NYFW AW26 Street Style Spotlight Embraces Long Coats and Layered Knitwear

The original gallery summed it up bluntly: "Photo-driven roundup (photography by Sarah Treacher) of standout street looks outside NYFW fall/winter 2026 shows, updated Feb. 17, 2026." That image-first approach captured the season’s dominant motifs - long, tailored coats and layered knitwear - while Harper’s Bazaar declared that "the leopard coat is the hero item of New York Fashion Week this season."

Photographers and curators offered different slices of the same street-style moment. Vogue’s galleries were "Photographed by Phil Oh" and presented "11 impeccably chic ways to master late-winter-in-the-city style," Vogue Scandinavia ran its own Phil Oh pictures and noted "the arctic chill that had the city in its grip has dissipated," and Harper’s Bazaar assembled "Ahead, 13 looks to re-create now" with several images credited to Edward Berthelot // Getty Images. The original roundup captured "20+ street-style images" overall.

Weather shaped how showgoers dressed and how editors wrote about it. WhoWhatWear’s first-person account emphasized that "the weather hasn't exactly been showing any signs of spring. Instead, it's been bitterly cold," and added "staying warm and comfortable was a top priority for showgoers." By contrast, Vogue Scandinavia observed the chill had eased but still found attendees "bundling up in their cosiest coats and knits."

Prints and outerwear dominated the week. Harper’s Bazaar summed the moment: "It’s no secret—animal prints are everywhere, and the leopard coat is the hero item of New York Fashion Week this season." Vogue’s Laura Jackson agreed, writing "Proof that leopard print is best treated like a neutral," and singling out Toteme’s pony-hair coat, listed at $5,700. WhoWhatWear put it plainly: "Statement outerwear—styles that are the outfit—were everywhere. Accessories also played a big role: pouch bags and oversize sunglasses, to be exact."

Layering and texture were treated as deliberate styling moves rather than mere survival tactics. Harper’s Bazaar wrote that "Showgoers treated layering as a styling choice rather than a survival tactic, proving that cold‑weather dressing is all about proportion, texture, and personality." Their "Suede on Overdrive" edit included Mother’s On Thin Ice Jacket at $360 available at Revolve and NET-A-PORTER, and a Simkhai Rumi Belted Long Coat priced at $1,295 at Neiman Marcus and ShopBop, alongside Naadam’s $98 cashmere crewneck at Nordstrom.

Vogue highlighted individual lessons on mix-and-match personality dressing. "Take Lisa Aiken’s spin on the black pencil skirt: She opted for Toteme’s feather-trimmed midi, styling it with a cropped leather lady jacket, a cherry-red button-up, and Khaite’s python-effect handbag—a lesson in mid-winter personality dressing," Laura Jackson wrote. Jackson’s shoppable notes also listed Citizens of Humanity Nora jeans at $258 at REVOLVE, Khaite Arizona boots at $1,280, a Cos tee at $45, and The Row medium N/S park tote at $1,850.

The week’s schedule and shows framed the street visuals. Vogue pointed out that "Kicking off the week were off-schedule showings from two of the town’s great hometown heroes - Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren," and noted Rachel Scott "staged the very first runway show of her much-buzzed-about tenure at Proenza Schouler," with Calvin Klein, Eckhaus Latta, Ulla Johnson, and Tory Burch also on editors’ radars.

Different outlets curated different galleries and takes; the original gallery ran "20+ street-style images," Harper’s Bazaar offered 13 looks, Vogue offered 11 styled ways, and WhoWhatWear distilled five trends. If one clear directive emerged from those pages it is practical: invest in a long, tailored coat and layered knitwear now—Harper’s Bazaar’s and Vogue’s shoppable picks, from a Simkhai Rumi belted coat at $1,295 to Toteme’s $5,700 pony-hair, make the case for outerwear as the season’s principal buy.