This month's roundup is a proper mixed bag, a bilingual poetry collection that's somehow ended up in a fashion search, M&S getting genuinely interesting for once, a bedding brand expanding into girls' rooms, and two red carpet trend pieces that couldn't be more different in mood if they tried.
Naked dressing and playful dressing, in the same month, feels like the industry can't decide if it wants to be provocative or fun. Possibly both, possibly neither, possibly just whatever gets the most engagement on a red carpet recap.
Either way, there's something for everyone here, including a firm reminder that not everything with "collection" in the headline belongs in a fashion newsletter.
This one's not a fashion story, and we're not pretending otherwise
This is a piece from MPR News about a Minnesota refugee advocate publishing a bilingual poetry collection, described as "a dream" for her. It's a lovely story. It has nothing to do with fashion.
We're including it because it turned up in the search results and we said we wouldn't skip anything, but there's no clothing angle here to comment on, so we'll leave it at that and move on to the actual fashion news below.
M&S and Aries is the collab nobody saw coming, in a good way
M&S has teamed up with Aries, the London streetwear label known for its slightly unhinged prints and cult following, on a new collection launching August 2026. It's a genuine departure for a brand more associated with school uniforms and meal deals for two than anything with actual street cred.
This is the kind of pairing that works precisely because it shouldn't. M&S gets a jolt of relevance with a younger, more fashion literate crowd, Aries gets access to a distribution machine most streetwear labels would kill for. If you run a heritage brand wondering how to feel current without losing yourself, this is worth watching closely, the collection, and how M&S talks about it.
The unlikely pairing that might actually work.
Girls' bedding gets an expansion, but this one's a stretch for us too
Intelligent Design is expanding its girls' bedding lineup with a new collection, according to EIN News. It's a home goods story through and through, new prints, new sets, aimed at a young audience's bedroom rather than their wardrobe.
You Might Also Like
We cover fashion, not homeware, so there's genuinely not much for us to add here beyond noting it exists. If your business sits at the crossover point of kidswear and home decor there might be a lesson in how brands stretch a single aesthetic across categories, but that's a stretch of our own to make from one headline.
Naked dressing is back, and it's exhausting in the best way
Modern Ghana reports on "naked dressing", the red carpet trend of increasingly sheer, skin baring outfits that's been dominating award shows and premieres. It's not new exactly, we've had eras of this before, but it's having a proper moment again, with stylists leaning into sheer fabric, strategic cutouts and the general sense that more skin equals more headlines.
Here's the thing about naked dressing, it's brilliant for a five second scroll stop and completely useless as an actual style lesson for real life. If you're a brand covering red carpet moments for content, this delivers engagement every single time. If you're trying to translate any of it into what your customer actually wears on a Tuesday, good luck.
More skin, more headlines, zero relevance to your actual wardrobe.
Playful dressing is the trend we're actually here for
The Handbook has flagged a shift towards "playful" fashion, colour, print, a bit of joy, a move away from the quiet luxury beige-on-beige moment that's dominated for the past couple of years. Think clashing prints, unexpected colour pairings, accessories that don't take themselves too seriously.
We'll be honest, we're relieved. Quiet luxury was fine but it made every outfit admission feel the same, another neutral coat, another "investment piece" that cost more than our first car. A trend that rewards actually having fun with what you wear is one we can get behind, and it's a far easier sell to real customers than anything requiring a stylist and a body double's confidence.
Finally, a trend that doesn't require an "investment piece" justification.
What we’re watching next
The real story this month is the gap between red carpet trends and what anyone actually wears, naked dressing makes headlines, playful dressing makes sales. Worth watching which one brands actually chase in their next campaign.
Also keep an eye on M&S and Aries, if that collection lands well it's a genuine playbook for heritage brands wanting credibility without a full rebrand. Everything else this month was a reminder that not every "collection" headline is ours to comment on, and that's fine too.
