Home Blog Page 25

Balmain Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
-
0
Balmain Spring 2026 Collection

Balmain Spring 2026 Collection

For its 80th anniversary, Olivier Rousteing turned Balmain into a seaside fantasy, offering a collection brimming with freedom, playfulness, and effortless sensuality. Returning to the ornate ballroom of the InterContinental Paris Le Grand—the same stage where he debuted 14 years ago at just 26—he unveiled a show that marked a shift away from his trademark opulence toward something looser, breezier, and more intimate.

Courtesy Of Balmain

The clothes felt sculpted from sand and kissed by salt water. There was a strapless towel dress, as if casually wrapped post-swim; macramé ensembles with endless fringe; and seashells jingling on dresses, shoes, and bags, transforming every step into music. Rousteing also revived his now-iconic molded sand designs—first made famous when Tyla wore one to the 2024 Met Gala—this time reimagined as playful bras and bustiers.

Courtesy Of Balmain

This was a slouchier, more casual Balmain: billowing sarouel and parachute pants, open-weave sweaters sliding seductively off shoulders, and meaty blousons in rugged cottons or leather. Draped jersey tops gave a fluid ease, while tank dresses and bra tops strung together with shells and wooden beads reveled in seaside excess. One standout was a stiff bustier that resembled amethyst crystals erupting from the body.

Courtesy Of Balmain

Backstage, the designer reflected on the shift. “I’m known for the Balmain Army that is always fighting,” he admitted. “This time, it’s not about armor. It’s about freedom, about self-confidence.” For Rousteing, the seaside is a place of joy and renewal, and that spirit infused the collection. In the end, he captured not just the beach but a philosophy: Balmain as an eternal shoreline, where luxury meets lightness and the waves carry away the weight of the world.

Courtesy Of Balmain

Acne Studios Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
-
0
Acne Studios Spring 2026 Collection

Acne Studios Spring 2026 Collection

For Spring 2026, Jonny Johansson confronted one of fashion’s most dominant trends — the surge of naked dressing — with a collection that was both genderfluid and resistant to easy stereotypes. Despite Sweden’s famously relaxed attitudes toward nudity, Johansson has never seen women as objects of desire, and the prevalence of transparency on today’s runways left him questioning. “I kept seeing people basically getting undressed,” he mused. “It puzzled me, so I felt I had to either resist it or twist it to my own language.”

Cortesy Of Acne Studios

The venue set the tone: the Collège des Bernardins, a 13th-century Gothic structure on Paris’s Left Bank, reimagined as the interior of a cigar box in warm tobacco hues. Against this moody backdrop, Johansson staged a dialogue between lingerie-inspired sensuality and androgynous tailoring, toggling between sheer slips and sharp, masculine codes.

Models with spiky rockabilly quiffs stormed the runway in crinkled paper-cotton suits and patinated leather tailoring, their swagger amplified by elongated cowboy boots. Johansson amped up the toughness with oversized biker jackets, ribbed tank tops, and slouchy flannels, pushing the butch energy to the fore.

Cortesy Of Acne Studios

But the boudoir touch was never far behind. Hourglass lace dresses with corset lacing, delicate slips with transparent panels, and a striking nude lace bustier with an angular neckline explored femininity on Johansson’s terms, never objectifying, always empowering. The bustier, fast becoming a Paris trend, looked ready to pair with Acne’s reworked jeans — this season coated in glossy plastic or cracked-paint finishes.

Cortesy Of Acne Studios

Elsewhere, Johansson merged the two worlds: a slick black leather pantsuit layered over a lace bodysuit carried both edge and sensuality, echoing the voice of Swedish singer Robyn, who crafted the show’s pulsing soundtrack. The interplay of boys and girls, toughness and vulnerability, exposure and concealment defined the collection, proving once again that Acne Studios thrives in the spaces where categories blur.

Tom Ford Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
-
0
Tom Ford Spring 2026 Collection

Tom Ford Spring 2026 Collection

A single cinematic spotlight cut through the darkness, opening Tom Ford’s runway with the kind of drama that has become its signature. For his second women’s collection at the house, Haider Ackermann leaned into this sense of mystery: through smoke and shadow, models emerged in patent leather body-hugging dresses with sheer mesh coats in black, burgundy, and apple green — a palette that captured the tension between strength and fragility that defined the evening.

Courtesy of Tom Ford

From there, the show moved into sleek yet sensual tailoring. A buttery suede trenchcoat and precision-cut suits in soft mint and dusty pink exuded polish, styled with cashmere sweaters nonchalantly draped over shoulders in an Italian gesture that nodded to Tom Ford’s production partner, Gruppo Ermenegildo Zegna. Highlights included a crisp white suit with a matching knit, a pearlescent satin tuxedo, and a shimmering jacket studded with white crystals, all crafted with the stage and the red carpet in mind.

Courtesy of Tom Ford

Ackermann also leaned into Tom Ford’s reputation for glamour, sending out a series of red-carpet-ready dresses with clean architectural lines, sheer layers edged in lace, and bold cutouts that revealed sculpted backs. Others took on a more fluid mood, with chal-like draping and high front slits that moved dramatically as the models walked. The standout was a bi-color draped gown in mint and black, its liquid folds earning the loudest applause of the night.

Courtesy of Tom Ford

The soundtrack — David Bowie’s slow, haunting version of “Heroes” — heightened the atmosphere of intimacy and noir allure. Still, Ackermann didn’t shy away from provocation: sheer blue T-shirts and leather thongs layered over briefs pushed boundaries, perhaps a touch daring even for Tom Ford, but destined for the bolder among his loyal fans.

Courtesy of Tom Ford

Gabriela Hearst Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
-
0
Gabriela Hearst Spring 2026 Collection

Gabriela Hearst Spring 2026 Collection

Laura Dern set the tone for the show in a breathtaking wide-skirted gown, its surface painstakingly adorned with 2,400 hand-applied leather flowers. It was an opening that encapsulated the spirit of Gabriela Hearst’s “recalibration collection”, created almost entirely from materials already in her archives—97 percent deadstock fabrics—in a move that underscored both sustainability and ingenuity.

Courtesy Of Gabriela Hearst

The fabrics themselves were exquisite: cashmere-silk blends with buttery softness, Sea Island cottons sourced sustainably from small-lot growers in Barbados, and hearty, textured linens, some brushed with a golden shimmer. Even the earthy-toned sandals carried meaning, crafted from invasive species skins—a luxury rooted in ecological mindfulness.

Courtesy Of Gabriela Hearst

On the runway, Hearst showcased her mastery of sculpting humble fibers into commanding silhouettes. Coats, blouses, and dresses with voluminous puffed sleeves were shaped from cotton, linen, and leather, while sleek knitted gowns and a pared-back cotton V-neck dress with frayed-effect embroidery radiated subtle sophistication.

Courtesy Of Gabriela Hearst

The designer continued her exploration of the tarot, this season drawing from the Major Arcana—characters like the magician, the high priestess, and the hanged man whispered through the collection. Intarsia sweaters featuring watercolor illustrations made the most literal references, while subtler nods appeared in the details: Hearst unearthed a stash of golden charms—a moon, a wand, a skull, a cup—and transformed them into fringe accents on suede coats and skirts, softly chiming to the music of Max Richter as the models walked.

Dior Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
-
0
Dior Spring 2026 Collection

Dior Spring 2026 Collection

“Do you dare step into… the House of Dior?”

With those words projected onto a monumental screen, Jonathan Anderson staged his debut as creative director of Dior womenswear—a provocation that set the tone for a show built on both rupture and reinvention.

Inside a vast tent at the Tuileries Gardens, the energy was electric. A gray marble runway supported an inverted pyramid that doubled as a screen, where filmmaker Adam Curtis stitched together Dior’s archival runway footage with Hammer horror, Hitchcock clips, and 1960s B-movies. In the finale, the images collapsed into a shoe box: the past symbolically consumed to clear space for the present.

Courtesy Of Dior

Anderson explained that he wanted to acknowledge all his predecessors—from Christian Dior and Maria Grazia Chiuri to John Galliano, his personal gateway into the house—yet also step beyond them. “Fashion isn’t about being liked anymore; it’s fashionable now to destroy it,” he said, noting the immense pressure of steering LVMH’s crown jewel.

That tension between reverence and irreverence came alive in the clothes. The opening look, a white pleated dress suspended over invisible hoops in a lampshade silhouette, announced a vocabulary that was architectural, airy, and theatrical. Instead of reviving Dior’s A- or H-lines, Anderson invented his own, calling it a play of harmony and tension. The legendary Bar jacket returned, scaled down to doll-like proportions.

Courtesy Of Dior

He explored both volume and fragility: billowing dresses and skirts in gauzy lace and plush knits; pleated satin tops with stiff lace collars plunging down the back; and sheer negligees reinforced with cage-like frameworks. He even ventured into experimental knitwear with lumpy, sculptural dresses in the spirit of Rei Kawakubo.

Courtesy Of Dior

Accessories sealed the statement. The Cigale bag, derived from an archival gown, is destined for instant cult status. Together with footwear designer Nina Christen, Anderson unveiled modern loafers alongside delicate mules topped with oversized floral rosettes, equal parts practical and performative.

Stella McCartney Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
-
0
Stella McCartney Spring 2026 Collection

Stella McCartney Spring 2026 Collection

No one stages fashion quite like Stella McCartney. This season, guests found a copy of The Stella Times waiting at every seat—a self-declared collector’s item laying out her manifesto, “Come Together,” inspired by the legendary Beatles track. For McCartney, the idea was to merge her wardrobe codes, the people she cherishes, and the cutting-edge innovations that define her brand’s future.

Courtesy Of Stella McCartney

The spectacle unfolded outside the Centre Pompidou, where fans craned their necks as arrivals turned into a red-carpet moment. Robin Wright, Jenna Coleman, Ice Spice, and even Woody Harrelson graced the scene, but the most unexpected cameo came from Helen Mirren. Before the first model appeared, the Oscar-winning actress took the runway to recite the lyrics of Come Together as a dramatic monologue. At times whimsical without Paul McCartney’s thundering bassline, it set a theatrical stage.

The collection itself was an exploration of bold silhouettes and radical proportions. Shoulders jutted outward, waists cinched tight, and hems ballooned into sweeping volumes. McCartney reimagined her signature masculine tailoring with corseted structures and sculptural shoulders, while playful skater dresses expanded with hoop skirts. Some pieces bordered on impractical—like a blue-embroidered babydoll paired with a red crochet tutu so wide it could hardly fit through a doorway. Yet in Paris, land of Marie Antoinette, panniers and petticoats suddenly felt right at home.

Courtesy Of Stella McCartney

For those seeking ease and understatement, the designer offered sleek fitted dresses in vibrant hues with front slits, as well as a flawless white bandage mini that hugged the body without overwhelming it.

Fabric innovation, McCartney’s calling card, took center stage. A lavender gown and bubblegum-pink bodysuit appeared feathered, but were in fact crafted from painted blades of grass, encircling the models in cloud-like textures. “I’d rather pull grass than pluck feathers,” she quipped, underscoring her eco-conscious ethos. Birds were celebrated differently too, with ballooning oversize blouses in aqua, cream, and baby pink.

Courtesy Of Stella McCartney

Eveningwear delivered drama with purpose: a strapless gown encrusted with shimmering purple sequins, made of recycled plastics, bio-based resins, and lab-grown seaweed, stood out as the triumph of the night. Other attempts—stiff corseted gowns with armor-like bodices—fell short, but the overall message of sustainability meets spectacle rang clear.

Courrèges Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
-
0
Courrèges Spring 2026 Collection

Courrèges Spring 2026 Collection

The invitation to Courrèges’ Paris runway was as clear as the season’s message: a pair of sleek black sunglasses tucked into a box that read, “Take me to the show.” Staged on a stark white circular set, the show was aptly titled “Blinded by the Sun” —a reflection of Di Felice’s summer in Ibiza, but also a metaphor for the disorienting realities of today, from sensory overload to global warming.

Courtesy Of Courrèges

The lineup played on the tension between shielding and revealing. Baseball caps with archival veils covered the face entirely, while airy panels of fabric slipped into A-line miniskirts, parting to expose matching bikinis beneath. As the soundtrack announced climbing temperatures, layers fell away, baring backs and torsos in swim tops paired with low-slung, Space Age minis—a house signature reimagined for now.

Function met style in clever details: leather jackets with zip-off sleeves, fabric-lined skinny belts recalling André Courrèges’ originals, and glossy vinyl dresses cut to resemble Venetian blinds. Even the brand’s iconic grid motif was subtly elongated to evoke solar panels, as if the clothes themselves could harness the sun’s energy.

Courtesy Of Courrèges

As the lighting brightened, sunglasses came back on. Models strode in stiff, car-sunshade–inspired dresses, their rigid fronts hiding movement within. “She can sit, she can bend,” Di Felice noted, emphasizing that despite the sculptural precision, wearability was key.

Renowned for his technical constructions, Di Felice kept the clothes stripped back and relaxed this season. The message was clear: “The world is already complicated enough.” What emerged was a solar-charged collection, light yet sharp, firmly grounded in Courrèges’ Space Age DNA while casting a fresh glow on the future.

Louis Vuitton Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
-
0
Louis Vuitton Spring 2026 Collection

Louis Vuitton Spring 2026 Collection

This season, several runways turned away from red-carpet glamour to embrace something far more intimate: the textures, warmth, and serenity of home. At Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquière, long celebrated for his futuristic silhouettes and architectural lines, surprised guests by channeling a softer, more domestic spirit.

Courtesy Of Louis Vuitton

“It’s about praising intimacy, dressing for yourself first,” he told reporters backstage. “Getting dressed at home can be fun, too. The mood I wanted to share was the serenity that comes from being in your own space.”

That vision took shape in a collection filled with comfort elevated to luxury: plush teddy-bear coats cut like bathrobes, fuzzy knit sweaters, low-slung shorts, and toga-like dresses. Yet Ghesquière’s experimental streak remained intact: a camel coat cleverly disguised as a jumpsuit appeared throughout, while a sleeveless robe dusted with gemstones —crafted in brushed silk to mimic mink— reintroduced an ancient artisanal technique.

Courtesy Of Louis Vuitton

The lineup balanced ornament and simplicity. On one side, a triangular tabard richly embroidered with floral motifs and fringe ensembles where each strand was beaded in gradient colors, blurring into the vision of a hazy garden. On the other, pared-down cotton tops, wide-legged silk pants, and even socks with sandals —though rendered in shimmering brocades, unmistakably Vuitton.

Courtesy Of Louis Vuitton

The setting amplified the idea of refined intimacy: the newly restored apartments of Anne of Austria within the Louvre, with gilded ceilings and 17th-century frescoes. For the occasion, French decorator Marie-Anne Derville curated a mix of historical furnishings —18th-century armoires, Art Deco chairs by Michel Dufet, ceramics by Pierre-Adrien Dalpayrat— blurring the line between museum and private residence.

Courtesy Of Louis Vuitton

The show was also a reminder of how luxury houses increasingly stage experiences that elevate their brand while entertaining their most valued clients. To stroll through a closed Louvre on a Tuesday and see the Winged Victory of Samothrace in solitude was already a rare privilege. Entering Vuitton’s intimate, domestic universe afterwards felt like the ultimate luxury: warmth wrapped in sophistication.

Saint Laurent Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
-
0
Saint Laurent Spring 2026 Collection

Saint Laurent Spring 2026 Collection

Anthony Vaccarello marked his 30th show at Saint Laurent with a spectacular set: a vast French garden erected at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, its hedges carved into the shape of the Cassandre logo, and the air laced with the scent of the house’s iconic Opium fragrance. “I wanted to remind everyone: when you’re at Saint Laurent, there’s no mistaking it,” he said backstage.

Courtesy Of Saint Laurent

While this European season has been dominated by headline-grabbing debuts, Vaccarello opted for confidence and clarity, focusing on being “as YSL as possible.” The result was a rich exploration of the brand’s signature provocative femininity. Models channelled multiple archetypes: leather-clad Mapplethorpe muses, Robert Palmer girls in airy trenches with little underneath, and Belle Époque duchesses in ruffled gowns and puffed sleeves running through the hedges.

Courtesy Of Saint Laurent

Historical and cultural references anchored the narrative. Vaccarello cited Françoise Giroud’s famous line from the 1970s that the YSL woman was “disheveled by day, a countess by night.” He revisited the Proust Ball of 1971 and Yves’s designs for Nan Kempner, Jane Birkin, and Hélène Rochas, while also drawing from Isabelle Adjani’s “La Reine Margot” and the subversive elegance of Paris’s leather-clad nightlife in the 1980s. For the first time, Vaccarello tapped into the maison’s historical archives, describing them as “inexhaustible.”

Courtesy Of Saint Laurent

The clothes balanced drama with utility: structured leather jackets, sharp pencil skirts, oversized cotton poplin blouses with plunging ties, and light nylon trenches designed to be rolled up and zipped away like windbreakers. Flowing safari dresses and Belle Époque gowns in sheer nylons further amplified the tension between toughness and fragility.

Courtesy Of Saint Laurent

Giorgio Armani Spring 2026 Collection

Sarah Mitchell
-
0
Giorgio Armani Spring 2026 Collection

Giorgio Armani Spring 2026 Collection

Giorgio Armani’s final collection unfolded in chapters, each one echoing the designer’s most iconic codes and inspirations. Originally conceived as a celebration of the maison’s 50th anniversary, the show ultimately became a poignant farewell to the man who defined understated luxury for half a century.

Courtesy Of Giorgio Armani

The setting —Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera— carried an aura of reverence. As dusk fell, lanterns glowed softly across the cobblestoned courtyard, with Armani’s signature cream armchairs lining the cloister. The audience was a blend of Hollywood and fashion royalty: Cate Blanchett, Glenn Close, Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton, Zhang Ziyi, Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson, alongside designers like Dries Van Noten, Sir Paul Smith, and Dsquared2’s Dean and Dan Caten. Even pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside kept a respectful silence, acknowledging the magnitude of the occasion.

Courtesy Of Giorgio Armani

The mood deepened when Ludovico Einaudi began to play, his Nuvole Bianche accompanying the opening looks: feather-light, unlined tailoring with softly sculpted shoulders in Armani’s restrained palette of gray, beige, and the house’s iconic greige.

Later chapters introduced Mediterranean blues, vibrant greens, and lilac tones, a nod to Pantelleria, the Sicilian island retreat Armani restored as a sanctuary. These hues animated silk pajama sets, elongated dresses, and Art Deco-inspired jackets, garments that seemed to move with the sea breeze at twilight.

Courtesy Of Giorgio Armani

The collection also revisited the designer’s long-standing fascination with the Middle and Far East: harem pants, mandarin-collared jackets, and draped trousers felt modern and relaxed. Alongside them were exquisitely crafted leather jackets, fluid trench coats, and intricate knitwear — a reflection of Armani’s belief that his clothes should be worn by people of every age and size.

Courtesy Of Giorgio Armani

The finale offered finely pleated gowns, airy tops layered over sequined and iridescent floral evening dresses, pieces that echoed the couture craftsmanship of his Privé collections. Together they underscored Armani’s ultimate message: fashion that is timeless, inclusive, and eternally elegant.

1...242526...54Page 25 of 54