“Pre-fall is definitely the season we have the most fun with,” Chelsea Hansford said of her pre-fall 2026 offering for Simon Miller. It’s certainly evident: this season, Hansford dialed up the color, rafia, and novelty bags just in time for high summer.
With “El Sol,” Hansford once again turned to architecture as inspiration, paying homage to San Miguel de Allende’s vibrant colonial buildings. One collection highlight that borrows from the cityscape: a color-blocked midi dress with tiers of rafia fringe in marigold, turquoise, rust, and black. While the rafia pieces can sometimes feel formulaic, this maximalist offering is Hansford at her best—pure, unrestrained whimsy. Her playfulness trickled down to even the smallest of details: in a charming touch, she finished an espresso-and-tan striped vest with fish-shaped frog closures.
While Hansford has embraced her customers’ demand for kitschy vacation wear, she is also wise to invest in pieces that work year-round. In this collection, she’s betting big on her cotton polin program. In response to the success of Simon Miller’s staple Lock Top (a tie-back button-up with an open back), Hansford introduced a collared wrap top meant for evening.
“It’s not daywear anymore,” Hansford said of poplin. “People want to wear it with sexy skirts and high heels and the whole thing.” Indeed, even when summer ends, Hansford reminds us that we can bring a touch of vacanza into our real lives.
