Everyday Couture: The High-Low Approach to Dressing That Will Win Out in 2026
As shoppers navigate the luxury landscape and rising price tags for designer fashion, we’re seeing shifts. Brands with a strong point of view and a focus on storytelling are grabbing the attention of shoppers across generations. We’re also seeing more attention to high levels of craftsmanship and to pieces with couture-like details—hand beading, custom embroidery, and gems affixed to tops with precision.
These are items that have a special quality to them, which would normally make them fit for special occasions such as a wedding, a red carpet, or a celebratory gala with a black tie dress code. That said, we’re instead seeing them styled on the fall/winter 2026 runways for everyday. Gleaming sequined dresses are styled with cotton trench coats, while embellished satin tops affixed with sweeping ribbons are paired with low-slung jeans. This sense of everyday couture is a marriage of high-low dressing—a signal that singular, heirloom pieces are worthy of the investment and people won’t be saving them for just one-off special occasions, but integrating them into their wardrobes in a more casual manner.
The satin embroidered tapestry pieces from Conner Ives have already struck a cord with the fashion set.
At Dior, Jonathan Anderson reworked the house’s iconic Bar Jacket into a decorative ruffled version, pairing it with denim.
A signature Chanel tweed suit is brought to the everyday with a white T-shirt layered beneath.
While this sequined red dress from Celine is worthy of a red carpet, a cotton trench and leather boots plays it down.
The heavily jewelry-encrusted top at Givenchy will likely translate to high-impact gemstones.
Low-slung jeans add a youthful, playful element to an embroidered satin top at Erdem.
A couture-like jacket at The Row is styled for the everyday with tailored trousers.
Kristen Nichols is the Associate Director, Special Projects at Who What Wear where she oversees luxury, runway content, and wedding features, and covers fashion within the luxury market, runway reporting, shopping features, trends, and interviews with leading industry experts. Kristen has worked with brands including Prada, Chanel, and Tiffany & Co., and her style has been featured in publications including The New York Times, Vogue.com, Vogue France, WWD, and the CFDA. Kristen began her career at Rodarte, where she worked on styling, photo shoots, and runway shows, and at Allure, where she moved into print and digital editorial. She graduated from the University of Southern California, where she studied art history and business, and currently lives in New York.