New York Fashion Week begag, once again, with a kind of return—back to the city, back to the season, back to the stories clothes can hold. Inspired by his shared childhood memories of The Wizard of Oz, Creative Director Stuart Vevers brings many of the treasured souvenirs from the American youth experience to the runway.

Throughout his decade-long (and then some) tenure, vintage fashion has been a recurring theme and a hallmark of Vevers’ Coach creative vision. For the Fall 2026 collection, vintage is cherished and preserved as an artifact of youthhood. “With its transition from haunting Film Noir sepia to brilliant, Oz-ian Technicolor, this season channels a shared sense of optimism as we follow a new generation into their next adventure,” said Vevers. “Using crafts with a sense of history, we continue a conversation that connects youth countercultures across decades and geographies. We embrace the continuous reinvention of what it means to be young and forward-looking, resourceful and creative.”

Photography by Isidore Montag

Sportswear and utilitarian workwear sit at the heart of Fall 2026’s silhouettes, framed by the recollection of childhood. Vevers taps into a universal nostalgia, magnifying American fashion archetypes that tie our past experiences and relics together as shared belongings—the varsity jacket isn’t only the domain of athletes, but a symbol of youth itself.

The classic American letterman is layered with daggar-collared shrunken ’70s jackets, peacoats, and shearling and suede coats. Elsewhere, faded numeric graphic tees, softened denim, fraying cuffs, and beat-up sneakers become quiet markers of an American boyhood, proof of a life lived fully in clothes.

Photography by Isidore Montag

Coach has long been anchored by accessories, and for Fall 2026, the bags are once again the collection’s main event. Kiss-lock clutches appear squeezed and folded into models’ palms, while oversized leather crossbody bags and miniature, loosely worn mini-backpacks offer opposing proportions. The season’s standout, however, is pure Coach ingenuity: a worn-in baseball glove, reimagined as a clutch through the season’s signature kiss-lock closure.

As each memento is threaded together and recalled throughout the Fall collection, a sense of belonging emerges—each sentiment carries both the intimacy of nostalgia and the camaraderie of mutual understanding.

Photography by Isidore Montag