Welcome to Fashion’s Fairy-Tale Era

3 min read

Once upon a time on the runways, in a land far, far away (in Paris), whimsy ruled and dressing up for dressing up’s sake was pivotal. During the haute couture fall 2026 shows, Chanel showcased carved “Jack and the Beanstalk” heels and animal-shaped buttons inspired by “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”. Robert Wun cited the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki via dreamlike characters drawn from childhood memories, complete with an opening look manifested in the form of a rainbow beaded gown and a matching hennin-style hat. Earlier this year, Simone Rocha presented a fall 2026 collection that touched on Irish folklore including Enbarr, the mythological horse, and Tír na nÓg, the land of eternal youth, via sheer embellished gowns spun with ribbons and lace. We’re living in decidedly strange times, so it’s no wonder fairy tales seem to be everywhere in fashion right now.

Chanel Couture fall 2026 shoes

Simone Rocha fall 2026

In many ways, the fairy tale look has been brewing for a while. In late 2025, the runways and the internet were obsessed with the weird medieval aesthetic, which naturally lends itself to elements of fantastic fairy tales. Think: hennin hats, highly detailed antiqued textiles and accessories like gloves or heavily embellished bags, as well as the occasional Renaissance-ready gown. The fairy tale aesthetic mixes the nature-inspired earthiness of the medieval era with the girlishness of the newly rising dark coquette trend, making way for opulent grandeur and whimsy. It’s all about embroidered cloaks, decadent ballgowns, perfectly puffed sleeves, high A-line silhouettes, and, most important of all, intricate details that feel otherworldly, like those aforementioned Chanel fairy tale shoes.

Robert Wun fall 2026

Even off the runways, fairy tales in fashion have taken hold. Social media is currently obsessed with the idea of everyday whimsy, and in May 2026, The New York Times declared whimsy “a Life Raft for Zillennials,” describing it as “a lifestyle that blends playfulness, spontaneity, and being present.” Combine that with the fact that method dressing on the red carpet is also at an all-time high, and it’s easy to see why Zendaya wearing an angelic Matières Fécales dress and Lupita Nyong’o donning dramatic queenly gowns, both during The Odyssey press tour, so easily blends with the idea of mythological fairy tale dressing in real life.

Zendaya wearing Matières Fécales at The Odyssey premiere

Luckily, it’s an easy trend to replicate. Ultra-long bows, glitter, court shoes, and romantic headpieces complete the look. At Duran Lantink’s Jean Paul Gaultier couture fall 2026 debut, for example, some of the models wore extremely long black bows on the backs of their heads that grazed the runway as they walked. Fusing the Let Them Eat Cake energy of a modern Marie Antoinette with a futuristic princess, the humble hair accessory transcended function and became thrillingly costume-like in its execution.

At Viktor & Rolf’s couture fall 2026 show, the gilded cloaks and voluminous ruffled gowns would have looked at home in any modern Disney movie. But the message behind the collection may have been the most interesting takeaway. Titled Gilded Age 2.0, two models dressed and undressed live, wearing the exact same silhouettes rendered in opposite materials. One represented decadence and the other restraint; both were a dual commentary about our current times. The lavish ornamentation was the facade and forced armor, while the simple burlap was the utilitarian everyday structure and labor that the opulence was built upon.

Viktor & Rolf couture fall 2026

Maybe we all crave fantasy-centric storytelling and the embellishment of the mundane when it feels like the world is burning. “I started to wonder, was Gabrielle Chanel’s life a fairy tale?” questioned Chanel’s artistic director Matthieu Blazy in the recent couture show notes. “I found a small book in her library, Les Fées, Contes des Contes, and asked myself if, together with the Haute Couture ateliers, we could make garments that tell stories like a book.”

History repeats itself, but it often looks different. Just over 100 years ago today, the surrealist movement was born in a time of turmoil, prompted by a reaction to the so-called logic and ideas that started World War I. Surrealists wanted to fight against the “rationalism” they believed guided European culture and politics into war—thus uniting reality and fantasy, or “an absolute reality, a surreality,” in the words of poet and critic André Breton, who published The Surrealist Manifesto in 1924.

In 2026, fashion straight out of a fairy tale is the whimsical endorphin rush we all crave. It’s imaginary escapism through the wardrobe.