Is “Flattering” Out? This Season, Runways Welcomed a Voluminous Silhouette

Among this season's top runway trends are super-high necklines, pillbox hats, and, most notably, volume in the places that fashion has long told us to avoid appearing voluptuous: on thighs, midsections, shoulders, and arms. Technically speaking, it should make sense that the fall/winter 2025 and spring/summer 2026 trend of exaggerated hips—shown by disruptive designers like Duran Lantink—would move to other parts of the body. I imagine fashion fans have had a mixed set of reactions to this wandering weight…

Some must be confused, seriously and utterly perplexed that the industry's elite now find appearing larger attractive. Others, likely with lived experience in bigger bodies, might be deeply offended or, conversely, relieved. I find myself in the latter camp, letting out a sigh of relief at feeling "allowed" to look bigger. The idea of playing with my body and its proportions via clothing makes me feel as if there's permission use fashion as it is intended, for expression and art rather than an omnipresent tool of minimization. I feel as if I can finally scream, "Fuck all of those years—no, decades—of flattery."

It's a good thing I'm on board with the unflattering trend because it was everywhere at New York Fashion Week. RuPaul's Drag Race's costume designer Zaldy presented volume in the form of structured suede leg sleeves. The Vivienne Westwood–ification of silhouette is undeniable and is being reinterpreted bigger and better by brands like Collina Strada. Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen, an emerging designer known for ergonomic sculpting through material, showed her now-signature uneven-breast corset.

This season gave us the answer to WWRW (What would Rihanna wear?) courtesy of A$AP Rocky's AWGE collection: boxy PVC shirting. Even skirts over pants are back at Diotima, Campillo, and Sandy Liang—a far, far cry from the skinny-jeans era. At Showpony's debut, hair was used to create full hips and thighs, something we've seen Chris Horan style on Charli XCX with similar fur and draping. From heritage brands like Calvin Klein to newly minted LVMH Prize semifinalist Lii, suiting is oversize and structured to sit away from the body.

To be clear, I've spent years working on my body image and advocating for size diversity in fashion. I believe that no designer can decide whether it's okay to exist in a bigger body, but as ever, fashion remains the strongest force in setting the beauty standard. These looks defy the "as small as possible" aesthetic and the fact that designers, together, have shown them at a time when Ozempic has ravaged Hollywood is worth noting. We have learned over the past two decades that the beauty ideal is subjective, switching from early-aughts thin to Kardashian curvy. The belief that it is actually absolute is simply a result of repeated exposure, so a trend featuring larger silhouettes is welcome.

Truer still, fashion is not the place to be looking for the perfect take on size inclusion. One glaring and very problematic point: This trend was almost exclusively seen on super-slim people. Just a few looks were on curve models (Yasmín Moon at Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen, Arnelle Slot at Collina Strada, and Devyn Garcia at Campillo) as part of emerging designers' collections. It seems the old guard left the plus-size models in their shows in very sleek, black looks while sample-size ones were covered in inches of plumage. This observation begs, perhaps, the most important questions. Who is allowed to appear larger? And according to whom?

Adding to the body exemplifies the desire for the 1% to do what's rare. History tells us that being fat in a famine or able to change one's body proportions at will—especially at a runway ready-to-wear or couture price—is luxe. Even now, Skims is selling butt-padded underwear and thigh-padded shapers while Kim Kardashian allegedly reverses her BBL. Through this lens, it all starts to feel disingenuous, like it could easily teeter into the aforementioned offensiveness. How long until we see a designer like Elena Velez, who showed controversial body horror for fall/winter 2026 via looksmaxxing models in prosthetic chin implants and facelift bandages, parade a fat suit down the runway?

One thing I know for sure is that it is important to observe and dissect how fashion is talking about bodies and find our own feelings in the discourse. While I feel relieved that not every outfit I wear needs to make me appear smaller, I know I need to continue to speak up against fatphobia in the industry and for more genuine body diversity. I'll be keeping a critical eye open as we approach the Met Gala, where this year's dress code is "Fashion Is Art" and the exhibit itself, Costume Art, will display "artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body," according to the museum. Until then, take up space, whether it's in or not.