The Tamesis
Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne returned to the runway today with a top-notch Fall 2026 menswear show, proving that being “out” in fashion doesn’t have to be permanent. Since Public School was founded in 2008, the brand has experienced several ups and downs. Among its most glorious achievements are winning the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award and the CFDA Swarovski Menswear Award in 2013. Two years later, designers were tasked with reviving DKNY. At some point, it all seems to be too much. As the pair wrote in the simulation new york times A version heralding their return was placed on every seat at the show, “We need a pause. A break that forces us to remember why we started this event in the first place.”
So Zhou and Osborne are back, but they don’t want to talk about where they’ll go from here. As Zhou explains, “The title of the show is It’s All Now, it’s about seizing the moment.” That doesn’t mean carpe diem, but rather acknowledging that, as Zhou puts it, “Everything is turned upside down, and those things that you thought you could rely on, that you thought would be there in two years, a year, two months, are no longer there. So we talk about action right on our doorstep. There’s a revolutionary spirit out there that says, ‘Hey, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work.’ (Note Gigi Burris’s fingerless gloves and Kangol-like hat.)
Public schools have always been designed to represent the needs and desires of Zhou and Osborne, and those needs and desires have naturally changed with them. “We want to come back with a very, very clear focus, and for us it’s just focused on menswear,” Zhou said in a pre-show interview. “It’s really just a super personal collection. Just Max and me—no team, no assistants.” As before, the works are not only made in New York, but represent and celebrate the city’s world. The explosive energy in the room was enhanced by the stunning soundtrack and the attitude of the models, who took to the catwalk with IDGAF confidence and swagger. All in all, it was a reminder of why we love it here.
The show opened with a dark-wash Canadian tuxedo: an offbeat suit whose cut and fit elevated a utilitarian interpretation of the fabric. Materials are the main story here. There’s luxurious blue leather, a boxy blazer in spotted Prince of Wales check cut into an asymmetrical closure, a satin zipper in Big Apple red and a pinstripe half-zip. Pants sit higher in the waistline, not lower, and are mostly straight-cut. These designers loved shorts and showcased tailored shorts as alternatives to trousers and layered them over matching trousers.
A collection of outerwear that perhaps represents Chow and Osborne’s maturity in age and experience. The idea is that you can drape it over anything. “That sense of ease comes from New York. You don’t have to dress up all the time,” Osborne said. However, the feeling of swag is non-negotiable.
