Extra-large galaxy sets, outfit egg hunts, and a larger than life laptop screening the shows—fashion week is a time for industry insiders to get creative, especially on the catwalk. And yet, this season, something struck us all by surprise—an especially difficult reaction to obtain from the people who have seen shows at Disneyland, in lavender fields, and with a metal robot arm spray-painting Shalom Harlow—as multiple models walked out wearing (almost) the same outfit.
At Saint Laurent, a white sculptural shirt, leather pencil skirt and occasional leather jackets sauntered down the catwalk no less than thirteen times. At Chloé, it was both a floral frock and blazer and trouser look, albeit in different colourways, that had us questioning "are we seeing thruple?" And Coperni showed us that some things are better in twos by showcasing the same look in two different shades on its Spring/Summer 26 catwalk.
But, of course, this copycat catwalk was no accident. "In a season of many ‘firsts’, we saw an abundance of pretty, elegant clothes, which were safe, sellable, easy to wear, but few creative statements," says Mimma Viglezio, former executive at Bulgari, Louis Vuitton and Gucci Group (now Kering).
"When times are tough, customers disappear and designers fear for their jobs, fashion turns stale and repetitive," she says. Adding, "in three decades in this industry, I’ve rarely seen trends repeated, almost identical. With a few exceptions, brands are playing it safe".
Now, given the significant luxury slowdown, hitting even the top brands hard, according to McKinsey, this idea of playing it safe certainly makes sense. However, the repetitive nature of these looks also added clarity to the brand aesthetic and vision. A leather pencil skirt and white shirt is now undoubtedly Saint Laurent and Anthony Vaccarello has achieved this without a single logo in sight—which is no mean feat. No doubt this is the look consumers will immediately be reaching for once it lands in stores. And, as the show notes put it, "beauty is plural".
"Designers focus on key pieces that evolve into true codes of their house," adds Simon Longland, director of buying fashion at Harrods. "These silhouettes— whether a sharp Saint Laurent jacket or a perfectly cut shirt—are continuously reinterpreted through new colours, fabrications and styling. Far from simple repetition, this strengthens a brand’s identity and builds a visual language that audiences immediately recognise."
In the case of Chloé, where Chemena Kamali stepped away from the traditional airy boho aesthetic the brand is best known for, the repetition of looks made more of a statement—an unmistakable signal of a shift in aesthetic, delivered en masse.
Although, as Viglezio stresses, relying on similar looks is risky business. "Short-term, that may lift sales; long-term, it risks rendering fashion irrelevant and ceding its pole position within the creative culture," she shares. Given the positive response to these collections, however, for now it seems to have worked in their favour.
"In today’s landscape, where we are constantly bombarded with fleeting images on social media, this consistency creates reassurance—signalling that certain pieces are not just trends for the moment but enduring elements that carry from one season to the next," notes Longland.
And with conversations around sustainability, a slow yet continual shift away from trend-chasing and towards personal style, and a desire for our luxury fashion finds to last longer, it could well be that these designers stepping off the hamster wheel of newness have garnered the most praise of all.
