Quirky, sexy and loud: Paris Fashion Week offers a new way of dressing
Newly appointed creative directors of heritage brands combined nostalgia with innovation to present the transformative power of clothes
The recently concluded Paris Fashion Week is one for the history books, with heritage brands like Chanel, Dior, Mugler, Loewe and Balenciaga ringing in a major style reset under the aegis of newly hired artistic directors.
At his highly anticipated debut showcase, Matthieu Blazy opened the Chanel show with a cropped trouser-suit jacket, followed by the boxy button-downs crafted in collaboration with Charvet, the well-known Place Vendôme shirtmaker (Gabrielle Chanel was a Charvet customer).
What's more, he indulged in textile manipulation and extrapolated viscose, making the pieces fluid and dynamic. The collection's high point was the pairing of satin T-shirts and feathered ball skirts, with hems bouncing up a few inches in front to flash a hint of the upgraded cap-toe shoes.
After his successful sophomore menswear showcase earlier this year and a slew of red carpet dressing, Jonathan Anderson's first Dior ready-to-wear womenswear SS 26 collection was a confident, thoughtful and joyous showcase, where he mined the history of the French luxury maison and reimagined some of its key archival references with his own vision and flair.
From dresses accented with bows to the Bar jacket rendered in shrunken proportions and styled with a preppy pleated skirt, each look had a subtle nod to Dior's past with a touch of Anderson's own whimsy. It was hard to overlook references to the brand's previous artistic directors like John Galliano, Raf Simons, Yves Saint Laurent and Maria Grazia Chiuri. A case in point being a lace collar look, which seemed inspired by a Dior autumn-winter 1959 dress crafted by the brand's then creative director Yves Saint Laurent.
At Balenciaga, Pierpaolo Piccioli was inspired by a Cristobal Balenciaga couture dress: the Sack Dress of 1957. He reimagined it at his debut showcase.
Here are some of the key trends that emerged at the Paris Fashion Week:
Say it with a bow
The old school romantic bows were seen across brands like Dior, Valentino, Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton. Dior's opening look, for instance, was an hour-glass white look peppered with two bows, and there were other bow dresses in different colours. Separates like denim and chambray shirts, too, had bowtie fastened around the neck, offering some varsity style.
In the show notes, Saint Laurent's artistic director Anthony Vaccarello cited queer artist Robert Mapplethorpe as inspiration and explored LGBTQ+ history and queer art. His collection included lunch suits and soignée dresses accented with exaggerated bows.
Valentino's opening look was a peacock blue blouse accented with two bows, at the hem and other on the neckline.
Time travel
Jonathan Anderson at Dior straddled through eras, from the 18th century Versailles to the Dior atelier of the 50s. The preppy chic line-up was punctuated by an array of pannier dresses reminiscent of Marie Antoinette.
The idea of time travel has always been central to the design universe of Louis Vuitton's Nicolas Ghesquière. Presented at the Louvre museum, the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2026 collection was a celebration of the art of living. His collection brought the past and present together, with corseted waists, Juliette sleeves, silk turbans, feathered collars and baggy pants.
Keeping it quirky
Courrèges' Nicolas Di Felice covered his opening models' faces with functional UV blockers in the collection titled, “Blinded by the Sun". The fabric was attached to peaked caps, draped across the face and then tucked on to the waistband of an A-line miniskirt fashioned in the same fabric. Moreover, the shape of a car windshield was employed to craft rounded solar face shields, billowing from dresses and tops.
At Balmain, dresses, shoes, and bags came embroidered with seashells and wooden beads. Also worth mentioning are Rabanne's playful palm-fringed metallic shoes. The brand's artistic director Julien Dossena sent out some experimental swimwear ensembles, like open-sided chiffon skirts worn with patterned swim shorts underneath.
Loewe's show by the newly appointed Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez extrapolated leather—from the shredded leather jeans to the button-downs—all hand-pleated and spray-painted.
At the Rick Owens show, there were studded tactile leather capes made by London-based designer Straytukay. In a rare move, Owens showcased prints, peppered on long dresses worn with matching bombers which were informed by the designer’s star chart that his father once did for him.
A different kind of sexy
It's also been a season of unapologetic sensual dressing seen most prominently at Hermès and Tom Ford. Hermès’s Nadège Vanhée took inspiration from France’s wetland, Camargue. Equestrian elegance, an overpowering cowgirl sensuality along with the extrapolation of Camargue saddle (which was one of the collection’s recurring motifs) defined the collection.
Haider Ackermann at Tom Ford charmed the audience with patent leather pieces laser-cut with micro slits, triangle bra tops, and jockstraps visible beneath diaphanous shorts.
Mugler, under the newly appointed Miguel Castro Freitas, was also high on erotica, from second skin body suits to exaggerated nip-waist coats and dresses in black patent leather.
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