Phase Out the Linen Dresses—Everyone Will Be Swapping Them for This Elegant Trend by Fall
Shop the pretty style Monica Barbaro was just spotted wearing in NYC.
Not to worry—linen dresses will always be in style, but they are one of those dress types that annually fade from relevance as soon as summer changes to fall and make their return at the first sign of spring. So if you're a dress wearer, you likely start seeking out the future fall dress trends at some point during July or August. Just in time, Monica Barbaro was spotted wearing what's sure to be fall's biggest dress trend: satin and taffeta styles.
While out promoting her new film, One Night Only, in NYC over the weekend, Barbaro wore a black satin minidress with a high square neck. I'm aware that there's nothing groundbreaking about satin dresses. What sets the satin dresses of 2026 apart from the typical versions is that those made of thicker duchess satin and taffeta are rapidly rising. The structure of Barbaro's A-line dress by NYC-based brand Lein certainly set it apart from all the other LBDs out there. She made it summer-appropriate by pairing it with high-heeled mule sandals. It's as simple as an outfit gets, but it's also as special as an outfit gets thanks to the dress. Let this serve as proof that this is a trend you can start wearing long before fall even begins.
Keep scrolling to see the Barbaro-endorsed trend for yourself and shop chic taffeta and heavy satin dresses for your own summer and fall wardrobe.
The Dress Trend on Monica Barbaro
On Monica Barbaro: Lein Beau Dress ($1698)
Shop Satin and Taffeta Dresses

Allyson is a senior editor for Who What Wear. She joined the company in 2014 as co-founder Katherine Power's executive assistant and over the years has written hundreds of stories for Who What Wear. Prior to her career in fashion, Allyson worked in the entertainment industry at companies such as Sony Pictures Television. Allyson is now based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She holds a BFA in theater arts. Her path to fashion may not have been linear, but based on the number of fashion magazines she collected as a child and young adult, it was meant to be.