Staud’s Spring Summer 2026 lookbook, unveiled at New York Fashion Week, felt like a love letter to California’s coast, an airy meditation on surf culture, seaside nostalgia, and the brand’s signature blend of playful detail with polished wearability. Sarah Staudinger anchored the collection in surf-inspired references while ensuring the clothes translated seamlessly from boardwalk to city street.

Board shorts were reimagined in lace-trimmed versions, crop tops nodded to rash guards, and a sultry beaded gold shirt paired with the brand’s new jeans bridged casual ease and evening allure. The accessories followed suit: leather surfboard clutches, complete with functional fins, proved Staud’s knack for playful literalism elevated by thoughtful execution.

Fabrics reinforced the mood of coastal memory. Terry cloth, bright and tactile, appeared as après-beach cover-ups in sunny yellows, while silk introduced cinematic gestures, most notably a palm tree printed dress with a matching coat, where gradients of orange and green dissolved into navy horizons. The palette balanced washed pastels and sun-baked neutrals with citrus jolts and oceanic blues, creating a rhythm between languid ease and lively energy.

Silhouettes moved fluidly between athletic practicality and Y2K glamour. Relaxed board-short cuts, low-rise jeans, fitted crop tops, and tailored beaded shirts carried a laid-back confidence, designed to be mixed and remixed as a modular wardrobe. Construction kept the spirit grounded. Swim-inspired garments were finished for streetwear, while embellishments were woven into practical shapes rather than layered as ornaments.

Surface details provided charm and personality: shark motifs and nautical trims injected whimsy; lace edging and beadwork added a touch of femininity; printed silks supplied cinematic anchors that elevated the narrative. Styling was kept simple and wearable, ensuring statement pieces like the palm-print coat or beaded shirt read as integrated, everyday choices.

In the end, Staud SS26 offered more than a coastal homage. It proposed a lifestyle of sunlit ease translated through a contemporary Polish collection as comfortable in Malibu as it is in Manhattan.