And how to make them work with the clothes already hanging in your closet

For the Skimmers
Fall 2026 fashion is bringing back the waist, texture, color and personality. After studying the runways and seeing versions of these trends firsthand on the streets of Paris and Buenos Aires, these are the 10 I’m watching:
Cummerbund-inspired waists, rich texture, defined silhouettes, expressive prints, purple, skirt suits, everyday couture, elevated classics, statement handbags and modern heirloom pieces made to last.
The best part? You don’t need a whole new wardrobe to wear them. A belt can create the new silhouette, break up a print, add color or texture, or make something already in your closet feel completely new.
My biggest Fall 2026 takeaway: shop your closet first, experiment with styling, and use accessories to make the trends your own.

Every season I love looking through the runway reports, but lately I’ve been paying even more attention to what’s happening off the runway.

Especially since I’ve been traveling more, I’ve found myself closely studying street style on the streets of Paris and Buenos Aires. What are women actually wearing? What are they pairing together? What’s showing up in designer windows and boutiques? And then, which of those ideas eventually make their way back to the streets here in the U.S.?

That’s the part I find fascinating.

I’m not 100% sure which of these Fall 2026 trends Americans will adopt first, or how quickly we’ll embrace them. But what I find interesting is that I’m not only seeing them in fashion reports and on the runways. I’ve already seen versions of them in street style, designer houses and store windows while traveling.

And I’m watching them through the eyes of both a woman who loves fashion and a designer.
I’m not necessarily interested in recreating a head-to-toe runway look. I want to know:
What is changing? And how can we actually wear it?

What colors are starting to feel new? What silhouettes are changing? What styling ideas can make the clothes we already own suddenly feel current again?
Fall 2026 is especially interesting.
After years of quiet luxury, oversized everything and very neutral wardrobes, fashion seems ready to have a little fun again. There is texture. There is color. There are beautiful fitted silhouettes. There are prints, embellishment, tailoring and, much to my delight as a belt designer, the waist is back.

So these are the 10 trends I’m watching — not only because they’re appearing in fashion reports, but because I’m starting to see signs of them in the real world.
And more importantly, I’m sharing how I would actually wear them.

1. The Cummerbund Waist 

This might be my favorite trend of the season for obvious reasons.
Tuxedo dressing is having a major moment, and one of the details coming along with it is the cummerbund. Designers showed satin skirts with cummerbunds, tuxedo-inspired gowns and sharply defined waists.
But you definitely don’t need to buy an actual cummerbund.
A wide wrap belt or waist sash gives you essentially the same styling effect.
Try wrapping one over a white button-down, a simple dress, a blazer or even a sweater. Suddenly the waist becomes the focal point and something you’ve owned for years looks completely different.
ADA styling idea: Use a wide Classic Wrap almost like a leather cummerbund. Same idea, but something you’ll be able to style long after this particular trend passes.

2. Texture, Texture and More Texture

Fall is getting tactile.

We’re seeing embroidery, jacquard, brocade, fringe, shearling, embellishment and richly textured fabrics. Even handbags are becoming more tactile with tassels, beads and fringe.
This is one of the easiest trends to wear because you don’t necessarily need a completely new outfit.

Leather is texture.

A woven belt, distressed leather, tassel, interesting buckle or beautiful leather finish can add that extra layer to something as basic as denim and a sweater.
Think about texture as the thing that keeps a simple outfit from looking flat.

3. The Waist Is Back

For several seasons we’ve been living in oversized blazers, oversized shirts and relaxed silhouettes.
Fall 2026 is swinging the other direction.
Runways showed more body-skimming tailoring, fitted coats, slim trousers and sharply defined silhouettes.
Thankfully, you don’t have to replace your oversized wardrobe.

Just belt it.
Put a belt over the blazer.
Wrap the cardigan.
Belt the dress.
Cinching something you already own can completely change its proportion and create the fitted silhouette we’re seeing for fall.
Sometimes the trend isn’t the clothing.
It’s the silhouette.
And that’s something we can create ourselves.

4. Prints Are Getting Interesting Again

Plaid remains a fall classic, but we’re also seeing jacquards, animal-inspired motifs and much more expressive prints.
I love prints, but sometimes they can feel like they’re wearing you instead of the other way around.

This is where I love a belt.

A solid leather belt gives the eye somewhere to rest and visually breaks up a print.
Try a black, cognac, chocolate or cream belt over a printed dress. It creates structure and makes a bold print feel much easier to wear.

It’s a small styling trick, but it can completely change how a print looks on the body.

5. Purple Reign

One of the biggest runway colors for Fall 2026 is purple.
And not just a tiny purple accessory. Designers showed everything from purple leather trenches to full monochromatic looks.
Personally, I don’t think you need to walk out of the house dressed head-to-toe in purple to participate.

Color can be a detail.
A belt is one of my favorite ways to introduce a runway color into a wardrobe because it’s enough to make the outfit feel intentional without requiring you to rebuild your closet around a trend.
And this applies beyond purple. Fall’s palette is surprisingly colorful, so don’t automatically pack away your brighter accessories just because summer ended.
If you love color, keep wearing it.

6. The New Suit

The skirt suit is officially back.
Designers showed everything from classic wool versions to fitted pencil skirts, peplum jackets and much more playful interpretations. Some were even styled with belts directly at the waist.

This is where accessories become incredibly important.
A suit can read corporate.
Or it can read fashion.
Add a belt over the jacket and the entire attitude changes.
You can also try a skinny belt with a skirt suit for a subtle polished look, or a wide wrap when you want more drama.
Again, it’s less about buying the exact runway look and more about borrowing the styling idea.

7. Everyday Couture

This may be one of the most interesting trends to me because I actually saw quite a bit of it while I was in Paris this summer.
Parisian women were pairing something very dressy with something completely casual.
Think an oversized T-shirt with sequin pants, or a beautiful sequin top with simple linen trousers.
It’s the juxtaposition that makes it feel so modern. Nothing is too precious or saved only for a special occasion anymore. I’m not entirely sure I’m cool enough to pull this one off 😂 , but I’m sharing it because I really want to try.

Maybe that’s actually the fun of a new trend. You don’t have to suddenly change the way you dress. You can experiment with just one element.
A special belt with worn-in denim. A beautiful embellished top with basic trousers. Something glamorous paired with something you wear all the time.

The unexpected combination is what makes it interesting.

8. The Return of the Classic

Interestingly, while one side of fashion is becoming more extravagant, another is becoming incredibly simple.

Clean shirts. Pencil skirts. Loafers. Knee-high boots. Satin skirts. Simple trousers. Beautiful jackets.
It’s very Parisian and very wearable.
And when clothes become simpler, accessories matter more.
White shirt + jeans + loafers is lovely.
White shirt + jeans + loafers + a beautiful leather belt?
Now it’s an outfit.
This is probably the easiest fall trend to shop from your own closet, and honestly, those are usually my favorite kinds of trends.

9. Accessories Become the Outfit

This trend made me especially happy because I recently did a deep clean of my closet and pulled out a bunch of handbags from almost two decades ago, back when I was first designing handbags.

And guess what?
I have so many of these trends already.
East-west shapes, softer bags, interesting textures and details that suddenly feel current again. So those bags are officially moving out of storage and into the easy-access section of my closet.
I have a feeling many of you might be able to do the same.
Before buying the newest handbag trend, go dig through your closet. You may be surprised by what’s sitting back there waiting for its comeback.
I know I was.
And I’m genuinely excited to start wearing these bags again. There’s something so satisfying about realizing that a piece you loved 10 or 20 years ago doesn’t feel old anymore.
It feels relevant again.
Maybe that’s one of my favorite things about fashion: eventually, the things we really loved seem to find their way back to us.

10. Modern Heirlooms: Buy Less, Love It Longer

This may be my favorite direction in fashion right now. One of the biggest Fall 2026 runway themes is what Who What Wear calls “Modern Heirlooms”: beautifully made pieces with craftsmanship, embroidery and details that feel special enough to keep rather than discard next season.

That idea is very close to my heart.

I’ve always believed a great leather belt should get better with time. It should travel with you. It should work with the dress you bought this year and the jeans you’ve owned for ten.

And after rediscovering handbags I designed almost two decades ago that suddenly feel current again, I’m appreciating that philosophy even more.

Buy things you really love. Take care of them. And don’t be so quick to get rid of them.

Trends are fun. I love following them, experimenting with them and using them as inspiration.

But the smartest way to wear a trend isn’t necessarily to buy ten new outfits every season.

Sometimes it’s adding color.
Sometimes it’s breaking up a print.
Sometimes it’s introducing texture.
Sometimes it’s changing proportion.
Sometimes it’s pulling a handbag out of your closet that you haven’t worn in 15 years.
And sometimes it’s simply putting a belt around something you’ve worn 20 times and seeing an entirely different outfit in the mirror.

That’s what excites me most about Fall 2026.

Fashion is becoming expressive again, but that doesn’t mean we need more clothes.
We may just need new ways to wear the ones we already have.
And that, to me, is what great personal style has always been about.

— Ada
Founder + Designer, ADA Collection