The Tamesis
Like it or not, artificial intelligence is here to stay. While there is much debate about how new technologies will impact the creative industries, Stacey Bendet is already aboard the AI train. Last season, she called recent technological innovations an “inspirational revolution.” This time, it’s the basis for her collection, which she calls “The Gilded Age.”
“I feel like the era of artificial intelligence that we’re in, and how it’s changing everything in the world, is similar to the formation of the Industrial Revolution and the Gilded Age,” Bendet said in her fall 2026 speech, again held at the Surrogate’s Court in lower Manhattan. She said AI is used in every department of her business, from design to sales. In terms of design, it is mainly used to help create realistic interpretations of embroidery patterns. “We use AI to take what we sketch, render, print out and make it into a photo-realistic version that we can execute,” she said.
The collection is full of extreme embellishments. “The idea is indulgence, maximalism, glamor, embroidery, beading,” she adds. Almost every piece has some kind of embellishment, whether it’s rhinestones, beads, embroidery or lace. Bender added that the shape “is intended to represent the Gilded Age.”
Bendet’s designs had a distinctly 2010s feel, including a somewhat confusing leopard print and high-low silhouettes—not exactly a must-have piece from the Gilded Age. “I wanted to bring back the whole concept of ‘going out tops,’ whether it’s crystals, corsets, [or] she said. Many of the tops were styled in bustier and pinstriped trousers, recalling the era’s fondness for overalls as club wear. But nods to the era were certainly glimpsed: One black jacquard column dress featured a removable train, while another had a giant white bow at the bottom of the back—perhaps a nod to Bendet’s busy style. Maybe we’ll find some of next season’s extras wearing them gilded age.
