When the Chanel Métiers d’Art pre-fall 2026 runway show opened in New York, the first look worn by model Bhavitha Mandava was styled in the fashion of a true NYC commuter. The model wore jeans and two-tone slingbacks topped off with a white T-shirt and a quarter-zip collared sweater. The simplicity and practicality of the outfit immediately stood out, as did its familiarity. The quarter-zip knit, specifically, has been a dominating topic of conversations in the fashion space.
In menswear, GQ has charted the rise of the quarter-zip everywhere from how it’s trending on social media and TikTok to a recent Dior look worn by Jonathan Bailey, who “managed to make a corporate quarter-zip feel downright sexy.” Now, it’s a piece that is also set to take off in the womenswear space. The Chanel runway look, of course, set the tone. But it’s starting to enter the fashion space in a bigger way, whether it’s the wardrobe of celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence or the looks of the style set on the streets of NYC. Ahead, shop the quarter-zip sweater: the tasteful staple every It girl will own in 2026.
