sandy liang ss27

New York City | 09.13.2026 | 2:00 p.m. EST

Sandy Liang produced a unique blend of designs ranging from streetwear that felt baggy and far from feminine to the complete other side of the spectrum, sporting girly babydoll dresses ornamented with statement bows. There were ruffles and tulle for other pieces, and basically anything that comes to mind when you think of a character like Fancy Nancy, per se. The show seemed to encapsulate daily women’s wear in New York, capturing the oversized silhouettes you often find on the streets among younger crowds, all the way to a more refined look that could both be sophisticated and look like a five-year-old and twenty-five-year-old alike could rock it walking down the streets. This show was the first time in a while I have truly seen the term “ready-to-wear” taken seriously. Don’t get me wrong, my favorite kind of garment is one that takes up 20 yards of fabric and spans the width of an entire room, but that’s typically not the objective of a show where garments should be able to be worn outside regularly and not look completely ludicrous. Instead of having a narrow scope of the occasion for the garments, Liang did the exact opposite. Flipping between baggy trousers, crop tops, sequin skirts and sweaters, skirt suits, and all the way to mini dresses, I felt like there wasn’t an area of the board that Liang didn’t touch. The arrangement was comparable to a small-scaled cheese tasting; you try many completely different small cubes, and you just get a sliver of each flavor. The theme transferred beautifully onto the designs, and I saw a pragmatic blend of whimsical and utilitarian. I do feel a responsibility to briefly discuss the fanny packs. I know I was just raving about how I liked the new practical ideas, but fanny packs have never been a “thing” in the luxury fashion world, and nor will they ever become one. Fanny pack. The world itself is utterly and despicably cacophonous. A fashion show should feel euphoric and most definitely not ever even consider utilizing a device made for the outdoor landscape when the show focuses on urban life. I also noticed that all the fanny packs were labeled: Sandy Liang. First of all, anyone who needs validation from a brand name might as well get SHEIN so they have a good controversial talking point, but fashion isn’t about letting everyone know WHO you are wearing, it’s WHAT you are wearing. The label is secondary and is dependent on the primary variable—quality. Secondly, everyone who had a seat at the runway already knew who had designed the clothing; they didn’t need a visual cue to help remember. I know social media is ruining our short-term memory, but I don’t think the impact has reached that concerning a level quite yet.

It would be hard to say that I saw a distinct pattern in the clothing throughout the entire show, but this isn’t to disregard the minor repetitions that occurred. Unfortunately, I do have to say that the fanny pack was one of them. I despise fanny packs with a fashion, but it complemented the streetwear in its own twisted way. My personal style reflects timeless patterns; I don’t like to engage in fleeting trends like cargo pants, but I won’t spend my time discussing all the reasons why YSL’s famous quote would apply perfectly to this scenario. The one thing I saw continue to appear was the slender proportions, and even when Liang chose to use a baggy sweater, the silhouette remained recognizably slim. The lanky models were honestly refreshing. I’m completely open to this new body-inclusivity concept, but the entire point of having skinny models in the first place was so clothes hung down like they would on hangers, plus the garments just look better this way. For this theme, having the runway stampeded by elephants wouldn’t quite match the delicate fairytale aesthetic. In the past with Liang, I have observed a hyperbolic attachment to humongous bows, ruffles, and tulle, all of which are elements that were made out noticeably differently this time around, in the manner that this time—they remained rightfully as detailed instead of swallowing the entire focus and distracting from any nuance. I saw a lot of silk this time, and I adored it. It was used like how Chanel uses tweed, but dare I say even more conservatively to create a refined outfit. Silk is notoriously used in haute couture dresses and is one of the most classic trademarks of luxury at high thresholds and when used elegantly. Liang instead used silk to construct matching skirt and blouse sets, mini trench coat dresses, and even as an exterior but visible lining on select pieces. The versatility in the usage of silk stunned me, and with the proliferation of the fashion industry today, I’m sure it has already been done, but the execution that Liang presented with was spectacular.

To come back to a previously mentioned point, I really saw elements of a modern Fancy Nancy in this show. Instead of boas and ruffles and color assortments containing hot pinks, purples, metallics, and blues, this version consisted of a more mellow grouping: polka dots, lace, and pearlescent buttons, with a toned-down color scheme of neutrals and pastels. Sometimes, when you looked closely, the tailoring wasn’t exactly up to par with the expectations I have for a show at fashion week. Sometimes the collection had awkward lengths with midi dresses, and there were even dart discrepancies I noticed in look 31. The seams were either too noticeable or completely hidden and crisp-cut in an unnatural way.

LOOK 6 — ★
What it is + why it matters.

My two most and least favorite pieces were actually relatively close together. Fortunately, the less favorable one was the former, and my disgust was quickly met with adoration for the looks to come. Look 6 was supposedly a representation of sports, coming from the perspective of someone who had never participated in them before, which was very apparent. The most egregious part was the skirt with a literal soccer ball on it. Not even an embroidered soccer ball, just a printed one. At least rock bottom was early on, but this look seemed like something an overenthusiastic soccer mom would wear, and I would hope the clothing and the fanny pack both to get ruined in the stands.

LOOK 13 — ★★★★★
What it is + why it matters.

The first hyper-feminine look in my opinion was the thirteenth. Featuring a mini skirt combining tulle as an uncommon lining under the silk overlay. Silhouette-wise, the dress fanned out in two tiers, with the tulle portion making up the bottom one, and additionally a large bow (of course for Sandy!) and a beautiful wrap-around neckline. The dress was undisputably Liang’s work, and I am a sucker for brand identities remaining constant while evolving within their boundaries. The navy and black combination reminded me of midnight and contrasted with the rest of the primarily light-colored show. It also created a fabulous reflection between the white light in the showroom and the mirroring silk. The makeup was consistent and remained true to the whimsical theme, with subtle sparkles and pinky blush.

Overall, my favorite pieces were obviously the extravagant ladylike dresses. They reminded me of what it would look like if Sabrina Carpenter’s babydoll obsession coincided with Audrey Hepburn’s timelessness. The colors were all stylish, and there wasn’t one that felt out of place. All of them fell under the umbrella of the palette of a ballerina, with the exception of a few silky green garments, which added a nice spring touch.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Liang referenced outdoor brands and gorpcore trends while blending seamlessly with her own fairytale story to produce pieces that felt like they could be worn by Miranda Priestly if she spontaneously decided to hike the Dolomites.

THE VERDICT — 7.6/10

Personally, I would only ever consider looking at half of these items for myself; the other half are completely too trend-oriented. My number isn’t arbitrary, although it does reflect my values that brands should aim to combine the element of timelessness alongside their own pioneering. Liang did a decent job of this, yet certain garments were the epitome of fast-fashion, which never deserves a spot on the runway. Collectively, though, these sporty pieces gave the collection diversity. Overall, based on the garments individually, the show would average out to be a six, with pieces that place on the extreme lower and pieces on the extreme higher end of my scale, but few in between. The body of looks and what each item contributed to the show resulted in a far more entertaining and multifarious collection than any of the other NYFW runways predating this one. If I were ranking it based on how everything worked as a whole, I would give the display an eight, which weighs slightly higher on my conclusive score than individual rankings do. After all, would it really be a show with just one item?