Apexthrust

Photography Yu FujiwaraFebruary 28, 2026Fashion / GalleryFashion / GalleryStreet style AW26: Maximalist dressing is alive and well in London

While New York fashion rewinds to the 90s, LFW stayed as chaotic as ever with guests – including Beabadoobee – opting for clashing patterns, XXL shapes, and kitschy accessories

ShareLink copied ✔️February 28, 2026February 28, 2026TextHannah BertolinoPhotographyYu FujiwaraLondon Fashion Week AW26 street style

Gallery / 40 images

As Ryan Murphy’s Love Story crash-landed on the New York fashion scene this season (tap into any front row guest’s phone, and you were sure to encounter a slew of old Carolyn Bassette Kennedy paparazzi montages and pared-back, 90s fit pics), AW26 in London stayed as high-energy as ever. It’s no surprise that on and off the runway, the city reigns as a hotspot of emerging talent, cutting-edge design, and big entertainment.

This season alone, as Chet Lo transformed London’s Mandarin Oriental hotel into a Hong Kong night market, Argentinian designer Lucila Safdie “curdled” femininity as we know it, and Girls’ Jemima Kirke delivered a dramatic soliloquy at the Completedworks dinner table – the fashion crowd churned out their own innovative looks, subverting colour and form through fun, “more is more” dressing.

On the streets, pastel layers were stacked-up with tights and bras on the outside, as if the wearer got dressed in reverse order; trench coats, skirts, and denim shorts came puffed-up, elongated, or stretched completely around the body – disguising the people underneath as real-life, moving sculptures; and showgoers, including Beabadoobee, mingled black with pops of neon, stripes with Ashley Williams’ signature “I HEART ME” print, and Chopova Lowena checked kilts with leopard print fur and cartoonish orange boots.

As for the accessories, carabiners hooked purses with tiny teddy bear stuffed animals and small pouches, hats came covered in rosettes or towering with blue fur, earrings bundled with spikes, and sleeves tucked up with long, dangling gloves. That’s not to say we didn’t see a few stripped-back looks cross the pavement this season. But in London, maximalism is surely alive and well.

To see all those looks and more, scroll through the gallery at the top of the page.

Escape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP

Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.

Thank you. You have been subscribed

Privacy policy ShareLink copied ✔️More on these topicsFashionGalleryAW26London Fashion WeekLondonStreet Style Beabadoobee