Style Notes is a weekly column about how fashion meets the world.
When Michael Kors set out to find the perfect New York location for his 45th anniversary show, there was only one place to choose: the Metropolitan Opera. The composer is a long-time fan of incorporating music into his shows—past seasons have featured martial artist Rufus Wainwright, Judy Garland and Barry Manilow hosting us at the Copacabana. And for her autumn/winter 2026 collection, she sang an aria to the genre, complete with opera coats and elegant elbow-length gloves.
Michael Kors fall/winter 2026.
Opera may seem as left-field as the romance of the last 18th season or the fall/winter 2025 romance of all things vintage—but today, the symbols of high culture have become a luxury to them. Chanel is the Exclusive Patron of the Paris Opéra, while Jonathan Anderson recently dressed Michael R. Jackson’s opera. Trouble with Suestarring Justin Vivian Bond, at Opera Philadelphia. Tristan and Isoldedespite being over 160 years old and nearly five hours long, it’s a hot ticket; strong audience with the help of caffeine and baby carrots, according to me New York Times Part of the process. Add to that other influential moments such as Rosalía and Raye’s recent embrace of opera and classical music and Lady Gaga putting on the Mayhem Ball Tour at the opera house. Due to the backlash against AI, capital-A art is back.
A surgery inspired by Lady Gaga’s house for her Mayhem Ball Tour.
The inspiration for the opera is also a rebuke to the ultra-small reset, the kind of luxury that can be achieved by throwing on some amazing opera gloves (à la CBK at her wedding) or an opera cape. (There’s an untapped opportunity for another eyewear manufacturer to make chic opera glasses.) For fall/winter 2026, we’ve seen an emphasis on rich textures, including rich velvets, intricate embroidery, and exquisite jacquards. People want their clothes to look stylish again. The “opera girl aesthetic” has also become a trend for those who want to direct their own Christine Daaé.
Balenciaga Winter 2026.
Enter (stage left), the opera gloves, which were worn in both traditional ways (with classic 1950s costumes for Richard Quinn) and modern ones (Joseph Altuzarra put together a pair with an argyle sweater, while Pierpaolo Piccioli gave them cut and futuristic clothes. Matrix-sunglasses at Balenciaga). And Conner Ives opened his fall show with writer and editor Tish Weinstock in an updated opera-style jacket worn casually over a T-shirt that read “I Work Nights,” a collaboration with the podcast. Effortedited by Kate Berlant and Jacqueline Novak.
Jennifer Lawrence wears an Armani Privé opera jacket with Conner Ives to the front Die My Love.
On the red carpet, too, both outfits made a statement. Jennifer Lawrence wore an opera-style jacket from Ives’s Fall 2025 collection for the premiere of Die My Love. At this year’s Oscars, Demi Moore and Anne Hathaway got black opera gloves, while Emma Chamberlain wore bright yellow dresses from Valentino. And Teyana Taylor has made opera gloves the cornerstone of her red carpet looks, wearing them numerous times while promoting. One Battle After Another. For the BAFTAs, a plum-colored Burberry ensemble was styled with Tiffany & Co. jewelry, as the film began to play, she wore an army green Marc Jacobs dress, with rings and bracelets on her opera gloves. Talk about encore-worthy style.
Teyana Taylor wears Marc Jacobs at the world premiere of One Battle After Another.
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