicism of days gone by.
When times feel dark, there’s power in establishing autonomy over the most vulnerable parts of the body. Clothing that wraps around the neck is rich with symbolism and fraught history. But from Wuthering Heights to Ralph Lauren, it’s also timelessly evocative. The world is scary and strange; sometimes, the best thing you can do is protect your neck.
Natalie Michie is the Fashion & Features Editor at FASHION Magazine. With a pop culture obsession, she is passionate about exploring the relationship between fashion, internet trends and social issues. She has written for Elle Canada, CBC, Chatelaine and Toronto Life. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and over-analyzing movies on TikTok.
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