Elegant Women in NYC Will Be Wearing Cummerbunds in 2026

First, it was sweaters. I’ll always remember the one Bottega Veneta look from Matthieu Blazy’s debut F/W 22 collection that started the shift—the one that made tying a sweater around your waist feel intentional instead of something your mom told you to do as a kid when you got hot in line at a museum or amusement park and wouldn’t stop complaining about it. It was look 47, featuring a yuzu-lemon silk slip dress with a navy-blue chunky sweater tied around the waist. Kendall Jenner wore it to the U.S. Open shortly thereafter, and the styling concept took off.

When the sweater-around-the-waist look began to look dated instead of revolutionary, another accessory took its place: silk scarves. Well-dressed names like Alexa Chung and Jennifer Lawrence began to fold their silk, printed scarves in half and wrap them around their waists over jeans, skirts, dresses, and trousers, starting a truly explosive micro-trend that took over TikTok, Instagram, and practically every person I spotted in New York City throughout spring and summer 2025. No one was spared—whether you ended up wearing it out or not, you definitely tried out this trick at home.

Model wearing the Atelier Jéa cummerbund.

All that’s to say that non-traditional waist embellishments are clearly in demand, and heading into winter, people are looking for alternatives that will take their cold-weather wardrobes and elevate them, adding touches of uniqueness that can transform a simple black coat into an outfit worth dissecting and mimicking until spring rolls around. Then, they want that same accessory to take on a new role, dressing up their denim and dresses alike. The answer? Cummerbunds.

Cummerbunds, if you aren’t already aware, are the fabric sash that are traditionally worn around the waist with a tuxedo, rather than a waistcoat. But recently, fashion people like Andrea Ricci—whose brand Atelier Jéa just dropped (and subsequently sold out of) a modern take on the cummerbund—have been debuting new ways to style the accessory that feel current and unexpected. “I’ve worn cummerbunds for years, and always wished I could style them over dresses or coats, but I could never find one with a beautiful closure since it’s meant to be hidden by a tuxedo jacket,” Ricci tells me. “That’s what inspired the idea, and I had a feeling others would appreciate it as well.”

Ricci has worked in luxury fashion for over a decade, doing everything from steaming samples as an intern to leading marketing strategies, but through it all, she always wanted to pour everything into a project of her own. Her goal with Atelier Jéa was to create a non-traditional label that didn’t follow the rules of the fashion calendar, and thus allowed her to be as creative and sustainable as possible. Her third capsule, cummerbund and all, was just released, and stylish, sophisticated women all over the Upper East Side of Manhattan already sold it out.

Atelier Jéa’s Cummerbund

Tassel Cummerbund

Atelier Jéa

Tassel Cummerbund

Ricci’s take on the cummerbund was inspired by her own personal style, which she says is a mix of hyper-femininity and masculinity: “It’s menswear in the front and womenswear in the back.” Though she admires the eveningwear connotation of a cummerbund, she also sees many styling opportunities that go beyond a black tie event. For example, wearing hers with jeans and a white T-shirt for an “effortless, high-low look.” Lately, though, she’s been wearing hers over a long black winter coat. “Since your coat ends up hiding most of your outfit in winter, it’s nice to have a way to accessorize it,” Ricci explains. “Women in New York have shown me so many ways to style it, which has been such a lovely experience. Some have worn it draped like a shawl, while others even styled it as a top over a white shirt.”

She calls this response from fans across the internet and IRL surreal. “I created something I found useful in my own world and didn’t expect so many others to connect with it,” she tells me. “I’m also working on an ivory version, which I think will be beautiful for bridal or styled over a monochrome suit.”