A reading list inspired by the celebrities at Coach’s Fall/Winter 2026 fashion show. 

Coach was the talk of New York Fashion Week for more ways than one. Creative director Stuart Vevers’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection, presented at The Cunard Building in downtown New York, continues to explore youth culture. His buzzy collection saw a mix of Americana-inspired garments, from varsity-striped crew neck shirts and jerseys and leather American football purses to knitted sweaters featuring a flying bald eagle. There are also all-denim ensembles, sharply tailored leather jackets, as well as evening gowns with fitted waists and padded shoulders reminiscent of those worn by 1930s Hollywood starlets. “We embrace the continuous reinvention of what it means to be young and forward-looking, resourceful and creative,” Vevers writes in the official show notes. 

However, the star-studded front row garnered just as much attention for debuting the hottest new accessory: miniature books as bag charms. They were clipped onto the bags of Elle Fanning, Caleb McLaughlin, Storm Reid, Amelia Henderson, and more friends of the brand. These accessories became an instant hit online, especially when Fanning was spotted on the New York subway reading her tiny copy of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility after the show. 

Elle Fanning, Storm Reid, and Tyriq Withers looking at Coach’s mini book bag charms (Photo: Getty Images)

In case you missed it, this fashion editor has written extensively in defence of fashion’s newfound obsession with reading, which has been labelled ‘performative’. As such, she gladly puts together another reading list of the mini book spotted as bag charms at the Coach Fall/Winter 2026 show. 

Find out what your favourite celebrities were reading at New York Fashion Week.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 

Elle Fanning

Published in 1811, Sense and Sensibility follows Elinor and Marianne Dashwood as they are forced from their family estate after the death of their father. During this time, the Dashwood sisters both encounter love, heartbreak, and betrayal–all while navigating the social conventions expected of women in patriarchal Regency England. How does love thrive when it is inextricably linked to wealth and security? “The more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!” exclaims Marianne Dashwood. At the heart of this aptly titled novel is a tale of survival as much as romance, which makes for an incredibly compelling read.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Storm Reid

A powerful line from Maya Angelou’s 1969 debut memoir goes, “If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat. It is an unnecessary insult.” In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou reflects on her childhood growing up in Stamps, Arkansas and how self-expression as a writer and poet helped her navigate the trauma and oppression of that time.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Juhm (Photo: Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images)

I’ll Give You The Sun is American author Jandy Nelson’s sophomore book after her 2010 debut, The Sky is Everywhere. Both novels deal with young protagonists navigating life and all its challenges, particularly love, loss, and identity, as they grow up. Nelson pushes the boundaries of conventional storytelling in I’ll Give You The Sun. The story unfolds in poetic prose through the perspectives of twin brothers, Noah and Jude, as they struggle to find their place in the world. A winner of the 2015 Michael L. Printz Award and Stonewall Honour Book Award, it is regarded as a must-read coming-of-age novel for this generation of readers.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

What does it mean to start over? Glennon Doyle’s intimate memoir recounts the American blogger-turned-author’s journey of discovering her true self, by divorcing her husband, pursuing a relationship with soccer star Abby Wambach, overcoming addiction, and redefining what it means to be a mother without losing one’s authentic self. This memoir shot to fame after it was published in 2020 after Reese Witherspoon highlighted in her book club, writing, “This memoir is so packed with incredible insight about what it means to be a woman today, what it means to be “good,” and what women will do in order to be loved. This book really spoke to me in so many ways!”

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Caleb McLaughlin

You may know Little Fires Everywhere as Hulu’s television series starring Kerry Washington, Reese Witherspoon, and Lexi Underwood. It is adapted from a 2017 novel by Celeste Ng, which is just as exciting as its on-screen adaptation. An incredibly fast-paced story, it begins with Mia Warren and her daughter moving to the close-knit community of Shaker Heights, renting a home from the affluent Richardsons. Tensions build as the two families’ lives become more entwined, culminating in a dramatic, tragic fire set by the youngest Richardson daughter, Isabelle. It is impossible to put down Little Fires Everywhere once you pick it up. 

Honmono by Sung Haena

Soyeon from (G)I-DLE

A critically acclaimed collection of short stories by one of Korea’s new literary voices, Haena Seong, the tales in Honmono explore themes of faith, politics, and spirituality in contemporary life.

The Book of Answers by Carol Bolt

Yesly Dimate

This fun addition to the list is not a fiction novel or non-fiction book. Instead, it is a divination tool–like tarot cards or a magic eight ball–to carry around to answer any pressing questions.