trend report – That Velvet Lady

Pie Crust Collars and the Victoriana Moment at Erdem, Ganni and & Other Stories

Erica — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 20:57:00 +0000

The Victoriana fashion trend 2026 arrived without the usual marketing fanfare, which is partly why it is working so well. No one sent a press release saying ruffles and high necks were back, they simply appeared on the Erdem SS26 runway at the British Museum, showed up in Ganni’s new frill collar edit, and started multiplying quietly on the & Other Stories new in page. If you were watching London Fashion Week closely, you already caught the signal: Erdem Moralıoğlu built his collection around the 19th century Swiss medium Hélène Smith, layered it with panniers, corsetry and lace trimmed pie crust collars, and delivered what critics are calling one of the season’s most transporting shows. The jaws drop moment, as WWD put it, was real.

What makes this different from the tired “cottagecore” loops of 2021 is the attitude. This version of the prairie revival is sharper, more urban, and openly borrowed from the luxury houses rather than from Pinterest moodboards. A pie crust collar now lives under a tailored blazer, not a pinafore. A ruffled blouse is worn with straight leg denim and a loafer, not a straw hat. Doen’s customers, famously Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Kylie Jenner, have been wearing puff sleeve blouses for years, but the rest of the market finally caught up this season, and & Other Stories is the high street bellwether proving it. Below, the case for why this is the sleeper hit of 2026, and exactly how to wear it without tipping into costume.

What the Erdem SS26 show actually did

Erdem SS26 was staged on the steps of the British Museum, framed by the colonnade, already theatrical before a single model walked. The collection leaned hard into high, lacy collars, corset panels, and panniers, grounded by Moralıoğlu’s signature soft draping and structural tucks. Crucially, he mixed the Victoriana pieces with bare arms and relaxed tailoring, so the show never collapsed into full period drama. That restraint is the lesson for real life wear: one historical element per outfit, and let the rest of the look stay modern. The critics noticed. WWD, SHOWstudio and Mojeh all flagged the same thing, a rare London moment where audience members actually gasped, which does not happen for pretty florals. Pre fall and Fall 2026 follow ups have kept the collar detail going, so this is not a one season flicker.

Pie crust collars, explained (and why they look expensive)

A pie crust collar is a high, rounded collar with a small scalloped or fluted edge, the name comes from the crimped rim of a homemade pie. It sat at the centre of 1980s Sloane Ranger dressing (Princess Diana wore one under a grey wool jumper in the famous 1981 engagement photo) and before that, it defined late Victorian blouses. The reason it reads luxe in 2026 is geometry: a ruffled collar creates a frame around the face the way a Renaissance portrait does, which flatters almost everyone and photographs exceptionally well. It also stands in visual opposition to the slouchy, oversized silhouette that dominated 2023-2024, which is why it feels new again. Look for real cotton poplin, not polyester, the collar needs to hold its shape, and synthetic fabric will droop within a wear or two.

Ganni is the most wearable mid tier entry point

Ganni sits in that sweet spot where the Victoriana fashion trend 2026 becomes properly shoppable. Their high neck ruffled gingham seersucker blouse, the panelled rose pink and black frill style, and the butternut seersucker check ruffle collar blouse on Garmentory are all live right now, typically priced between roughly $200 and $400. The design language is very specifically Ganni: ruffled shoulders, cuffed balloon sleeves, gingham or ditsy prints, and the frill collar as the anchor. Because Ganni’s styling tends to be Copenhagen pragmatic, worn with vintage Levi’s, a Loewe Puzzle bag, a chunky dad sandal, the blouse never reads costume. If you are testing the trend and want one piece that will survive the cycle, Ganni’s gingham frill collar is the most forgiving place to start.

& Other Stories is the high street version worth buying

& Other Stories has been quietly feeding this trend for at least two seasons, with lace trim blouses, V shaped frill necklines, and cotton pie crust collar shirts that usually land between £55 and £95. Because & Other Stories is part of the H&M Group, the price to fabric ratio is genuinely good, you will find cotton poplin and broderie anglaise at a fraction of Ganni’s ticket. The catch is that these pieces sell out fast once a Vogue or Who What Wear editor picks them up, and restocks are inconsistent. Check the new in page weekly rather than waiting for sale. Pair with their own wide leg barrel jeans or a Toteme alike wool trouser and you have a full outfit under £200.

Doen, the prairie revival, and the Chloé link

The reason the Victoriana moment feels inevitable is that Chemena Kamali’s debut at Chloé already rewired the industry toward romantic, ruffled, muted tone dressing. The modern boho and prairie revival running through SS26, lace, ruffles, ditsy florals, prairie prints, is essentially a softer sister to the Erdem Victoriana story. Doen, the LA based label beloved by Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez, has been the quiet backbone of this aesthetic for years. Their puff sleeve blouses, usually priced between $200 and $320, are the piece Who What Wear keeps naming as the spring 2026 top trend. If Erdem is the runway reference and Ganni is the shop the trend middle, Doen is the quieter, more Californian version of the same idea.

How to wear it without looking like a period costume

The rule is simple: one Victorian element, everything else modern. A pie crust collar blouse tucked into straight leg denim and finished with a pointed flat works. A ruffled high neck blouse under a boxy cropped blazer with wide leg tailored trousers works. Layering a Victorian blouse under a fine merino crewneck so only the collar peeks out is the single most editor approved move of the season, it gives you the ruffle frame around the face without committing to the full blouse. What does not work: head to toe broderie anglaise, lace up boots, a prairie skirt, and a straw basket in the same outfit. That is a costume. For styling inspiration on mixing heritage pieces with modern basics, our wardrobe building guide has a few principles that apply directly here.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do	Don’t
Buy cotton poplin or broderie anglaise, it holds shape	Buy polyester versions, the collar will droop by week two
Layer the blouse under a fine merino sweater so only the collar shows	Wear it with a prairie skirt and lace up boots in the same look
Pair with straight leg or barrel leg denim for a modern contrast	Pair with ditsy print midi skirts and straw bags
Start at & Other Stories if you are trend testing under £100	Drop £400 on Ganni before you know if you like the silhouette
Tuck into high waisted tailored trousers for office wear	Leave it untucked over wide jeans, it swallows the frame
Add a single slim gold chain to echo the Victorian feel	Pile on cameo brooches, chokers and pearl layers together
Treat it as one statement piece per outfit	Combine corset detail, pannier, and pie crust collar in one look
Keep makeup modern, glossy lip, clean skin	Add ringlet curls and blush cheeks for a full period effect
Try a coloured version (butternut, rose pink) once white feels safe	Default to only white, the colour options are where it gets chic
Invest in Doen or Ganni if you wear it weekly	Buy the £18 Shein version, it will not survive one wash

FAQs

Is the Victoriana fashion trend 2026 actually going to stick, or is it a one season moment? Based on runway evidence, it has legs. Erdem has carried the pie crust collar through Resort, SS26, Pre Fall and Fall 2026, which is four consecutive collections, that is not a flicker, that is a commitment. Ganni has built a dedicated frill collar blouse category on their site, and & Other Stories restocks these silhouettes every few weeks. The trend is also riding the coat tails of the larger Chloé led boho revival, which most trend forecasters expect to run through 2027.

What is the difference between a pie crust collar and a regular ruffle collar? A pie crust collar is specifically high necked and features a small, crimped or scalloped edge, the ruffle is tight and structured, not loose. A regular ruffle collar can be soft, floppy, cascading down the chest, or asymmetric. Pie crust collars stand up. Ruffle collars often fall. If you want the luxury editorial Victoriana look, the pie crust version is what to search for.

Can I wear this trend if I have a short neck or a rounder face? Yes, with adjustments. Skip the extra tall ruffle and look for a medium height pie crust collar instead. Leave the top button undone if the blouse allows it, which creates a small V and elongates the neck. Wear your hair up or swept back so the collar has room to breathe. Pair with straight leg or barrel trousers rather than skinny jeans, balance the volume around the face with looser volume below.

What is the cheapest credible way into this trend? & Other Stories for high street, usually £55-£95 for a cotton poplin pie crust blouse. Arket, also H&M Group, occasionally carries a more minimal version. For under £50, vintage 1980s Austin Reed, St Michael, or Laura Ashley blouses on eBay and Etsy are genuinely excellent, they were often made in real cotton and the collar structure holds up decades later.

Does this work for office wear? It is one of the best office trends of the year. A pie crust collar blouse tucked into tailored wool trousers with a boxy blazer on top reads senior, polished, and a little bit fashion, without being loud. For a full workwear breakdown of how to mix trend pieces with tailoring, our business casual styling guide walks through the proportions.

Who is actually wearing this off the runway right now? Alexa Chung has been in a ruffled high neck Erdem blouse on Instagram repeatedly. Leandra Medine has worn the Ganni frill collar with barrel jeans. On TikTok, the “quiet Victorian” hashtag has been climbing steadily since London Fashion Week. French editors, Jeanne Damas, Sabina Socol, are doing the layered under a sweater version almost exclusively. It is an editor led trend before it is a celebrity one, which usually means the shelf life is longer.

Is there a men’s version of this trend, or is it strictly womenswear? There are whispers, a few of the Erdem SS26 men’s adjacent looks carried the high collar idea, but commercially this is a womenswear moment for now. Do not expect your partner’s wardrobe to absorb it this year.

Conclusion

The Victoriana fashion trend 2026 is the rare trend that rewards patience and precision over buying quantity. One well made pie crust collar blouse from & Other Stories, Ganni, or Doen, worn with the modern pieces you already own, will take you further than a full boho overhaul ever could. Start with the collar, skip the costume, and let Erdem do the theatrical heavy lifting on the runway while you keep your version clean. The prairie revival is quieter than 2021, smarter than cottagecore, and, for once, actually flattering.

H&M Studio SS26: The Grey Gardens Collection and the Return of Designer High Street

Erica — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 21:33:39 +0000

There’s a specific kind of fashion moment that only happens a few times a year, and H&M Studio SS26 is one of them. The collection, which landed in stores and on hm.com on 5 March 2026, takes its cues from the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens, yes, that Grey Gardens, the one starring Little Edie and her mother Edith Bouvier Beale rattling around a crumbling East Hampton mansion in headscarves made of skirts and brooches pinned to whatever was closest. It is a reference so specific, so cult, and so deeply “insider fashion girl” that when I first saw the lookbook I genuinely laughed out loud. Ann Sofie Johansson, H&M’s Head of Womenswear Design, has been running H&M Studio since its inception, and this feels like the collection she has been quietly working towards for years.

What makes H&M Studio SS26 worth writing about, and worth buying from, is that it treats high street customers like adults with taste. There’s no dilution, no watered down version of a runway idea for the masses. Johansson name checked the Beales because she loves how they “use their clothes in a way that’s very refreshing,” and the pieces reflect exactly that: asymmetric slip skirts with uneven hems, cardigans whose collars extend past the hem finished with a bow, puddle length trousers that look deliberately pinned at the waist, a peplum leather jacket with a funnel neck, and surreal florals lifted straight from the wallpaper of an imaginary decaying manor. If you’ve been waiting for the high street to get interesting again, this is it.

Why Grey Gardens Makes Sense as a SS26 Reference

Grey Gardens as a fashion reference isn’t new, Marc Jacobs has cited it, Rodarte has flirted with it, and every editorial director worth their salt has a Little Edie mood board somewhere in their camera roll. But nobody has done it at the H&M Studio scale, which is the interesting bit. Little Edie’s appeal was never about being “chic” in the conventional sense; it was about the radical confidence of wearing a cashmere sweater upside down as a turban and pinning a brooch to it because why not. That ethos, dressing for yourself, not for approval, is exactly where Gen Z and millennial fashion has been heading since the TikTok era killed the idea of a single “correct” outfit. Johansson didn’t pick Grey Gardens fashion because it was obscure. She picked it because it is suddenly, perfectly, of the moment.

Ann Sofie Johansson’s Fingerprints Are All Over This

If you follow H&M Studio at all, you know Ann Sofie Johansson is the quiet architect of its consistency. She has been with the brand for decades and has a way of filtering reference material through a commercial lens without flattening it. For SS26 that means the Grey Gardens mood shows up in shrunken lapels, raw edges, deliberate slits, and prints that feel hand drawn rather than algorithmically generated. Johansson told press the Beales “use their clothes in a way that’s very refreshing,” which is vintage Ann Sofie, she always roots her Studio collections in a woman (Ingrid Bergman, Charlotte Rampling, now the Beales) rather than a mood board of Pinterest fragments. It’s why her high street editorial work reads as editorial and not as a cheap knockoff. The clothes have a point of view.

The Peplum Leather Jacket Is the Hero Piece

Let’s talk about the peplum leather jacket, because it’s the one every fashion editor flagged and the one that will sell out first. It’s £380 / roughly $480, a proper investment for H&M Studio but absurdly cheap for real leather with this much design on it. The silhouette is oversized through the shoulders, pulls in at a drawstring waist, and flares into a structured peplum hem. The funnel neck is the detail that sells it: it reads more Phoebe Philo era Celine than high street, and when layered over a slip skirt from the same collection, the whole outfit clocks in at under £550. Compare that to any similar leather piece from Khaite or Toteme (£1,800+) and the maths gets very appealing, very fast. Buy it in black, wear it everywhere, don’t overthink it.

The Pieces Worth Actually Buying

Beyond the jacket, there are maybe six pieces from the H&M Studio collection that are genuinely worth your wardrobe slot. The asymmetric slip skirt in the surreal floral print (£89) is the sleeper hit, it looks expensive, it layers under knitwear, and the uneven hem stops it from reading twee. The oversized cardigan with the bow trimmed extended collar (£99) is the piece that will end up on every fashion girl’s Instagram by April. The puddle hem trousers (£79) are trickier, they only work if you commit fully and wear them with a flat, but styled right, they are the most 2026 thing in the collection. Add a cropped white cotton shirt with shrunken lapels (£49) and a simple black silk headscarf (£29), and you’ve built a capsule that reads Grey Gardens fashion without cosplaying it. Skip the accessories, the shoes are fine but not essential, and the bags are the weakest link.

How This Fits Into the Bigger High Street Story

H&M Studio SS26 matters beyond its own sales numbers because it signals where the high street is going. For two years, Zara has been doing most of the heavy lifting on trend forward drops (Zara Origins, Zara SRPLS), while H&M drifted. This collection is H&M’s clearest statement in ages that it still knows how to do designer high street properly, not through a one off collab with a luxury house (those are over, nobody misses them) but through an in house studio with a real creative director and a real reference library. If you’ve been buying mostly Arket or COS for your “nice basics” budget, H&M Studio is now back on the table for the statement pieces. For more on where this fits, see our related editorial on how to look expensive on a budget and the broader piece on luxury vs budget fashion.

How to Style the Collection Without Looking Costume y

The risk with any reference heavy drop is looking like you’re in fancy dress, and Grey Gardens is an especially easy reference to overdo. The rule is: pick one eccentric piece per outfit and ground everything else. The peplum leather jacket over a plain white tee and straight Levi’s 501s is perfect. The floral slip skirt with a cashmere crewneck and loafers is perfect. What you don’t do is wear the bow cardigan, the puddle trousers, the headscarf, and the brooch all at once, at that point you’ve left editorial and entered theatre. Think of the collection as a spice rack, not a meal. One pinch of Little Edie per outfit, grounded in your normal wardrobe, is how the H&M Studio collection reads as directional in 2026 rather than as a Halloween costume.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do	Don’t
Buy the peplum leather jacket first if you only buy one piece	Don’t wait, the jacket will sell out within two weeks
Size up in the oversized pieces for the intended silhouette	Don’t size down thinking you’ll “tailor it”, the proportions are the point
Wear the floral slip skirt with plain knitwear to balance the print	Don’t pair multiple Grey Gardens references in one outfit
Shop the collection in store if possible, the leather reads very differently in person	Don’t rely on the hm.com photos alone; colours are slightly warmer IRL
Commit fully to the puddle hem trousers with a flat shoe	Don’t wear heels with the puddle trousers, it cancels the silhouette
Treat the headscarf as an accent, not a costume prop	Don’t tie it under the chin Little Edie literal unless you’re being ironic
Layer the bow cardigan over a slip dress for spring	Don’t button it up, the open collar is the design
Mix the Studio pieces with your existing wardrobe basics	Don’t wear head to toe H&M Studio SS26 unless you’re shooting editorial
Check returns policy before buying online, sizing is generous	Don’t assume standard H&M sizing; Studio runs a half size bigger
Invest in the jacket, be selective on everything else	Don’t panic buy the full collection; three pieces is plenty

FAQs

When did H&M Studio SS26 launch and where can I buy it? H&M Studio SS26 launched on 5 March 2026 in select flagship stores globally and on hm.com. Not every H&M stocks it, it’s carried in the larger flagships in cities like London, New York, Paris, Stockholm, Milan, and Sydney. If you’re not near one, hm.com ships the full range, and the site usually restocks hero pieces once or twice before the collection sells through by mid April. Sign up for the Studio mailing list if you want first access on restocks.

Is the peplum leather jacket real leather and is it worth £380? Yes, it’s genuine lamb leather, and at £380 it’s priced well below comparable pieces from luxury labels like Khaite, Toteme, or The Frankie Shop, which typically start at £1,200 and go north of £2,500. For a real leather jacket with this much design detail, funnel neck, drawstring waist, structured peplum, £380 is a strong value proposition. If you wear leather jackets year round, the cost per wear makes sense almost immediately. It’s the one piece in the H&M Studio collection I’d tell anyone to buy without hesitation.

Who is Ann Sofie Johansson and why does she matter? Ann Sofie Johansson is H&M’s Head of Womenswear Design and the creative force behind every H&M Studio collection since the line’s beginning. She has been at H&M for over three decades and is one of the quiet power players in Scandinavian fashion. Unlike celebrity designer collaborations, Johansson’s Studio collections have a consistent sensibility, heavily referenced, editorially styled, commercially calibrated. If you’ve ever bought something from H&M Studio and thought “this looks more expensive than it is,” that’s her fingerprint.

What does Grey Gardens have to do with spring 2026 fashion? Grey Gardens is the 1975 Maysles brothers documentary about Edith “Big Edie” Bouvier Beale and her daughter Little Edie, two eccentric socialite relatives of Jackie Kennedy living in a decaying Hamptons mansion. Little Edie became a cult fashion icon for her radically inventive outfits, skirts worn as headscarves, brooches pinned to cardigans, layers upon layers. For spring 2026, Grey Gardens fashion aligns with a broader mood in luxury of eccentric dressing, layered proportions, and personal style over trend thinking, which is why Johansson picked it.

How does H&M Studio SS26 sizing run? H&M Studio tends to run slightly more generous than standard H&M, roughly a half size larger. The SS26 collection in particular is designed around oversized and exaggerated proportions, so sizing down is tempting, resist it. The bow cardigan, the peplum jacket, and the puddle trousers are all meant to look slightly too big. If you’re between sizes, take your usual H&M size rather than sizing down for “fit.”

What pieces will sell out first? Based on early reporting from press previews and the first week of sales, the peplum leather jacket will go first, followed by the floral slip skirt and the bow detail cardigan. The puddle trousers and headscarves are slower burn pieces that usually stay in stock longer because they’re harder to style. If you want the jacket, do not wait past the first ten days of the launch.

Does this collection work for petite or plus size bodies? The Studio line sizes from XS to XL in most markets and up to XXL in select pieces online. The oversized silhouettes are actually quite flattering on a range of bodies because they’re designed around deliberate volume rather than body con fit. Petite shoppers should be cautious with the puddle hem trousers (they may need shortening) and might prefer the slip skirt and bow cardigan, which scale down more gracefully.

Conclusion

H&M Studio SS26 is the most editorially confident high street collection in recent memory, and the Grey Gardens reference is the kind of specific, cult literate move that makes H&M Studio SS26 feel like a proper fashion moment rather than a retail drop. Buy the peplum leather jacket, pick one or two supporting pieces, and style them into your actual wardrobe, not as costume, as spice. This is what designer high street is supposed to feel like.

trend report – That Velvet Lady

Pie Crust Collars and the Victoriana Moment at Erdem, Ganni and & Other Stories

What the Erdem SS26 show actually did

Pie crust collars, explained (and why they look expensive)

Ganni is the most wearable mid tier entry point

& Other Stories is the high street version worth buying

Doen, the prairie revival, and the Chloé link

How to wear it without looking like a period costume

Do’s and Don’ts

FAQs

Conclusion

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H&M Studio SS26: The Grey Gardens Collection and the Return of Designer High Street

Why Grey Gardens Makes Sense as a SS26 Reference

Ann Sofie Johansson’s Fingerprints Are All Over This

The Peplum Leather Jacket Is the Hero Piece

The Pieces Worth Actually Buying

How This Fits Into the Bigger High Street Story

How to Style the Collection Without Looking Costume y

Do’s and Don’ts

FAQs

Conclusion

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