Wrecking my brain on how to write a fashion roundup, I started thinking about what becomes a trend. Fashion is art, and art is subjective. But an industry that thrives on commercialising this art is also feeding people. Yes! by creating the need to imitate the fashion statements. Eve tasted the fruit, and suddenly, Adam wanted to follow (Mind you, she didn’t force him). Somewhere along the way, we are all succumbing to the same temptation as Adam might have experienced. If Hailey Bieber used a comb to apply a face mask (her own brand, Rhode, of course), does that mean that method is trending? She just made us all believe that textured skincare is the rizz, when some of us are still trying to figure out how to look like a glazed donut.
What does a fashion roundup mean to a person like you or me sitting in one corner of the world, reading (or judging) this? Leaving the important issues in the world like the futile and ghastly war next door or the upcoming elections for a while, CE takes a look at some fashion trends you can embrace this summer.
HAIR
Runways at Valentino, Dior, Stella McCartney — all of them sent models out with windswept, slightly ruffled, “I wasn’t trying” hair. The kind that takes 45 minutes to look effortless. What’s our take? Put the straightener down. The frizz is in now. The humidity is doing us a favour. But for those who can’t stand the heat, the chic bob is in trend. It is everywhere. Emma Stone has one. Zendaya has one. Gracie Abrams has had one so consistently that it feels more like her personality. For a softer summer look, take notes from Olivia Dean with big, blowout waves that look like you spent the afternoon near the sea. Now for the styling, a thin satin ribbon (you can also go for an oversized scrunchie) tied around a low bun or woven into a braid reads romantic without trying too hard. Speaking of braids, tuck one small flower into them. A rose, the way Simran wore it. It is making a comeback with Kayadu Lohar’s look in Pallichattambi. If ribbons aren’t your thing, go Italian. Tie a silk scarf low around your head, knotted loosely at the nape, sunglasses on. Imagine you are in The Godfather or in Elena Ferrante’s Naples. Either works. Crocheted and bedazzled skull caps can also be a great accessory to shine this summer.
MAKE UP
The Clean Girl era is over. She had a perfectly pleasant run. This season, we are doing our faces again with colour, and we are not apologising for it. Euphoria’s Season 3 arrives precisely at the right moment. Maddy Perez has retired from the glitter, entered her Sophia Loren era with matte, moody, dark lips, a double wing so sharp like a knife’s edge. For those who are avoiding watching this trauma porn, here is what to do with your face this summer. Skin first. Forget glass skin, that was a very pandemic thing. This year’s finish is called mannequin skin, which simply means soft, blurred, and real. Eyes next. Graphic liner is having its most adventurous season — floating lines above the crease, double wings, negative space, extended corners. Frosted blue eyeshadow is back. The lip. The baddie makeup with rich plums, fiery reds, glossy berries — all lined by darker lipliner is flooding reels. But if you want to try something else, there is the Nina Park lip: a soft, blurred wash of colour applied from the centre of the mouth outward, fading gently at the edges.
OUTFITS
If you’ve ever stepped outside in Chennai in May, you already know the answer to summer dressing: cotton. The best place to find it? Pantheon Road/Cotton Street. Simple white dresses, long flowy maxis, and solid colours with tiny prints adorn the street. Paris and Milan are saying the same thing on their runways, just in a more expensive language. Colour-blocking, wearing two or three bold solid colours together with no mixing or patterns, showed up at Celine, Jil Sander, and Loewe. Polka dots are having a full moment. Pair that with lace maxi skirts or lace-trimmed monochrome skirts. For fans of Victorian fashion, Jonathan Anderson’s debut at Dior brought back the Victorian bustle, a 19th-century padded structure worn under skirts to dramatically puff out the back. Also, you can roll up your jeans, till the ankle, giving a neat width, as Harry Styles and Chase Infiniti have approved the look.
SHOES
Onitsuka Tiger just dropped the Mexico 66 with a kitten heel. Yes, the shoe from Kill Bill. You cannot run from assassins in this version. But you can look incredibly cool while standing still. When you examine the whole shoe scenario, on one foot, you have the kitten heel slinking down the Dior runway. On the other foot, designers have completely lost their minds and started gluing the jewellery box onto the shoe. Dries Van Noten has trainers covered in crystals. Stella McCartney put pearls where pearls normally don’t belong. Ankles are the new earlobes, I guess.
COLOURS
Apparently, something called toothpaste fashion is kicking up — people dressing up in mint green, sea foam, and the softest icy blue you’ve ever seen. Blue has been plotting a takeover for a while now, honestly. First, Lady Gaga hit the Super Bowl stage in that baby blue Loewe number. Then Zendaya floated by in that Schiaparelli black-blue gown. And now? Meryl Streep is out here reminding us all about Cerulean with that iconic sweater moment ahead of Devil Wears Prada 2.
ACCESSORIES
Oversized cuffs, bold rings, textured metal bracelets, and chunky chain necklaces are among the season’s most striking styles (Please head to Basant Nagar beach). Beaded chokers have toughened up. At Balenciaga and Chanel, thick gold links and sculpted metal bands wrapped the neck like modern armour. Separately, oversized pendants and metallic florals were layered over knits, polos, and sequinned jackets at Valentino, Rabanne, and Sacai. Belts are no longer holding up pants. The spring/summer 2026 runways put forth an argument for belts to have a higher purpose, to be stacked, like how you would with your necklaces and bangles. For bags, satin pouches from houses like Prada are the new IT bag energy. And sunglasses are having their maximalist moment too, with geometric frames and bold acetate shapes very much in the conversation. Book charms, as seen on Elle Fanning, turn summer accessories into small stories you can carry, an ode to last year’s Labubu craze.