For FADS’ Spring 2026 Show, They Invite You to a Playdate

Dressing up the stories we never outgrew.

by Ella Barchie ★ May 3RD, 2026

Design by: Maia Simmons; Photo credit: Ella Barchie & Chloe Narcel

I’m sitting on the quad. A DJ is playing the opening lines of The Princess Bride at a make-shift lemonade stand. Building blocks and toys stand on the grass as bubbles move throughout the air. And in front of me, models walk down a chalk-covered runway, dressed as toys, characters, and memories. It is not just a fashion show–the Fashion and Design Society has created an experience.

For their spring 2026 show, the Fashion and Design Society (FADS) focused on the theme "Child's Play.” The concept is centered on the elements of childhood, specifically the treasured moment when imaginations run wild, and stories are built as children bond and play together. Each designer had a different interpretation of this, but there seemed to be one continuous theme across each ensemble. It’s a retelling of their childhood stories. 

Take, for example, Tannah Hines' two Lalaloopsy Dolls looks. Hines, a current junior and soon-to-be president of FADS, explained that her looks were inspired by her and her sister's love for the colorful, girly dolls. “For me, my sister and I had Lalaloopsy dolls; we used to watch the Lalaloopsy show. I always grew up collecting. My sister collects dolls, so it was kind of inspired by her.” One outfit, which Hines herself modeled, was a two-piece shirt and skirt set. Both were of the same vibrant blue shade with bold red polka dots scattered across the fabric. The top was very similar to those of real Lalaloopsy dolls, with a high-length color and red buttons almost identical to the ones the dolls have for eyes. Unlike the dolls, the shirt and skirt are both cropped, more similar to what you would see a teenager or college student wearing instead. The two juxtaposing elements of pattern and structure have created a bridge between Hines’ past and present. “We are kids, but we’re grown kids,” she explains. “To me, I'll always be a kid".  

This is a similar recurrence for multiple designers, who create a contrast between construction and other elements to form a connection between the now and the then. For example, one model who walked down the runway dressed as the “Big Bad Wolf” from the classic fairytale Little Red Riding Hood. Only now, the “wolf” wears a little black dress with a long fur coat and heels. Another model wears short metallic shorts, while also wearing colorful sneakers and tights covered in a child’s doodles. It’s a consideration of how our childhood continues to live on even as we enter the adult stage of our lives. 

But it goes beyond just the clothes, too. These designers have understood that “play” is not just a look—it's a movement. On the runway, models twirl, pose, and act. They tell the stories of what they are wearing. Two models, each dressed as a boxer, one in red and the other in blue, both stop in the middle of their walks to ‘fight’ one another. Another two dressed more like fairies twirl and dance as they walk. As these performances continue in a child’s fantasy setting of color, drawings, and lemonade, the audience members are drawn in, as they, too, start to see their childhood played out. 

College is one of those moments in life where you realize it’s time to grow up and start to live in the “real world” now. But the Fashion and Design Society has brought us back in time and allowed those who watched to experience a cathartic moment. It’s a chance to immerse yourself in the past and remember a time in which imagination ran wild, and playtime felt eternal.

Edited by: Maia Simmons