They were walking, breathing Slim Aarons photos come to life—literally. The photographer who defined midcentury style by taking photos of “attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places” frequently captured them at home and at play, and often both. Some 60 years later, much like “walkers” and long lunches at La Côte Basque, these stylish women—whom Truman Capote dubbed his “swans”—have largely faded from view.

But this season, they took wing again. Look no further than the 2022 pre-fall shows at New York Fashion Week, where the swans’ silhouettes found their way into collections as varied as Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Khaite, and Christopher John Rogers—complete with some thoroughly modern updates. At Oscar, perfectly cut tweed suits came with statement buttons and bare midriffs. Carolina Herrera’s models stood on pedestals, but their swanlike ensembles included down-to-earth touches like cutouts; Rogers updated classic silhouettes with bold stripes and one-of-a-kind hats. These are clothes for a woman who prizes individuality, maybe even eccentricity, in a sea of algorithm-driven sameness.

“The swans didn’t just have money and style, but an extraordinary presentation that Truman Capote considered an art form,” says Laurence Leamer, author of last year’s group biography Capote’s Women, now being adapted for the next season of FX’s Feud. “In the postwar world, they legitimized elegant dress as a worthy concern, and that stays with us today.”

Figures like Babe Paley, C. Z. Guest, Slim Keith, and Gloria Guinness combined money with idiosyncratic taste in a way that resonates in our new normal of Zoom calls and athleisure. With…