While TikTok and Instagram are flooded with throwbacks to 2016, the fall 2026 season of New York Fashion Week is shaping up to look a lot more like 1416.

Ahead of the first day of shows Wednesday, a few designers gave WWD a preview of their inspirations, like one-to-watch Stephen Biga, whose second Mel Usine collection will be laden with references to “La Dame à la Licorne.” French tapestries will also be woven into the narrative at Area, where Nicholas Auburn is settling into his creative director’s throne, or that of Charles X inside the Musée Manufacture des Gobelins.

Des Gobelins was originally a medieval dyeing factory, and given the current state of luxury retail and global politics, it’s no wonder the Dark Ages are trending. Just see Elena Velez’s lambskin corset and Christian Cowan’s chainmail dress — perfect should a member of the Knights Templar be seated front row.

Looking to the brighter side, there are a few milestones on the calendar to get excited about, notably the 45th anniversary of Michael Kors, who will light up the night Thursday if the chandelier he shared is anything to go by. Meanwhile, Sergio Hudson and Cinq à Sept are each marking a decade, the latter by taking to the runway for the first time.

On the debut front, former Blumarine designer Nicola Brognano is hitting the ground — err, street — running at Seven For All Mankind, where he’s enlisted Chloë Sevigny as a brand ambassador. Hopefully, there’s enough caffeine in that coffee cup he took an iPhone photo of to continue reenergizing the denim label.

Tasked with the same at Derek Lam, Robert Rodriguez plans to do so with utility tailoring for “confident city women,” he said. And because every city woman needs options, Lafayette 148, Pamella Roland and Tibi also zeroed in on the suit. Lucky for city guys, they’ll be equally dapper with J. Press taking notes on prep from the Ivy League and Todd Snyder clocking in on Wall Street.

Elsewhere, Jane Wade, the Tanner Fletcher boys and Aknvas’ Christian Juul Nielsen have embraced alpine style, lining up nicely with the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina.

And with Valentine’s Day on Saturday, many designers took a romantic approach. Wes Gordon is tying up with a few female artists at Carolina Herrera, while Henry Zankov appears to be playing spectator to a lovers’ tryst from the reflection in his window. LaQuan Smith, on the other hand, found his next muse saddled up to the bar nursing a martini glass.

Generated by AI, Smith’s submission — alongside Prabal Gurung’s and possibly a few others — is indicative of the simmering tension between high-tech and high-craft. A woman’s head engulfed by a snake from Hervé Léger, for example is tech. The one etched in silver from Tory Burch? All craft. So beware. To paraphrase Christian Siriano, there’s a thin line between dream and reality.

For these and more of the NYFW fall 2026 inspirations, head to the gallery above.