No one expected to see it here and now — but it has suddenly become the main trend of the season. The sarong, which yesterday seemed like a purely beach item from the archives of the 2000s and vacation aesthetics, today comes to the forefront of urban fashion and appears where it was least expected: over trousers, in multi-layered looks and even in combination with jackets and office clothes. After the Dries Van Noten men's show for the spring-summer 2026 season, it became clear: this “forgotten” wardrobe item has returned not as nostalgia, but as a new fashion language that is already changing the way we wear clothes in the city.
Dries Van Noten
Dries Van Noten
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The same mood was felt in the women's collections of Nanushka and Ralph Lauren, as well as in the women's line of Dries Van Noten: sarongs were styled with shirts, massive flat-soled sandals, and roomy bags suitable for the office.
Nanushka
Ralph Lauren
Some brands have gone even further, offering looser interpretations—skirts with soft knots and drapes that only hint at the sarong's construction but allow for more freedom of movement. Instead, the classic version—a silk pareo with a variety of prints—works perfectly as a beach-to-town format: just change the top and shoes.
Matthew McConaughey, 2001
The Instagram community has already adapted the trend in its own way: short versions are worn over jeans and pants or combined with T-shirts with logos and multi-layered decorations, as in the looks of Laura Vidreken.
The easiest way to get in on the trend is with a layered Dries Van Noten-style sarong: it's easy to recreate with items you already have in your wardrobe and works perfectly in the transition season. And when summer really hits, try a silk or printed version with a silk top and minimalist sandals during the day – and swap them for a white shirt and sleek heels in the evening.
Based on materials from vogue.co.uk.