Haute Couture Week Fall/Winter 2026 begins not just with a bang, but with a slow-blooming sense of reverence.
The golden light of early July washes over the Place Vendôme as showgoers gather outside the gilded salons of Chanel, where Virginie Viard paid tribute to the maison’s equestrian past with hand-quilted riding coats and airy chiffon jodhpurs.
Across town, Daniel Roseberry opened the week with a Schiaparelli collection steeped in anatomical symbolism, corsets molded like rib cages, velvet lips clasped as brooches.
The craft is as intense as ever, but the mood is introspective, designers looking not just at history, but at what lies beneath it.
HAUTE COUTURE WEEK FW26
SCHIAPARELLI
For Fall/Winter 2026, Daniel Roseberry delved deeper into Schiaparelli’s surrealist DNA, unveiling a collection that explored the intersection of anatomy and divinity.
Sculpted bustiers mimicked ribcages gilded in gold, velvet gowns featured embroidered third eyes, and accessories doubled as reliquaries, jewelry as sacred armor. With nods to Dalí and classical sculpture, it was couture at its most cerebral and sensual.
IRIS VAN HERPEN
Marking a much-anticipated return, Iris van Herpen presented a collection inspired by bioluminescent marine life, translating the silent majesty of the deep sea into futuristic couture.
Ethereal gowns floated like jellyfish, made of iridescent organza, kinetic filaments, and 3D-printed mycelium. It was a meditation on nature’s hidden intelligence and fashion as fluid motion.
GEORGES HOBEIKA
Georges Hobeika looked to Byzantine cathedrals and sacred art for FW26, resulting in a luminous collection drenched in gold thread, rich jewel tones, and stained-glass appliqué.
Opulent capes and mosaic-beaded bodices evoked celestial grandeur, while soft draping grounded the divine with modern grace. It was baroque beauty elevated with Hobeika’s signature lightness.
RAHUL MISHRA
Rahul Mishra crafted a poetic and powerful tribute to ecological balance with FW26. Lush hand-embroidered scenes of flora and fauna unraveled across sculptural gowns and capes, capturing nature on the brink of collapse and renewal.
Inspired by India’s seasonal cycles and environmental fragility, the collection was both exquisite and urgent, a walking ecosystem in gold thread.
JULIE DE LIBRAN
Julie de Libran looked to Paris by moonlight for inspiration, presenting a quietly seductive collection of lace slip dresses, velvet wraps, and embroidered chiffon.
Drawing from the intimate elegance of late-night salons and personal rituals, the pieces shimmered with hand-sewn crystal threads and delicate metallic lace. It was femininity at its most introspective.
GIAMBATTISTA VALLI
Giambattista Valli returned to his maximalist roots, blending Rococo grandeur with Italian operatic drama.
Billowing layers of pastel tulle, floral headpieces, and corseted bodices marched down the runway like bouquets in motion. The effect was theatrical yet intimate; Couture as spectacle, romance, and unapologetic beauty all at once.
CHANEL
Virginie Viard explored equestrian elegance for Chanel’s FW26 couture show, staging a refined tribute to Gabrielle Chanel’s fascination with horseback riding.
Embroidered jodhpurs, pearl-accented boleros, and quilted riding coats were paired with feather-trimmed veils and stable-inspired silhouettes. It was a study in aristocratic sport turned haute couture ritual.
STÉPHANE ROLLAND
Stéphane Rolland’s muse for FW26 was the Spanish matriarch, rendered with cinematic intensity and sculptural flair. Dramatic flamenco-inspired flounces, sharp black tailoring, and bold red silks swept through the runway with Almodóvarian drama. Architectural capes and embroidered bodices evoked both elegance and emotional gravity.
RVDK RONALD VAN DER KEMP
Ronald van der Kemp doubled down on radical upcycling, transforming discarded couture remnants into rebellious masterpieces.
The FW26 collection was an assemblage of contradictions, gilded patchwork suits, punk-inspired corsetry, and vintage silks cut with raw edges. It was a couture manifesto that shouted: art, not waste.
ASHI STUDIO
Ashi Studio delivered a stark, sculptural take on emotional minimalism, inspired by empty spaces and silent cathedrals. Angular silhouettes in ivory, charcoal, and jet black were carved like modern monuments.
The absence of embellishment made every fold, void, and line more profound, couture was an architectural meditation.
GIORGIO ARMANI PRIVÉ
Giorgio Armani Privé drew inspiration from moonlight and lunar mystique, presenting a collection drenched in silver organza, midnight blue velvet, and celestial embroidery.
Gowns shimmered like moonlit waves, with soft tailoring and iridescent beadwork evoking the quiet majesty of the night sky. It was serene, timeless, and unmistakably Armani.
Stay tuned for part two of our Paris Haute Couture Week analysis!
