By Windy Aulia - published
There is something particularly satisfying about a fashion collection that understands the difference between making an entrance and making an impression. For fall/winter 2026, COS has done both. Presented in New York, the latest collection from design director Karin Gustafsson takes the brand’s familiar language of precision, restraint and modern tailoring, and loosens it just enough to allow something more expressive to emerge.
The starting point is still unmistakably COS: clean lines, controlled proportions and clothes designed around the realities of a contemporary wardrobe. But this season, there is a richer sense of occasion. “With this collection, I really wanted to have the feeling of positivity, the idea of dressing a little bit opulent and glamorous,” Gustafson said. That ambition is visible throughout the collection, not through excessive decoration, but through the way luxe-touch materials and elaborate techniques are introduced into an otherwise austere framework.
Related article: Alessandro Michele Is Valentino’s Great Disruptor
The contrast is what makes the collection compelling. Rich embroidery, textured fabrics, waxed canvas and leather appliqués are brought into COS’s pared-back vocabulary, where mid-calf dresses, boxy blazers and long leather coats become canvases for experimentation. Rather than abandoning minimalism, Gustafsson seems to be asking how far it can stretch before it becomes something else.
The answer is surprisingly glamorous.
There is a subtle 1920s sensibility running through the collection, particularly in the elongated silhouettes, dropped proportions and fluid evening shapes. COS describes the collection as a meeting of corporate modernism and 1920s decadence, and that tension gives the clothes their particular character.
Related article: Loro Piana Fall/Winter 2026: Soft Tailoring, Tactile Fabrics And The Extra Softy L29
These references never feel like costume. Instead, they are distilled into contemporary pieces: a dropped-waist wool dress, an elongated coat, a softly draped evening silhouette or an embroidered skirt that can just as easily be imagined with a simple knit as something more formal.
Tailoring remains one of the collection’s strongest propositions. Oversized coats and boxy suits give the wardrobe its architectural backbone, while long leather outerwear introduces a sharper, more sensual touch. The proportions are generous without becoming cumbersome, allowing the garments to move around the body. There is a sense of confidence to these clothes. They do not demand attention through obvious statements, but through cut and texture.
Related article: Longchamp’s Fall/Winter 2026 Collection Is Built For Life On The Go
Then there are the surfaces. This is where fall/winter 2026 feels noticeably different from a more conventional COS collection. Embroidery adds intricacy to otherwise simple forms, while leather and waxed canvas bring weight and tactility. Laser-cut details and lace further push the collection towards evening, reinforcing the dialogue between everyday dressing and something more celebratory.
Movement is equally important. On the runway, the collection’s sheer fabrics and swinging, Twenties-inspired silhouettes gave the clothes a sense of animation that photographs alone cannot fully capture. A long dress moves differently from a tailored coat; a flowing skirt creates another rhythm altogether. The effect is particularly successful because the clothes retain their practicality while acquiring theatric flair.
Related article: Suede, Sparkle And Statement Hardware: The Coach Bags Defining Fall/Winter 2026
That balance makes the collection particularly relevant to the modern AM-to-PM wardrobe. A COS customer can take the same principles of dressing from the office into dinner, drinks or an evening event without needing to completely change direction. A structured blazer can sit over a more fluid dress; a long leather coat can transform a simple daytime ensemble; an embroidered piece can introduce evening glamour without requiring an entirely separate wardrobe.