There is something quietly radical about looking backward to move forward. For her Fall 2026 collection — aptly titled Trailblazer — Nicky Zimmermann didn’t mine the archive for references; she mined real women. Australian women. The ones who drove across a continent before roads were reliable, who swam competitively before society said they could, who wrote novels and lit cigarettes on the back bumpers of Model Ts with a kind of unself-conscious cool that no mood board could manufacture.
The result is Zimmermann at its most grounded and its most romantic simultaneously — a collection that earns every ruffle and every ribbon because it knows exactly why they’re there.
The show opened in what the designer describes as “utility mode”: structured jumpsuits in crisp drill fabric, cream wool suiting lifted directly from the cricket pitch, a sculptural aviator-style denim jacket that managed to feel both archival and entirely of-the-moment. These were not costume pieces. They were clothes worn by women who had places to be and didn’t need permission to get there.
The tension between masculine structure and feminine softness has always been part of Zimmermann’s vocabulary, but here it felt purposeful in a way that transcended trend. Men’s silk scarves — illustrated with aviation and sporting vignettes — were cut and refashioned into fluid skirts and dresses, a genuinely clever act of sartorial reclamation. She took the things men wore to commemorate their adventures and gave them to women to wear however they pleased.
The Shift: From Uniform To Underpinning
Midway through the show, the collection pivoted — elegantly, without rupture — into something softer and more intimate. Lingerie-inspired pieces emerged: corset-like constructions where bras functioned as outerwear, tuxedo suiting trimmed with delicate Japanese lace, silk shirts with exaggerated sleeves layered beneath blouson denim jumpsuits. The transition felt like watching someone clock off for the evening — still formidable, but now decidedly on her own terms.
Layering is where Zimmermann’s design intelligence really shines this season, and the textures were exceptional: shearling beside velvet beside silk, each material chosen to articulate the versatility of a single piece rather than announce a trend. A print and lace-paneled wrap dress worn over wide-legged denim was one of the collection’s standout looks — effortlessly wearable, unmistakably Zimmermann.
The movement pieces were equally compelling: a chalk blue leather bomber paired with a ruffled silk skirt that literally bounced in the model’s stride; flared jeans cinched at the waist with a scarf-tied sash; head-to-toe mahogany leather with neckties and cascading panels that rippled with every step. There was life in these clothes. Actual, physical life.
Art Deco Dreams & The Details That Matter
Art Deco influences surfaced through hand-drawn motifs animated in burnout silk, and in velvet gowns with geometric cutouts and cascades of silk georgette — the kind of considered eveningwear that lands in retrospectives.
Accessories completed the picture with confidence: embroidered velvet slipper mules, the Cloud 91 bag reimagined in patchwork python leather, and jewellery featuring exotic bird motifs — pavé earrings, bold cuffs — with charms personalising bags, belts, and necklaces. Every piece felt like a wink to the cheeky, sharp-witted women who inspired it all.
Behind The Scenes With Zimmermann
Before the first look hit the runway, the world of Trailblazer was already alive backstage. In the hours before the show, Zimmermann’s team brought the vision to full colour — models draped in mahogany leather and cricket whites, accessories laid out like artefacts, the quiet, electric focus that only exists in those final moments before everything moves.
These exclusive images offer a rare look behind the curtain: the texture, the craft, and the mood of a collection that had something real to say — before it said it out loud.
Photography: Jessie Obialar
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