Paris Fashion Week AW26 Highlights: All The Standout Moments

models on the runway at the saint laurent aw26 show during paris fashion week — (Image credit: Courtesy Saint Laurent)

Paris Fashion Week marks the final—and decidedly most anticipated—stop of fashion month, and this Autumn/Winter 2026 season is already delivering plenty of headline moments. Running from 3–10 March, the city is currently teeming with industry insiders, editors, buyers and tastemakers, all with a packed schedule of runway shows, presentations and glitzy events ahead—not to mention hopes of some seriously star-studded front rows.

As the world’s biggest fashion houses including Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Loewe unveil their latest collections, the Paris Fashion Week AW26 shows are setting the tone for how we’ll all be dressing come autumn, and beyond.

So, whether you're in town right now or not, below you'll find all the key highlights to emerge from Paris Fashion Week AW26 to ensure you're in the loop. From the most iconic runway moments and viral celebrity appearances, to the trends and collections everyone's talking about, these are the biggest stories worth knowing from Paris Fashion Week so far...

Dior's Glorious Garden Party

models on the runway at the dior aw26 show

Jonathan Anderson set the bar incredibly high for this season of Paris Fashion Week as he kicked off proceedings with an extravagant Dior show in the Jardin des Tuileries—complete with Alexa Chung, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jisoo, Willow Smith and Priyanka Chopra on the front row. The collection itself was as grand and glorious as the setting called for: a series of voluminous tutus opened the show, with classic checks, pretty peplums, jazzy jeans, exquisite tailoring and playful accessories following behind. A pair of heels crafted to resemble a lily-pad was a particular highlight, and no doubt destined for sell-out success.

Saint Laurent's Star Power

kate moss zoe kravitz and ros&eacute; on the front row at saint laurent aw26 show during paris fashion week

Without fail, Anthony Vaccarello's Saint Laurent shows are some of the most glamorous and star-studded on the annual fashion calendar—and this season was no different. The front row was packed with the likes of Kate Moss, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zoe Kravitz and Blackpink's Rosé, while Bella Hadid surprised guests by hitting the runway. The collection, meanwhile, acted as a tribute to the iconic Le Smoking suit, which was first debuted by the house's founder 60 years ago. Other highlights included fresh takes on sultry, lingerie-like sheer lace dresses, statement bird-shaped earrings, and mega fur-trimmed coats; all together, the epitome of timeless glamour.

Dries Does It Again

For his fifth show at the helm of Dries Van Noten, rising star Julian Klausner was inspired by "the transient moment that leads from youth to adulthood." He explained in the show notes: "When identity forms and what we wear defines how we are perceived, and how we perceive ourselves. The fragile time of change, before identity sets in, lasts for a little moment before it is gone." Cue preppy touches and school uniform-inspired looks—albeit "with a rebellious tingle"—alongside more grown-up materials, patterns and cuts, but always with an alluringly playful touch.

Horsing Around at Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney took the Year of the Horse quite literally, hosting her AW26 show in a grand Parisian equine arena complete a dozen beautiful black and white horses. Oprah Winfrey and other high-profile guests had a front-row seat to enjoy the artistic display, that was led by equine artist Jean-François Pignon and formed a fantastic backdrop as model emerged clad in the latest collection. The standouts? Fabulous faux furs, gemstone-covered jeans, and a tongue-in-cheek t-shirt emblazoned with the words "My dad is a rock star".

Every Single Thing at Tom Ford

Everyone's (still) talking about the Tom Ford AW26 show, that was an undisputed standout of not just Paris, but this Fashion Month season as a whole. Haider Ackermann riffed on the dialogue of seduction for the collection; one with a decidedly sinister edge, and a certain underlying darkness. As the show notes explained, the concept was all about contrasts: "Hard and soft. Sharp and cocooning. Purity, with tension. The perfect suit, twisted." Pointy, sky-high stilettos, lashings of leather, plastic skirts, sheer layers, ultra-delicate lace and sharp tailoring made for a magnetic, deeply sultry vibe—one that the whole industry is already desperate to channel. Let the countdown to the collection drop begin...

Pieter's Adieu to Alaïa

models on the catwalk for the alaia aw26 show during paris fashion week

Pieter Mulier has officially closed the curtain on his five-year tenure at Alaïa, with a show that stripped it all back to the "minimal, pure, essential" core of the brand—and that celebrated the team behind the scenes. In a touching gesture, the show space was decorated with portraits of personalities from the Alaïa atelier, shot by artist Keizo Kitajima—while Mulier added his own personal tribute and final farewell in the show notes. Everyone from Matthieu Blazy and Raf Simons to Alicia Silverstone turned out to see the historic AW26 show—the latter, of course, being the one who famously uttered that iconic Alaia line in Clueless many decades decades ago—all of whom rose to their feet to give Mulier a standing ovation as he took his final bow.

Chloé Goes Cottagecore

Chemena Kamali has officially called it: fashion's pared-back, quiet luxury, minimalism-obsessed days are over—in the world of Chloé, at the very least. Her latest collection was giving Little House on the Prairie in all the best ways, complete with peasant dresses, frou-frou skirts, ruffled hems, checked capes, and ditsy florals.

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Clementina Jackson is the Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK. She writes, edits and commissions stories spanning catwalk trends, industry news, shopping must-haves, long-form fashion features, and interviews. She was previously Acting Site Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, and has also worked for a range of titles including Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Tatler, and Cosmopolitan.