There tends to be a selection of important events, throughout the year, where we get insights into the world of fashion. From the Met Gala to the Oscars, it can be fun to check in with the dominant themes and looks at these events, both for general amusement and to think about how we’ll approach fashion ourselves over the coming months.
The Grammys were a particularly noteworthy example of this kind of event this year, and people are still looking back now, a few weeks later. We’ve decided to jump on that trend as well, to see what we can glean about 2026 fashion trends.
Politics is back
There can be some years and events where politics takes a bit of a back seat in the worlds of fashion and culture. This definitely wasn’t the case with the Grammys in early 2026.
The most notable unifying theme was a rejection of ICE’s actions across the USA, with the ICE Out pin appearing across a wide range of different outfits.
This political component was visually visible on outfits, but also integrated into acceptance speeches.
Matchy Matchy
More so than at other events, there were a lot of matching outfits. Malice, Pusha T and Pharrell went with pink tuxedos, for example, while Grupo Frontera went for Campillo suits laden with western embroideries.
This is a fun one to bring into your own approaches to fashion and styling, by getting customised items from companies like Screen Textiles. You’ll want to be careful with the designs you choose, though, as it’s a lot easier than you might think to end up looking like you’re on a stag do.
Things went a little ugly
Unlike at some (but not all) Met Galas, for example, there were a lot of fashion explorations that seemed to intentionally reject ideas of conventional tastefulness.
Sure, Hailey Bieber’s Aläia dress and Madison Beer’s Andrew Kwon gown embraced taste and elegance, but then there was also Cher’s shredded leather skirt, Amy Taylor’s flesh coloured catsuit and Chappel Roan’s now infamous Mugler nipple-clasped dress.
It just shows that there’s more to looking good than actually looking good – sometimes you can also focus on other aspects, like textural exploration or a bit of shock factor. As Prada famously said, ugly is exciting!
Toned down beauty
Some attendees managed to really beautifully embrace elegance in some areas, but with a little toned-down aspect in others. Sabrina Carpenter cut a stunning silhouette in her custom Valento dress, for example, but with a comparatively relaxed hairstyle.
No one is going to look at these styles and decide to dress exactly like that for the rest of the year, but these trends can be inspiring in more nuanced ways.
For example, you might decide that it is actually quite appropriate to be political in your dressing, or that you and your friends should try to match outfits more often. Whatever your takeaway, we reckon this year’s Grammys were inspiringly rich fashion-wise, and we look forward to seeing what the rest of the year holds.