Kendall Jenner has stepped into Donna Karan’s Fall 2026 world, and the campaign feels less like a standard fashion shoot and more like a love letter to New York.
Photographed by Mert Alas, the new Donna Karan New York Fall 2026 campaign places Kendall against the city that has always been central to the brand’s identity. For the first time since Donna Karan’s relaunch, the campaign moves through recognisable New York locations instead of keeping the story inside a studio. The city’s light, architecture and movement become part of the fashion itself.
That choice makes sense. Donna Karan has always been closely tied to the idea of a woman moving through New York with confidence, practicality and a little glamour. Kendall brings that idea into 2026 without making it feel like a costume from the past.
A New Campaign With an Old Donna Karan Memory
The visual concept actually reaches back to the late 1980s. The Fall 2026 campaign takes inspiration from an earlier Donna Karan film and campaign photographed by Dennis Piel and starring Rosemary McGrotha. In that story, McGrotha was seen inside a limousine heading into New York, sharing her thoughts as the city unfolded around her.
This time, Kendall becomes the woman in the car. The idea is that she imagines having New York almost entirely to herself, moving between the inside of the vehicle and the city outside. The mood is cinematic rather than overly glossy, helped along by INXS’ “Never Tear Us Apart” on the campaign soundtrack.
It gives the whole thing a slightly nostalgic energy without simply recreating the original.
Kendall Makes the Bodysuit Feel Current Again
One of the campaign’s key looks brings back the Donna Karan bodysuit, one of the pieces most closely associated with the brand’s original wardrobe philosophy.
For Fall 2026, it is updated with an extra wide belt, giving the look more structure around the waist and making the silhouette feel sharper and more modern. Kendall wears it with the kind of clean, controlled styling that suits her naturally.
The bodysuit is important because it connects directly to Donna Karan’s famous idea of building a wardrobe from versatile foundations. The label originally became known for its Seven Easy Pieces, a system designed around clothes that could move easily between work, evening and everyday life.
On Kendall, that old idea suddenly feels very current again.
Black Cherry Is the Colour Story to Watch
The strongest colour in the collection is black cherry, a deep shade sitting somewhere between oxblood, wine and almost black.
It appears across several campaign looks, including a sharply tailored velvet suit and accessories, and gives the collection a richer alternative to classic black. Vogue’s Fall 2026 review also singled the shade out as one of the season’s main threads.
On Kendall, black cherry works particularly well because the styling keeps everything else restrained. Sculptural gold jewellery adds warmth, while the dark colour gives the clothes that slightly moody New York evening feel.
This is the kind of shade that looks polished during the day but becomes much more glamorous at night.
The Draped Wool Look Is Pure Donna Karan
Another standout campaign moment features a draped wool jersey jacket and skirt, layered under a leather coat.
This is probably where the brand’s original DNA feels strongest.
Donna Karan has always been good at making soft draping look powerful rather than overly feminine. Here, the tailoring follows the body without feeling rigid, while the leather layer adds enough edge to keep the look from becoming too polished.
It is also a very New York kind of outfit.
You can imagine it moving from an office to dinner without needing a complete change.
Espresso Brown Brings a Softer Mood
Not everything in the campaign is black or black cherry.
Kendall also wears a stylised aviator jacket and matching skirt in espresso brown, bringing a warmer and slightly more relaxed mood to the collection.
The brown works beautifully against the city setting because it feels less severe than black while still keeping the sophistication intact.
It also reflects one of Fall 2026’s strongest wider fashion directions: deep chocolate and espresso tones replacing basic neutrals.
Styled with clean accessories and minimal fuss, the look feels polished without looking overly formal.
Then Comes the Sequin Dress
The campaign does not stay entirely in daywear territory. Kendall also appears in a full length sequin dress, shifting the mood from city tailoring to evening glamour.
The dress works because the rest of the campaign has already established such a strong, controlled wardrobe. By the time the sequins arrive, they feel like the natural evening version of the same woman rather than a completely different character.
That day to night flexibility is very Donna Karan.
The Bags Keep Everything Grounded
Accessories play an important role too, particularly the Cashmere tote in chocolate suede and the black cherry Leno bag. Both styles continue the collection’s rich autumn palette without competing with the clothes. Sculptural gold jewellery and eyewear add another layer of polish.
The chocolate suede tote is especially good with the espresso brown looks because it keeps the styling tonal rather than overly matched. Again, the campaign keeps returning to the same idea: pieces that look luxurious but still feel usable.
Why Kendall Jenner Works for Donna Karan
Kendall is an interesting choice because her own style tends to lean clean and minimal. That makes her a natural fit for Donna Karan’s mix of body conscious silhouettes, strong tailoring and understated glamour. She does not bring too much celebrity personality into the clothes. Instead, she lets the wardrobe and the city carry much of the story.
That restraint matters. The campaign is not really asking Kendall to become someone else. It is simply placing her inside a very specific version of New York femininity.
Donna Karan Is Looking Back Without Getting Stuck There
The most successful part of the Fall 2026 campaign is the way it uses the archives without feeling overly nostalgic.
The bodysuit is back. The limousine reference is there. The city remains central. The wardrobe still revolves around clothes that can move between different parts of a woman’s day.But the styling, photography and casting pull everything forward. That is probably the smartest way for Donna Karan to approach its revival.
The brand does not need to forget its past. It just needs to make that past feel useful again.
Glamcheck Take
Kendall Jenner and Donna Karan make an unexpectedly natural match. The campaign has black cherry tailoring, soft draping, espresso leather, sequins and plenty of New York attitude, but the real strength is how easy everything looks.
It feels archival without looking old, glamorous without becoming flashy, and very New York without relying on obvious clichés. That is a pretty good place for Donna Karan to be in 2026.
images: Donna Karan
