Paris Fashion Week: All of the Highlights and Standout Moments of the Spring/Summer 2026 Season
It's a wrap! This is everything that went down, from buzzy shows to glitzy front rows
The fourth and final major Fashion Week of the action-packed Spring/Summer 2026 season has wrapped in Paris, and it was the longest of the lot, running from 29th September all the way through to 7th October. During this time, some of the world's most influential A-listers, influencers, buyers and editors descended on the so-called City of Light to see the shows, attend the parties, pose for street style snaps, and a whole lot more in between.
With so many big-name shows on schedule, hotly anticipated designer debuts (Jonathan Anderson at Dior, Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Pierpaolo at Balenciaga, to name but a few...), and glitzy events planned, there was a lot to absorb. So to help, we've rounded up all of the biggest highlights you need to know—whether you were in town or not...
Paris Fashion Week SS26: Day Eight Highlights
A New Dawn at Chanel
Closing out this action-packed Fashion Month season was Chanel, for the unveiling of Matthieu Blazy's debut collection. It was as stellar as the come, from the epic planetarium set, exquisitely crafted looks and reimagined cult accessories to the glitzy guest-list, that included the likes of Ayo Edebiri, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, Pedro Pascal, Kendall Jenner, Penelope Cruz and Tilda Swinton. As model Awar Odhiang closed the show in a spectacular feathered skirt, she couldn't help but beam at the crowd around her, before making way for Blazy's bow that received a standing ovation. You can read all the details in our Chanel SS26 show report.
A Thom Browne Alien Invasion
Thom Browne's Spring 2026 show was truly out of this world, modelled by an army of aliens holding up signs that read "I come in peace". The designer's signature preppy tailoring was more bold and experimental than ever, featuring "paranormal proportion" like extra trouser legs (to accommodate all the tentacles, of course) and exaggerated silhouettes, while graphic prints, purposefully clashing materials, and trompe l'oeil designs contributed to the surreal vibes. A true spectacle.
Zimmermann's Seventies Style
This season in particular, questions have arisen around the wearability of some of the high-fashion collections unveiled on the runways—not to mention how summer-appropriate they are. Nicky Zimmermann, however, can always be relied upon to deliver on both fronts, and her SS26 offering followed suit. Inspired by the Seventies and its spirit of liberation, Zimmermann's new collection was a joyful burst of billowing dresses, psychedelic prints, draped designs, puff sleeves and layered organza, providing an alluring blend of carefree fun, freedom and elegance.
The New Workwear at Miu Miu
The latest Miu Miu collection was all about work. More specifically, the work of women, including "their challenges, adversity, experience." Through Miuccia Prada's designs, "its invisibility is confronted and addressed, recognised and valorised"—and so the humble apron was given an unexpected starring role, elevated through the use of luxurious leather, delicate crochet, ruffles and rich embroidery. Heavy-duty boots, utilitarian jackets, fleeces, polos and brogues were also given the high-fashion treatment, alongside the retro floral 'pinnies' worn for housework in the Fifties and Sixties, playfully reimagined and styled for the modern day. Richard E. Grant's surprise stint on the runway went down a treat, too.
Paris Fashion Week SS26: Day Seven Highlights
The Bumster is Back at McQueen
Seán McGirr's SS26 collection for McQueen was an explosion of leather, lace-up corsetry, sharp tailoring and lashings of bare skin—in line with the house's innately sexy, rebellious spirit, while ensuring its ongoing appeal in the modern day. In the show notes, McGirr spoke of "a febrile charge in the air", explaining the mood of his collection as "a site of simmering tensions, peak summer, pulling between carnal restraint and release. Navigating order and an opposing impulse: a primitive drive, submitting to raw animal instinct."
The show was powerful, and an impressive display of the designer's range—from "everyday" pieces like military-style jackets, sculpted shirts and slashed denim, to billowing silk gowns, heavy metal separates and exquisitely embellished dresses that formed "an incendiary climax". But for longtime McQueen fans, one thing stood out above all: the return of the iconic Bumster, reimagined in various iterations yet cheeky and provocative as ever.
Valentino's Message of Hope
Alessandro Michele was the only major designer to allude to current world events this season, with a collection entitled 'Fireflies' and show notes that called for the need to "disarm the eyes and awaken the gaze". Valentino's creative director took inspiration from a 1941 letter by Pier Paolo Pasolini, who in the midst of war and living under Italy's fascist regime, wrote about fireflies providing a glimmer of light on even the darkest nights. His poetic message of hope filled the room as the show began, narrated by Pamela Anderson who also sat on the front row alongside Lana Del Rey, Colman Domingo and other industry heavyweights.
Michele's designs were "fleeting sparks in the dark" in themselves, and a reminder of fashion's ability to provide joy, escapism and beauty even in the most challenging times. But while maximalist, opulent and eclectic as ever, they felt notably more toned-down and pared-back than in collections past, and decidedly more wearable. Most memorable and moving of all, however, was the finale, that saw all 80 models come together in the centre of the room and gaze up to beams of light overhead—representing, as the designer put it, "constellations of fireflies that unveil gateways of possibilities and nourish imagination with political force."
Paris Fashion Week SS26: Day Six Highlights
A Royal Surprise at Balenciaga
The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, made a surprise appearance at Paris Fashion Week—her first ever!—to see longtime friend Pierpaolo Piccioli make his much-anticipated debut for Balenciaga. She arrived wearing an elegant all-white tailored ensemble designed by the Italian creative director, and joined the likes of Anne Hathaway, Simone Ashley, Tracee Ellis Ross and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley on the front row, which was by far the glitziest we've seen this season so far.
As for the collection itself, it was a marked departure from the edgy aesthetic of Demna's decade-long tenure at the house, returning instead to the bold, structural silhouettes and timeless glamour for which Balenciaga was originally known—but with a Pierpaolo twist. Think: princess-style skirts, draped gowns, feather trims, long leather gloves and creative 3D embellishments, alongside giant futuristic visor-like shades, platform flip flops, logo belts and new iterations of the iconic City bag.
Radical Beauty at Alaïa
Only Pieter Mulier could rouse the fashion world (Kim Kardashian included) so bright and early on a Saturday morning, six days into Paris Fashion Week—but all agreed that his latest collection for Alaïa was well worth the wake-up. The show notes ended simply with the words "clothes that cry", and sure enough, much of the audience did in fact shed tears as look after beautiful look emerged onto the catwalk. Simplicity, purity, intimacy and craft were central to the collection, that was largely made up of cotton, python, leather and silks, while sculptural skirts, figure-hugging dresses, and bold fringed pieces stole the show.
Paris Fashion Week SS26: Day Five Highlights
Givenchy's Powerful Women
Sarah Burton's second collection for Givenchy was centred around the idea of "powerful femininity". She explained in the show notes: "I wanted to explore the strengths of women through feminine archetypes. It started with peeling back the structure of tailoring to reveal skin and a sense of lightness and ease—and then exploring the female vocabulary of dress and undress."
As one of the few female creative directors currently helming a top luxury fashion house, Burton's profound understanding of how modern women want to dress continues to shine through. Her SS26 collection included crisp white shirts, fresh takes on tailoring, leather dresses, lace minis, sultry lingerie details and red carpet-worthy gowns—all worn by an impressive line-up of supermodels such as Naomi Campbell, Eva Herzigova, Mariacarla Boscono, Alex Consani and Kaia Gerber, who closed the show with a bang.
Loewe Celebrates Colour
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez led Loewe into a colourful new era for SS26, their first collection as joint creative directors of the Spanish luxury house. It was enough to make the fashion world fall head over heels in love with colour again, filled with clothes and accessories in countless joy-sparking hues—the bright blue, red, green and yellow leather pieces being a particular highlight.
Paris Fashion Week SS26: Day Four Highlights
Isabel Marant's New Direction
Iris Law, Paris Hilton, Lou Doillon, Dree Hemingway and more descended on Paris' Place Colette for Isabel Marant's Spring/Summer 2026 show to close out day four—the first since the brand's founder handed the reins over to creative director Kim Bekker. The collection was achingly cool as ever, leaning heavily into the boho aesthetic that made Marant big in the first place, while also heading in a fresh new direction—specifically, into the desert.
"This season, drawn to the sun, she travels alone," read the show notes. "The collection bears the marks of her journey: washed silks and jerseys, leathers embossed and weathered by heat. Totemic embroideries, beaded fringes, and jewellery etched with bark textures signal an obsessive attention to detail... [and] silhouettes move with ease."
The Jenners At Schiaparelli
Kylie Jenner made her first front-row appearance of the Spring/Summer 2026 show season for Schiaparelli in a showgirl-worthy sparkling silver dress. But beyond supporting one of her favourite fashion brands, she was there to cheer on her sister Kendall, who made a memorable return to the runway by closing the show in a see-through polka dot gown.
As for the SS26 collection itself, it was entitled 'Dancer In The Dark' and unveiled in the Centre Pompidou—"Not because I wanted this collection to explicitly centre on the relationship between fashion and art, but because I felt, and feel, that going to a Schiaparelli show should feel like going to a museum: an experience equally inspirational, aspirational, and reassuring. It should awaken the sensation of dancing alone at home after work. It should feel Iike dancing in the dark—just as liberating; just as private; just as joyful," explained creative director Daniel Roseberry in the show notes.
Rabanne's Seaside Style
The fact that The Summer I Turned Pretty's Rain Spencer was on the front row may have been a subtle foreshadowing of what to expect from Rabanne's new collection. SS26 was all about "opulent holiday escapism" and exuded major seaside vibes, albeit with a futuristic, high-fashion spin. Think: 1950s-inspired swimming costumes and wetsuits, tropical motifs, colourful plaids, vibrant stripes, flip flops and XXL goggles—reimagined, reworked, and elevated with Rabanne's signature silver sparkle.
Mugler's Showgirls
Another day, another debut—and this time, the spotlight was on Portuguese designer Miguel Castro Freitas, the new creative director of Mugler. For his first show, he delved into the house's archives and found inspiration in its close links to showgirls throughout history, as well as their own complex characters. "At once vulnerable and self-possessed, sexually charged yet unattainable, they stand as time-honoured symbols to the magnetic, often dangerous powers of seduction," read the show notes. A number of notable showgirls were in attendance for the occasion, too: Pamela Anderson arrived in a suitably shimmering black gown, and sat on the front row alongside Elizabeth Berkley (of cult 1995 film Showgirls fame), and Drag Race's Gigi Goode.
'Stardust Aphrodite', as the collection was called, was therefore all about dualities, in which pared-back, hourglass-shaped beige suiting gave way to voluminous feathers, dramatic fringe, corsetry, and lashings of leather. Plus, of course, that internet-breaking nude gown held up by two nipple rings. As Freitas put it: "[the collection] articulates maximalist flamboyance with the contrasting purist element of bare skin as the ultimate, most exquisite cloth we live in."
Paris Fashion Week SS26: Day Three Highlights
Stars Align at Tom Ford
The general consensus since his debut show back in March has been that Haider Ackermann has found his natural home at Tom Ford—a view only strengthened by his latest collection. For Spring/Summer 2026, the designer went big on the brand's penchant for the slinky, sexy, seductive and gloriously glamorous by way of glossy, body-hugging coat dresses, necklines cut down to below the navel, sheer lace, louche tailoring, tiny lingerie, and a palette of nighttime blacks and blues interspersed with alluring jewelled tones.
And looking on in delight, an equally sexy front row made up of Kate Moss, Pamela Anderson, Rita Ora, FKA Twigs and Kylie Jenner, dressed in suitably party-worthy ensembles with cut-outs, plunging necklines, diamanté embellishments and thigh-high leg slits aplenty.
Laura Dern at Gabriela Hearst
Everyone loves a surprise celebrity catwalk appearance, so imagine guests' delight when Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern unexpectedly opened Gabriela Hearst's Spring/Summer 2026 show in an intricate dress composed of hundreds of leather flowers. Even more impressive was the fact that the tarot-inspired collection was so sustainability-focussed, featuring upcycled and deadstock materials from previous seasons.
Jonathan Anderson's Dior Debut
It was one of the most hotly anticipated shows—and hardest-to-secure tickets—of the season, and Jonathan Anderson's Dior debut did not disappoint. The British designer ushered in a new dawn for the historic Parisian fashion brand while the likes of Jenna Ortega, Jennifer Lawrence and Greta Lee looked on, offering fresh takes on the iconic Bar jacket, alongside ultra-covetable bags, shoes, jewellery and dresses.
Paris Fashion Week SS26: Day Two Highlights
Stella McCartney's Urge to "Come Together"
Can you imagine a better way to open a show than Dame Helen Mirren reciting The Beatles' 1969 hit Come Together in spoken word? I think not. And true to form, Stella McCartney's many high-profile fans came together for her Spring/Summer 2026 show—among them, Cara Delevingne, Robin Wright, Anais Gallagher, Johnny Depp, Ice Spice and Paris Jackson.
This same mission statement—to "come together for humanity, animals and Mother Earth"—was also woven throughout the collection itself, that was crafted with 98% conscious, 100% cruelty-free materials.
Stella is known for leading the way in fashion innovation, and her SS26 designs ensured she delivered on that front too. The collection included two world-firsts: a plant-based, vegan alternative to feathers called FEVVERS that the designer used on her sculptural dresses and coats, and PURE.TECH, a material that neutralises pollutants and actively cleans the air as it is worn, applied here to deconstructed denim. Genius on all fronts.
Lanvin's Love Letter to Blue
Peter Copping's sophomore show for Lanvin was bathed in blue—the house's signature shade, founder Jeanne Lanvin's lifelong fascination, and a representation of "tranquility, sincerity and freedom." Variations of the colour covered the show-space's walls and floor, while also appearing in various forms throughout the collection itself—whether as pale powder-blue gowns, suits and silk two-pieces, midnight-hued panels in a black draped dress and leather coat, the base of a jazzy pattern, or simply the tint of a sunglasses lens.
The Art of Living, the Louis Vuitton Way
Nicolas Ghesquière's latest show for Louis Vuitton took place in the spectacular surrounds of the Louvre—specifically inside Anne of Austria's summer apartments. As grand and gilded as you'd expect from the mother of Louis XIV, they formed the perfect backdrop for a collection described in the show notes as "a celebration of the art of living... intimacy and the boundless freedom of the private sphere". The result? Pieces inspired by history but that felt thoroughly modern, from ruffle- and fur-trimmed jackets and stone-coloured suiting, to sculptural dresses, elegant sheer fabrics, and a glorious bead-fringed gown.
Paris Fashion Week SS26: Day One Highlights
A Star-Studded Saint Laurent
True to form, Saint Laurent kicked off the SS26 edition of Paris Fashion Week with a supremely glitzy show held under the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower, and attended by the likes of Hailey Bieber, Zoe Kravitz and Charli XCX. Bella Hadid also made her much-anticipated return to the runway for the occasion.
The collection itself was a triumph, too: all 80s power dressing with sharp shoulders, epic leather separates, bow-fronted shirts, high-neck tie-waist trenches, and XXL sunglasses and crystal earrings for added glamour.
