Oct
Fashion and Lifestyle
Charli XCX, Teyana Taylor, Tyla, Lisa, Taylor Swift, Kareena Kapoor, Shakira: 8 Fashion Trends That Defined September 2026
Mumbai, 7th October 2026: September’s music-fashion conversation did not belong to one single silhouette. Instead, the month saw seemingly different aesthetics begin to overlap—gothic glamour met sheer dressing, Y2K nostalgia collided with theatrical outerwear, while Indian craftsmanship entered global pop and traditional silhouettes became increasingly experimental. Across red carpets and stages, artists were not simply following trends; they were making them personal.
Gothic Glamour: Charli XCX at the 2026 MTV VMAs
The month began in darker territory, with Charli XCX at the 2026 MTV VMAs in Los Angeles wearing a black Saint Laurent look built around an ultra-low-rise column skirt, cropped balloon-sleeved top and mesh detailing. Smoky eyes and a deep-red manicure completed the witchy mood, setting the tone for September’s darker fashion language.
Sheer Dressing: Teyana Taylor at the 2026 MTV VMAs
That darkness soon became more revealing, as Teyana Taylor at the same VMAs pushed gothic glamour into sheer territory. Her Zuhair Murad couture look featured a transparent black lace gown, plunging neckline, thigh-high slit and ostrich-feather embellishments. The combination showed how September’s fashion blurred the boundaries between gothic drama, lingerie dressing and red-carpet glamour.
Low-Rise Y2K: Tyla at the 2026 MTV VMAs
From gothic romance, the conversation moved straight into nostalgia. Tyla at the 2026 MTV VMAs wore a blue snakeskin-effect bra and ultra-low-rise pencil skirt from Mowalola’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection. The exposed midriff and animal-print finish brought early-2000s styling back into the music-fashion conversation, proving Y2K remains one of pop culture’s strongest references.
Statement Outerwear: Lisa at the 2026 MTV VMAs
The low-rise revival was accompanied by an appetite for bigger, more theatrical silhouettes. Lisa at the 2026 MTV VMAs wore a striking red The Attico dress with a dramatic Quine Li cape, creating a deliberately oversized, high-impact silhouette. The look demonstrated how statement outerwear can transform a relatively minimal base into a full fashion moment.
High-Shine Glamour: Taylor Swift at the 2026 MTV VMAs
From volume, September moved towards light. Taylor Swift at the 2026 MTV VMAs brought high-shine glamour to the carpet in a Tamara Ralph couture look, pairing a dark, structured bodice with a shimmering silver skirt. The contrast between velvet-like darkness and reflective embellishment captured the month’s larger fashion shift from gothic moodiness towards polished, celebratory glamour.
Indian Craftsmanship Goes Global: Shakira in Madrid
The conversation then expanded beyond Western red carpets. Shakira, during her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour in Madrid, wore a custom Gaurav Gupta creation combining a sculptural brass she-wolf breastplate with a hand-crafted Banarasi silk brocade skirt. The look reportedly took around 500 hours and brought Indian textile heritage into a futuristic global pop-performance vocabulary.
Indianwear Gets Experimental: Kareena Kapoor Khan at the Daayra Music Launch
That global embrace of Indian craftsmanship found a more contemporary expression in Indian celebrity fashion too. Kareena Kapoor Khan at the Daayra music launch in Mumbai chose a vibrant rainbow-hued chiffon saree with a lehariya-inspired print. The appearance reflected how Indianwear is increasingly being styled through colour, fluidity and modern celebrity dressing rather than convention alone.
Personal Style Becomes the Real Trend: Teyana Taylor at the 2026 MTV VMAs
Ultimately, September’s biggest fashion statement was individuality itself. Teyana Taylor’s Zuhair Murad appearance at the VMAs brought together several of the month’s defining elements, sheer fabric, gothic black, feathers, skin-baring construction and theatrical glamour. Rather than belonging to one category, the look showed where music fashion is heading: artists combining multiple trends into a recognisable visual identity.
What made September interesting was the convergence. Gothic styling borrowed from lingerie dressing; Y2K returned through contemporary designers; statement outerwear became part of the performance; sparkle met darker tailoring; and Indian craftsmanship moved comfortably between heritage and futurism. The strongest music-fashion moments were therefore not about wearing one trend, they were about layering several cultural and stylistic references into one unmistakable artist identity.
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