White – The New Code of New York Fashion Week

The wedding season may be over, but white is not stepping off the stage. On the contrary – this September, New York Fashion Week proved that white is in the spotlight. From head to toe, models walked the runway in outfits that seemed to resist the arrival of autumn. Traditionally considered “too pure” and “too tame,” white has long not been a favorite in fashion. All the more surprising, then, that the runways were full of white looks. Perhaps designers are seeking a symbolic “fresh start” – a blank canvas on which to paint the next era of style.

The White Runway

In the first days of September, names like Calvin Klein, Adam Lippes, Ralph Lauren, and Proenza Schouler launched their spring-summer collections with entirely white silhouettes. Unsurprisingly, this calls to mind iconic figures such as Diane Keaton or Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, who made white a symbol of sophistication and fashion independence.

Ralph Lauren - 2026
 

Not only the runways were taken over by white. The front rows also displayed a snowy palette – it was as if the stars had conspired to dress from head to toe in white. At Calvin Klein, we saw Rosalía, Lily Collins, and Naomi Watts, while at Ralph Lauren – Winter from the South Korean K-pop girl group aespa.Their looks resembled blank canvases – perfect bases onto which anyone could project their own meaning. Is this a sign of fashion’s blandness and restraint, or rather a symbol of a fresh start? This is precisely the charm of white – open to interpretation and always ready to be rediscovered.

Rosalía


Winter

How can we talk about the color white without mentioning its powerful symbolism of purity and innocence? Purity, chastity, new beginnings – all these themes are naturally associated with white. Its very name comes from the Latin candidus (“bright, shining”), from which we also get the word “candidate” – one who steps up for a challenge or an election, ready (if fortune favors them) to become something new.It is no coincidence that white has become a symbol of young brides. This summer, Charli XCX got married not once, but twice, to drummer and producer George Daniel. First in London in July – wearing a Vivienne Westwood wedding gown; and a second time last week in Sicily, at a lavish celebration, where she shone in a sheer Danielle Frankel dress.What is September in fashion, if not the month of a great new beginning – perhaps in white? We’ll have to see what the Parisian collections have in store…