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Gaurav Gupta Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
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Gaurav Gupta Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Gaurav Gupta Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Gaurav Gupta’s Spring 2026 haute couture collection was as intellectually ambitious as it was visually arresting—a rare balance of concept, craft, and emotion. Framed around advaita, the Indian philosophy of non-duality, the collection unfolded as a meditation on continuity: of identity, time, creation, and transformation.

Courtesy of Gaurav Gupta

The idea emerged in the wake of last year’s fire that left Gupta and his partner, poet and artist Navkirat Sodhi, with life-altering injuries. That experience sharpened the designer’s rejection of rigid binaries—labels, roles, fixed definitions—in favor of fluid, evolving states of being. “Continuum,” Gupta said before the show, and the word proved key.

Courtesy of Gaurav Gupta

The opening look set the tone: a black gown rising into Gupta’s signature architectural volumes, worn by a luminous, almost abstract human form. It was accompanied by Sodhi’s poetry, which questioned time itself—an idea Gupta rendered materially through embroidery made not with sequins, but with fragments of clock mechanisms.

Courtesy of Gaurav Gupta

From there, the collection traced a cosmic arc. The birth of the universe appeared in all-black looks streaked with star-dust embroidery, evoking the Big Bang. The emergence of life followed: a white column gown swirling like a floral vortex; another textured with reptilian scales. Spiritual awakening arrived in the form of a replicated Indian temple sculpture, perched atop a deceptively simple draped skirt.

Courtesy of Gaurav Gupta

The finale was otherworldly. A dress composed of thousands of resin elements shimmered in shifting hues reminiscent of deep-space photography. With her face and hair painted to match, the model appeared less human than celestial—an embodiment of the universe itself.

Courtesy of Gaurav Gupta

Stéphane Rolland Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
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Stéphane Rolland Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Stéphane Rolland Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Stéphane Rolland took haute couture to the circus this season—literally and conceptually—staging his Spring 2026 show at Paris’s Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione. The setting underscored a collection rooted in theatricality, precision, and a controlled sense of spectacle. Half of the 600 tickets were sold to the public, with proceeds benefiting the Fondation des Hôpitaux, chaired by France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron, who attended alongside Heart Evangelista, Andra Day, and Lisa Rinna.

Courtesy of Stéphane Rolland

The inspiration, Rolland said, came naturally: Pablo Picasso and the ballet Parade. The reference was apt. Much like Picasso’s Cubist experiments, Rolland’s couture relies on sculptural construction and bold geometry. Here, the classic figure of the clown was reimagined through architectural silhouettes—balloon trousers, voluminous jumpsuits, and sweeping coats built from circular and squared forms.

“Circus imagery is all about curves,” Rolland noted, and the collection revolved around that idea. Shapes were exaggerated but disciplined, crafted in organza, chiffon, satin, and gazar, often elevated with embroidery using precious and semi-precious stones. The palette stayed focused: stark black and white punctuated by burnt reds, burgundy, and caramel tones.

Courtesy of Stéphane Rolland

Standout looks included an asymmetrical white gazar coat layered over a matching jumpsuit embroidered with jonquil-colored diamonds, and a dramatic black cape dress in duchess satin, velvet, and crêpe georgette, fastened with a cubic plexiglass brooch set with diamonds. Each piece balanced grandeur with restraint, proving Rolland’s mastery of couture as controlled excess.

Courtesy of Stéphane Rolland

The finale leaned fully into performance. Natalia Bouglione floated above the audience, suspended midair, transforming the show’s closing moments into a shared gasp of wonder. It was a reminder that for Rolland, couture is not only about clothes—it is about emotion, drama, and the enduring power of spectacle when executed with elegance.

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
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Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Matthieu Blazy’s haute couture debut for Chanel arrived with an unexpected sense of ease. Staged beneath the glass dome of the Grand Palais, the pale-pink set—punctuated by oversized, dreamlike mushrooms—signaled a clear intent: to soften the weight of expectation and reintroduce wonder into one of fashion’s most codified houses.

Courtesy of Chanel

Blazy framed the collection with a short animated film of woodland animals industriously working inside a Chanel atelier, a whimsical overture that set the tone. “I wanted something light, poetic, and easy to read,” he explained backstage. That lightness became both concept and execution.

The opening look distilled the idea perfectly: a barely-there version of the classic Chanel tweed suit, rendered in nude chiffon. Its translucent layers were held together by fine chains and pearls stitched at the hems, floating around the body rather than defining it. Worn by Italian model Stephanie Cavallaro, the suit nodded to Chanel’s quilted handbag while quietly dismantling the stiffness historically associated with couture.

Courtesy of Chanel

By stripping back the house’s most recognizable symbols—tweed, camellias, overt structure—Blazy bypassed the legacy of Karl Lagerfeld and reached further back, toward Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel herself. Her philosophy of freedom, movement, and restraint shaped the collection. As Blazy put it, this was about “a woman in motion,” dressed without constraint.

Birds emerged as the central metaphor. Chanel’s ateliers delivered feats of technical finesse: iridescent embroideries suggesting plumage, jet-black raffia coats with feathery texture, and raw threads arranged to mimic peacock tails on flapper-style dresses. Dove-gray petals shimmered on near-invisible skirt suits, while psychedelic embroidery added a surreal edge.

Courtesy of Chanel

There were subtle personal signatures throughout. A trompe-l’oeil tank top and jeans, crafted entirely in organza, referenced Blazy’s past at Bottega Veneta. A red evening gown finished with a cocoon of feathers stood out as the collection’s most striking moment—couture fantasy without heaviness. Balancing the color were sharp black silhouettes, including a modern little black dress worn by Alex Consani, its gauze sleeves trailing like wings.

Courtesy of Chanel

Perhaps the most radical gesture was offering choice. Rather than prescribing a single total look, Blazy invited models—and by extension clients—to personalize their garments with embroidered symbols and messages. Couture, here, was not about uniformity but identity.

Julie de Libran Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
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Julie de Libran Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Julie de Libran Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Julie de Libran’s Spring 2026 haute couture collection unfolded not in a grand salon, but in a living room—an intentional choice that captured the spirit of the season. Presented at the home of perfumer Daniela Andrier, a longtime friend and collaborator, the show felt less like a formal presentation and more like a gathering among women who share history, trust, and creative intimacy.

Courtesy of Julie de Libran

De Libran has long welcomed editors, clients, and friends into her own Left Bank apartment, but this season marked a quiet shift. Surrounded by Andrier’s signature scent for the house—a clean, luminous blend of aldehydes, woods, vetiver, cedar, and rose—the setting reinforced the designer’s focus on emotion and ease. Guests, including Kelly Rutherford, were invited to experience couture as something lived-in rather than observed.

Courtesy of Julie de Libran

The collection centered on savoir-faire and femininity, but also on intimacy and strength. De Libran spoke of her grandmother, who taught her to knit, crochet, and embroider—skills historically passed between women. That lineage was evident in pieces that demanded patience and precision: a richly embroidered pajama set, handwoven raffia skirts embellished with individually cut sequins, and a denim afternoon dress finished with fringe. Each required more than 100 hours of work.

Courtesy of Julie de Libran

Yet craftsmanship was only part of the story. What truly distinguished the collection was its commitment to comfort. Knitwear—last explored during de Libran’s tenure at Sonia Rykiel—made its couture debut. Rendered in the softest cashmere, it appeared as an off-the-shoulder black dress dusted with microsequins and as a khaki ensemble composed of a square cardigan and a long skirt. These pieces reframed couture not as spectacle, but as sensation.

Courtesy of Julie de Libran

Dior Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
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Dior Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Dior Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Jonathan Anderson’s first haute couture collection for Dior arrived with expectation—and delivered reinvention. For Spring 2026, the designer revisited Christian Dior’s iconic femmes fleurs, infusing them with a new sense of lightness, curiosity, and intellectual rigor that quietly repositions what couture can be today.

Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2026. Getty Images.

Presented in a refreshed version of the silver tent recently used for Dior Men, the show drew an elite audience, but the focus quickly shifted to Anderson’s ambition: not merely to debut, but to rethink couture’s purpose. Rather than following the traditional model, he framed the collection as a three-part experience—runway, private client presentation, and a weeklong public exhibition—treating couture as both craft and cultural dialogue.

The runway opened with three voluminous pleated dresses that set the tone: sculptural yet soft, echoing both Anderson’s first ready-to-wear gesture at Dior and the ceramic forms of British-Kenyan artist Magdalene Odundo. Odundo collaborated on several Lady Dior bags and will feature prominently in the accompanying exhibition, which also includes archival Dior looks—an explicit bridge between past and present.

Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2026. Getty Images.

Nature, both organic and artificial, became Anderson’s central lens. Translucent spiral tops recalled the precision of seashells; feathered surfaces mimicked extreme macro views of butterfly wings. Knit mini-capes wrapped the body in fluid folds, while bell-shaped dresses bloomed into enlarged interpretations of the lily of the valley—Christian Dior’s talismanic flower. These gestures refreshed the house’s floral legacy without sentimentality.

The collection carried a notable ease absent from some of Anderson’s earlier red-carpet work. Conceived as a cabinet of curiosities, the clothes felt lighter, more intuitive, and emotionally resonant. “Haute couture should be a laboratory of ideas,” Anderson said, emphasizing that it must offer emotional value, not just spectacle.

Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2026. Getty Images.

Subtle nods to Dior’s recent creative lineage surfaced. A pared-back black Bar coat paired with tufted pink mules hinted at Raf Simons’s precision, while bias-draped black gowns recalled Galliano’s Belle Époque romanticism. These references felt respectful rather than reverential, reinforcing Anderson’s belief that fashion is cyclical—and that taste is built through perspective, not imitation.

“Singularity has to be everywhere,” Anderson said, underscoring his desire to make couture feel open rather than exclusionary. With the public exhibition running alongside the collection, Dior’s Spring 2026 couture signals a shift—away from spectacle alone and toward meaning, craft, and access.

Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
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Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring 2026 Collection

Daniel Roseberry’s Spring 2026 haute couture collection for Schiaparelli arrived with a literal sting. Opening the show was a monumental scorpion tail—an unmistakable signal that this would be the house’s most confrontational, sculptural outing yet.

Courtesy of Schiaparelli

Inspired by nature’s apex predators, Roseberry pushed couture into feral territory, using trompe-l’œil and extreme construction to evoke alligator tails, horns, spines, and vast wings erupting from the backs of jackets and gowns. These protrusions didn’t merely decorate the garments; they redefined the silhouette, mimicking flight, defense, and attack.

The effect was hypnotic and unsettling. A sheer black lace jacket curved into a colossal scorpion tail bristling with silver needles, while a translucent skirt suit embroidered with crystals exploded into organza spikes reminiscent of a pufferfish in self-defense. The collection thrived on tension—beauty edged with threat.

Courtesy of Schiaparelli

The finale heightened that ambiguity. Models Awar Odhiang and Lulu Tenney emerged in multicolored feathered jackets punctuated by two massive beaks projecting from chest and back. Were they birds of paradise or birds of prey? “That uncertainty is the point,” Roseberry said backstage. “There’s something aggressive and powerful in the silhouette.”

Courtesy of Schiaparelli

His references spanned high and low, sacred and cinematic: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, Ridley Scott’s Alien, and the poetry of David Whyte. One line, in particular, framed the emotional core of the collection—anger not as destruction, but as a form of compassion. Against a backdrop of global instability, Roseberry chose to channel unrest into creation.

Courtesy of Schiaparelli

The craftsmanship matched the intensity of the vision. A tiered gala gown shimmering with 65,000 raw silk feathers in black and kingfisher blue demanded more than 8,000 hours of work. A bustier dress adorned with hundreds of tiny shells and a suspended pearl took 4,000. These were feats of patience as much as imagination.

Not every look carried venom. Sculpted bustier gowns with crystal fringe felt destined for the Oscars, while inverted and slashed tulle ball gowns nodded toward couture surrealism, echoing the spirit of Viktor & Rolf. The collection oscillated between menace and elegance, never settling into one mood for long.

Jacquemus Fall 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
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Jacquemus Fall 2026 Collection

Jacquemus Fall 2026 Collection

For Fall 2026, Simon Porte Jacquemus leaned fully into joy, spectacle, and a high-gloss nostalgia rooted in the 1980s. Presented as a coed collection, the show—titled Le Palmier—transformed the Musée Picasso into the setting of an extravagant house party, where fashion, humor, and theatricality took center stage.

Courtesy of Jacquemus

The title referenced the palmier hairstyle, a playful ’80s updo that became the show’s unofficial dress code. Models wore the exaggerated coiffure throughout the runway, reinforcing the retro mood and setting the tone for a collection defined by sculptural cocktail silhouettes, batwing coats, sheer dresses, and evening looks that channeled unapologetic glamour.

Courtesy of Jacquemus

On the women’s side, Jacquemus explored bold proportions: skirts clung tightly to the hips before erupting into ruffles below the knee, while dresses embraced dramatic volume and sensual draping. Not every experiment landed with equal precision, occasionally tipping into pastiche, but the designer found his stride in streamlined pencil skirts, bra-style tops, crisp white shirts, and fluid jersey gowns designed for the dance floor. A one-shoulder finale look, inspired by a Helmut Newton photograph featuring Paloma Picasso, captured the collection’s provocative spirit.

Courtesy of Jacquemus

Menswear proved more assured. Though some color choices pushed boundaries, the tailoring felt fresh and confident, particularly in the reimagined tuxedos. Jacquemus noted that his men’s ready-to-wear now rivals the women’s in scale, driven by strong growth in trousers, shirting, and suiting.

The show underscored the brand’s continued momentum. With a new boutique set to open this fall in Miami’s Design District, the United States is firmly positioned as a key market in Jacquemus’s global expansion.

Above all, the collection embraced levity. “The message was to do something fun,” Jacquemus said. “I don’t want us to take ourselves too seriously.”

Patou Fall 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
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Patou Fall 2026 Collection

Patou Fall 2026 Collection

For Fall 2026, Guillaume Henry set out to show Patou in full—refusing to prioritize one expression of femininity over another. The result is a collection that feels deliberately democratic, where denim and knitwear stand shoulder to shoulder with romantic dresses and statement evening looks.

Courtesy of Patou

“Every show we’ve done has centered on a single woman—Rose, Joy,” Henry said backstage. “This time, I wanted to celebrate diversity and highlight the categories we don’t always put front and center, but that we’re just as proud of.” Those categories include commercially vital pieces like denim and knits, now fully integrated into Patou’s visual language.

The opening look set the tone: a ruched, color-blocked top paired with sharply cut dark jeans—an unexpected yet convincing proposition for a house known for polished daytime elegance. From there, the collection unfolded with ease, spanning polo shirts, tailored straight-leg trousers, lightweight funnel-neck knits, fluid blouses, and cropped biker jackets.

Courtesy of Patou

These everyday staples were balanced by more expressive pieces: knee-length and midi scarf skirts, floor-length lace gowns, and devoré velvet dresses that reasserted Patou’s romantic streak. Footwear completed the picture, moving effortlessly from soft sneakers to stiletto boots, reinforcing Henry’s vision of a woman who navigates multiple worlds without changing her identity.

Courtesy of Patou

The palette drew from an eclectic set of references. Henry cited influences ranging from Matisse and Bruegel to medieval art, a mix that translated into jewel-toned hues inspired by stained glass—bubblegum pink, Klein blues, vibrant greens, and layered shades of orange. Tapestry-like fabrics and prints referencing the marginal sketches of medieval scribes added texture and depth.

Jacquemus Names His Grandmother as the House’s First-Ever Brand Ambassador

Sarah Mitchell
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Jacquemus Names His Grandmother as the House’s First-Ever Brand Ambassador

Jacquemus Names His Grandmother as the House’s First-Ever Brand Ambassador

In a move that feels both intimate and quietly radical, Simon Porte Jacquemus has named his grandmother, Liline Jacquemus, as the brand’s first official ambassador. After years of fronting campaigns with global stars—from Jennie to Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny—the designer turns inward, honoring the woman he calls “the most special in my life.”

Courtesy of Jacquemus

The announcement arrives via a tender video in which Jacquemus presents Liline with his latest handbag, poignantly named after his late mother, Valérie—Liline’s daughter. It is a gesture that underscores how deeply personal the brand remains, even as it operates on an international stage.

Liline Jacquemus is no stranger to the house. A familiar presence in the front row, she made her modeling debut for the brand in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, becoming an unlikely yet instantly beloved face of the maison. Born in 1946 and raised in Alleins, a small agricultural village in Provence, she grew up in a family of farmers, shaped by rural life and raised by a single Italian mother.

Courtesy of Jacquemus

Those origins are central to Jacquemus’s creative universe. His most recent collection, Le Paysan, draws directly from that pastoral heritage, reinforcing a narrative rooted in family, memory, and place. With this appointment, the designer pays tribute to the women who raised him and the values they passed down.

More than a symbolic ambassador, Liline embodies the soul of Jacquemus—a reminder that the brand is, at its core, a story of beginnings. As the house prepares to unveil its next collection at the Picasso Museum, the message is clear: in an industry obsessed with novelty, authenticity remains the most powerful statement of all.

Monique Lhuillier Fall 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
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Monique Lhuillier Fall 2026 Collection

Monique Lhuillier Fall 2026 Collection

Monique Lhuillier is expanding her fashion vocabulary—and Fall 2026 marks a decisive step into daytime dressing. Known for her ethereal, fantasy-driven gowns, the designer uses this pre-collection to introduce her most democratic piece yet: denim. Yes, jeans—albeit filtered through Lhuillier’s unmistakable lens, complete with hand-cut calla lily embellishments.

Courtesy of Monique Lhuillier

“Something as everyday as denim can still feel special when it carries the details of our eveningwear,” Lhuillier said. The idea is simple but deliberate: elevate the ordinary. In her hands, even a grocery run or school pickup is treated with the care of a red-carpet moment.

The collection reframes workwear with tailored femininity. A double-breasted coat with sculpted curves in Prince of Wales wool anchors the office-ready offering, while the same motif reappears as a mixed floral print on sleek sheath dresses. Polished yet expressive, these pieces transition effortlessly from boardroom to evening cocktails.

Courtesy of Monique Lhuillier

As Lhuillier celebrates 30 years in business, the collection also looks inward. Signature silhouettes from her archives return with fresh energy—updated colorways, modernized fabrics, and a lighter hand. A flowing chiffon maxi with a cape and draped bodice, along with a lace high-neck gown first seen on her bridal runway last October, reemerge in bubblegum pink and electric fuchsia, respectively.

Nostalgia surfaces with a confident ’80s glamour streak. Stretch velvet bodices flare into bi-color satin or textured mikado skirts, evoking the youthful elegance of Princess Diana. One can easily imagine Diana styling the collection’s removable sashes, bows, and brooches with her trademark ease. Elsewhere, a scoop-neck miniskirt covered in silver sequin scales nods to her bolder, post-royal ’90s era.

Courtesy of Monique Lhuillier

Princess Diana’s ability to use fashion as emotional language made her a natural muse. “Designing as a woman, for women, means being deeply aware of how clothes make you feel—not just how they look,” Lhuillier said. For Fall 2026, that philosophy translates into garments that honor the female form with equal parts strength and softness, bringing her romantic vision confidently into everyday life.

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