It's no secret that fashion is obsessed with the past. Each season, almost every collection is influenced by a previous era, movement or subculture. In recent years, the nostalgic fixation has mainly been with Y2K. What started as something quite divisive—an era said not to flatter anyone, obsessed with "ugly" shoes, garish colours and questionable denim—at first it seemed a miracle that it was coming back, and yet now most of us are wearing styles inspired (or actually from) that era. Let's not forget also the more recent obsession with '90s minimalism, catalysed by Love Story, the glossy TV show that has made Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and her signature understated style the answer to the end of quiet luxury.
Adding to this, back in January online discourse was all about the year 2016, with everyone's 'avo on toast' era content, as well as their outfits, going more viral than it did first time around. We've also witnessed the comeback of Indie Sleaze. First 'a thing' around 2006 and lasting until the early 2010s, it was the era of skinny jeans, American Apparel, 'Nu-Rave', Alexa Chung and the period Kate Moss was never seen without her Napoleon jacket or her rockstar boyfriend, Pete Doherty.
Also around this era, in fact just before, was the prime time for boho-chic. A trend influenced by the '70s, it was pioneered in the early 2000s by It girls like Sienna Miller and the Olsen twins with long tousled blonde hair, wearing gladiator sandals and folky cotton tops with bleach-wash denim shorts. In 2025-26, boho has enjoyed a return, particularly down to Chemena Kamali, the creative director of Chloe, who is dedicated to taking the brand back to its original French Girl free-spirited DNA, one ruffled sheer blouse and clog at a time.
The point being, that in the last few seasons—months, really—we've experienced the return of multiple trends influenced by just the last few decades alone. Don't even get me started on the lore of the spring/summer 2026 runway trends and how they were inspired by '80s maximalism, '60s housewives as well as '50s lady-like sense of dress.
But having researched the spring/summer 2026 and autumn/winter 2026 runways at length lately, I've come to realise that fashion is seeking inspiration from eras much, much longer ago than the '90s. From Rococo-inspired florals at Max Mara and Simone Rocha, to Napoleon jackets, pirate boots and tricorn hats that ooze Baroque-cool, designers are harking back way beyond 1950. Whilst Chanel and Rabanne showcased a series of drop-waists that fundamentally felt quite 1920s flapper girl, Dior, Alexander McQueen, Keburia and Ann Demeulemeester alluded to pre 18th century periods and cultural movements.
Here, I've researched all the runways have the offer, and have collated the 5 periods pre-1950 I think they've been most inspired by.
5 Nostalgia Fashion Trends to Know In Spring 2026
1. Roaring Twenties
Style Notes: For Chanel and Rabanne's A/W26 collections, drop waists were a key focus. Wide shift dresses with thick vest-like silhouettes were an integral detail to each collection, which are a clear nod to the 1920's flapper girl style. But it wasn't just silhouettes but general 'more is more' details. Beaded fringe! Frothy brooches! Sequinned pouch bags! Opera gloves! Even Chanel had the classic T-bar court shoes. This sense of joy, colour and exuberance feels much like the prohibition 'Roaring Twenties' era, so make Daisy Buchanan your new style muse.
2. Rococo Romance
Style Notes: The Rococo era occurred in mid-late 18th century France. Stylistically similar but almost a result of the Baroque period, Rococo was known for its pastel hues, ruffled details, ribbons and frothy textures. The most famous depiction of this period must be Sofia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette, which wonderfully depicted the essence and beauty of the period. Dior's AW/26 collection gave this same sense of hyper-femininity, offering tiers and tiers of tulle frothy short skirts, with pastel feather prints as well as feather hemlines. It was the same at coquette-girl favourite, Simone Rocha, with pastels, sheer floral fabrics and embroidered floral motifs for S/S26. Even the designer's collaboration with adidas in her latter AW/26 collection, she presented a white bowler bag with bow motifs stitched on the front. And you just know if Marie Antoinette was a Parisian Gen-Z influencer today, she would 100% have that bag.
3. Gothic Victorian
Style Notes: Gothic Victorian influences have been bubbling up for some seasons. Not just in fashion but in TV and film we've seen countless depictions of the mid-late 19th century recently. Nosferatu, Frankenstein and, of course, Wuthering Heights have been the topic of much conversation within the zeitgeist, and as such, Victorian fashion has been everywhere. I've already talked at length about witchy boots, which looking at Prada AW/26, will be going nowhere next season. Adding to the 'lace-up' detail; corsetry is having a moment. Dilara Findikoglu has long pioneered the Victorian aesthetic, including corsetry and bodices, but her S/S26 show was particularly dark and macabre. Other depictions occurred at Yuhan Wang, Bora Aksu and Chloe, with high necklines, lace and broderie anglaise.
4. Baroque
Style Notes: After S/S26 fashion month, it felt like a sure bet piratecore was on the agenda for 2026. Dior's tricorn hats and capes, Ann Demeulemeester pirate boots and Napoleon jackets at Keburia, Alexander McQueen and Sinead Gorey all echoed inspirations from the Golden Age of Piracy, which occurred in Europe around 1650-the early 1700s. These maritime and Baroque influences are rooted in elegant grandeur—think dark velvets coats and vests, heavily embellished with golden frogging and epaulettes that are unmistakably military-coded. Whilst some depictions of this for SS/26 and A/W26 feel almost ironic (see Keburia and Sinead Gorey), nobody can deny how much these design codes influenced the '80s New Romantic movement and peak Indie Sleaze era, which a real cornerstones of British fashion. Just think—what would Carl Barât and Pete Doherty have been without their Napoleon jackets and eyeliner?
5. Renaissance Revival
Style Notes: Whilst the renaissance period is a far greater stretch of history, spanning loosely from the 14th-17th century, beginning in Italy and then making its way across Europe, it was one of (if not the) the most monumental cultural movements in history. Seeing the progression of art, philosophy, literature and science, it also bled into fashion, progressing the more practical, draped and modest styles of the Middle Ages to something more ornate and fanciful. In Britain, the Elizabethan and Tudor periods were at the core of this, and we can draw connections from the opulence of fashion of then to now. Ruffle neck collars, voluminous 'puff ball' skirts and shorts worn with tights, highly embroidered and brocaded expensive fabrics like velvet and silk were seen not just in Shakespearean times, but also at Keburia, McQueen, Khaite and Mithridate this season.
