Paris didn't just welcome fashion this season. It transformed it. Across the runways, backstage, and sidewalks of the most iconic venues, Spring/Summer 2026 Fashion Week painted a multifaceted, shifting, sometimes contradictory, but always vibrant vision. In a context marked by the arrival of new artistic directors at the helm of historic fashion houses, this edition confirmed that Paris remains the nerve center of global creativity. What happens there never stays within its walls: it overflows, it infuses, it inspires.
A season marked by creative renewal
If one thing stands out this season, it's the winds of change blowing through the biggest fashion houses. Jonathan Anderson at Dior has made a clear shift, injecting his precise interpretation of the sculptural garment into the women's line, more sensory than ever.
At Chanel, Matthieu Blazy took over with a fine balance between couture heritage and contemporary approach. Balenciaga saw the arrival of Pierpaolo Piccioli, who infused a form of structured and delicate romanticism with the post-street rigor that had previously characterized the house. Loewe, meanwhile, continued to move forward under the leadership of the McCollough/Hernandez duo, with refined yet expressive silhouettes.
This game of creative musical chairs has allowed some fashion houses to reposition themselves and create new expectations. It's not so much a break as a recomposition. Parisian fashion is playing with its codes, deconstructing them, revisiting them. What seemed written is being rewritten.
An assumed and textured sensuality
On the catwalks, the silhouette unfolds, unveils itself, and wraps itself around itself. Summer 2026 will not be one of minimalist rigor, but rather one of movement. Materials float, caress the skin, and follow the line of the body without constraining it. Transparency is present, but never gratuitous. It speaks to the connection between clothing and the body, between skin and fabric.
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At Courrèges, futuristic cuts are combined with technical, almost liquid materials. Glenn Martens at Margiela offers a more raw sensuality, blended with gothic and experimental references. Volumes play on exaggeration and nonchalance. Fringes, pleats, and draping sculpt movements, offering breathing space with each step. This season, more than a silhouette, it's a sensation that emerges. Clothing is directly connected to the body, but also to the environment. It vibrates, it lives, it adapts.
Liberated prints and unfiltered textures
One of the lessons of this edition is the audacity of the mixes. Prints collide, textures overlap, colors rub against each other without regard for neutrality. We're no longer talking about association here, but about interaction. Polka dots, stripes, flowers, tie-dye effects, architectural graphics: everything coexists in a fluid visual dialogue that blurs the lines between good taste and instinct.
On the street, style also follows this logic of liberation. The looks seen around the runways are playful, experimental, and often very personal. They play with volumes, technical materials, and oversized accessories. Tailored pieces intersect with sportswear elements in ensembles that seek attitude rather than coherence. This is the moment when fashion steps off the catwalk to be embodied in the city, in life.
The commitment in filigree
Even if it's not everywhere, the question of sustainability is never far away. Stella McCartney has tackled it head-on, with upcycled creations designed as wearable art objects. Other houses are discreetly exploring avenues around new materials or eco-designed processes. The approach isn't uniform, but the direction is clear: fashion can no longer avoid thinking about its impact . This increasingly integrated requirement is redefining the criteria for luxury.
This dynamic is also reflected in expectations surrounding the quality of clothing. Noble yet practical fabrics. Easy-to-wear yet impeccable pieces. The care taken over appearance becomes a form of respect for the garment, extending its use and lifespan. And in this world, tools like steamers naturally find their place. Invisible, but essential in dressing rooms, during photoshoots, backstage. They restore drape, volume, and freshness without altering the material. A detail for some, but a professional reflex behind the scenes of Parisian fashion.
What we will really remember
This Spring/Summer 2026 edition didn't seek to shock or shine for the sake of it. It sought to lay down milestones, to plow new paths, to assert identities. It showed that Parisian fashion remains multifaceted, never static, always searching for a way of being more than a way of appearing. It captured a desire for appropriation, movement, emotion. And it did so quietly, without excess, but with a mastery that is uniquely its own.