Of all the fashion weeks, Paris Fashion Week is always the busiest. London brings innovation, Milan brings the vibes, Paris provides the classics. From Schiaparelli to Dior, our eyes are peeled on the French fashion capital as the legacy houses are unveiling their SS26 collections.
And SS26 is a big one. There’s a handful of new creative directors presenting their inaugural womenswear collections: the hyper-anticipated Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandéz at Loewe, Pierpaolo Piccioli at Balenciaga, Jonathan Anderson’s first womenswear collection at Dior, Glenn Martens’ first ready-to-wear at Maison Margiela, do we go on?
With about 10 shows a day, and a dozen creative director debuts, here’s what’s going down in Paris. And we’re only halfway through.
Dior
Jonathan Anderson’s Dior women’s is here, and it left some fans with mixed feelings. But, one thing’s for sure, no one can stop talking about it. The designer gave us minimalistic Napoleon hats, draped dresses, chic bows, new and old bags, and denim skirts, bringing geometry and sculptural elements to the Dior house. He played with proportions, referenced his menswear collection, introduced commercial pieces but intricately deconstructed pieces, too. He celebrated the Dior heritage, while bringing in his own touch, melting the menswear and womenswear worlds into one consistent Dior universe.
Givenchy
Sarah Burton is settling well at Givenchy. Her SS26 collection was stronger, bolder and more confident, she’s truly taking her highest form at the Parisian house. Her minimal take on avant-garde featured bold geometric jewellery, sharply deconstructed tailoring, the crispest white shirts, fringed shoes and netted dresses and ruffles. In the sea of blacks and whites, the reds and pinks were striking. The collection had the essence of an intricate sensuality. The dresses were delicately bold, the tailoring was feminine and sleek. It was a 10/10. Oh, and Naomi Campbell walked.
Schiaparelli
Daniel Roseberry can do no wrong. With his tailoring excellence and embellishments that ooze surrealism, he surpasses himself with every season. Sheer dresses with polka dots made out of goat hair, trompe l’oeil knits, leather laser-cut dresses, Elsa Schiaparelli-inspired jackets. Roseberry’s SS26 “Dancer In The Dark” gave off a subtle confidence, it was all in the details.
Rick Owens
Rick Owens did his thing for SS26. The designer continued his journey in the Temple of Love with his womenswear collection titled “Temple”, with his models walking through a pool in the middle of Palais de Tokyo. Rick ventured into delicate, sheer fabrics architecturally layered together, chiffon capes and bombers, ruched pieces, and the final looks: two printed dresses with Richard Owens’ astrological chart on them.
Tom Ford
Haider Ackermann at Tom Ford gets better with every season. His SS26 collection reminded the fashion world of early 2000s runway shows, taking us back to the sexy Tom Ford days (and even referencing the Tom Ford Gucci era with the silhouette of those shimmering overcoats). The collection took sensuality to a new level with sharp tailoring juxtaposed with sheer fabrics, vinyl suits and fluid dresses. He gave us metallics and silky fabrics in a range of glowing fabrics. The collection was excellent, but it was the show itself that optimised the vibes: an opulent club-esque energy (including a smoke machine) pulsed sex appeal and reimbursed our desire for glamour.
Casablanca
Casablanca’s show was hosted in the American Cathedral (one of Paris’ oldest English-speaking churches, built in 1859). Picking this venue for a show with a live gospel performance as the soundtrack, now that was a sublime move. Creative director Charaf Tajer was inspired by his love for house music, sending different club characters down the runway. Neons, purples, reds, motorcycle jackets, louche fabrics – all the Casablanca signatures took a new form for the SS26 season.
Acne Studios
Acne Studios hadn’t done a runway show for a few seasons, opting for more lowkey presentations instead. But Acne made its runway comeback for SS26, and took over a cigar salon for it. With Young Lean on the soundtrack, the Swedish brand put us in a rock mood. Crispy Scandinavian tailoring, brown leathers and suedes, shiny denims, lace and flannels took over the 13th century venue, redefining night-out dressing with a new relaxed energy.
Loewe
We have to admit, the concept of Jonathan Anderson being on a different paragraph for this fashion week roundup feels a bit wrong, but we have to move with the times. Even though Jonathan’s Loewe is very much missed – he truly made his mark at the Spanish house – new creative director duo Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandéz (formerly at Proenza Schouler) gave us a strong debut. Their SS26 collection featured structured hourglass silhouettes in jackets and dresses, bold colours, new bag designs and clear heels layered with coloured socks, putting craft at the forefront of their vision.
Saint Laurent
Anthony Vaccarello has single-handedly brought the ‘80s back. With big bug sunglasses, opulent earrings, padded shoulders in leather jackets and trenches, the YSL creative director has taken us back to the Dynasty era (as in that ‘80s TV series with huge wigs and even more huge shoulders). Ruffled Victorian-style gowns added to the regality of the collection while sheer fabrics gave off a bold femininity.
Dries Van Noten
It’s no wonder that the industry is now calling Dries Van Noten creative director Julian Klausner a people-pleaser, the man knows how to please a crowd. Klausner presented a dynamic Dries Van Noten season with a range of Dries Van Noten-isms of whimsical floral and geometric patterns, strong embellished jackets, bold colour blocking, sequins and polka dots. The creative director delved into a vibe of “ease and optimism”, inspired by beach getaways, which translated into cover-ups and kaftans, wetsuits, robes and wash bag-esque clutches.
Issey Miyake
Issey Miyake’s SS26 collection was a reminder of how naturally the brand breaks the rules of fashion – whether it’s exaggerated shoulders in polo shirts, the draping, the deconstructed tailoring, or the sheer pockets filled with plastic cups. Creative director breathed life back into fashion by imagining a collection where garments are sentient and the body is an object.
Featured image Dior©
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