Karin Gustafsson Unveils this Year’s “New Look” at the COS Autumn-Winter Show

COS returns to New York Fashion Week with an ode to refined and relevant design

In New York, the industrial interiors of the Greenport Terminal Warehouse in Brooklyn were transformed into a symmetrical and white-masked stage for COS’ Autumn-Winter 2025 show. Ornamented by boxes of light shifting from amber to pale hues, creative directorCreative DirectorThe person who sets the overall visual vision of a fashion house, publication, or campaign and guides designers, photographers, and stylists toward it. A creative director's influence shapes collections, imagery,Go to Creative Director Glossary Karin Gustafsson took to resonate her understanding of real-world dressing with the structured tailoring of the New Look wave from the 1950s.

The first few looks that walked the runwayRunwayThe platform or catwalk on which models present a designer's collection to an audience of editors, buyers, and guests. Runway shows establish the creative statement of a season, and Vogue'sGo to Runway Glossary set the tone of the collection’s “Dark Romance” theme by introducing a palette of darkened navy and brown, jet black, and slate gray, with elements of nude plaid for contrast. 

The 47-look ensemble’s visual references were also showcased respectively between its menswear and womenswear lines: the former opting to soften classic Americana codes with oversizedOversizedA cut that is intentionally larger and roomier than the body, producing a relaxed, voluminous silhouette. Oversized blazers, shirts, coats, and knits balance comfort with style, and they work especiallyGo to Oversized Glossary outerwear and layered knitwear, while the latter subtly emphasizes the feminine silhouette through raised and widened necklines, belted waists, and silk dresses.

While the collection’s interplay of textures and materials allowed each look to detail Gustafsson’s sensibilities for proportion and color balance, its series of accessoriesAccessoriesThe finishing pieces of an outfit, including bags, belts, scarves, hats, eyewear, and jewelry. Accessories can elevate a simple look or define it entirely, and fashion editors often treat themGo to Accessories Glossary also echoes such qualities, be it from leather clutch purses and sock boots to suede trainers and messenger bags.

Through its Autumn-Winter 2025 collection, COS and Gustafsson continue to adapt their understated approach to blending contemporary silhouettes with the enduring codes of heritage fashion design, creating garments that allow the wearer to elevate their wardrobe without sacrificing functionality.