Paris Fashion Week S/S 2026: live updates from the Wallpaper* team

Saint Laurent opens Paris Fashion Week with a cinematic S/S 2026 show

As has become tradition, Anthony Vaccarello’s latest collection for Saint Laurent unfolded with the Eiffel Tower as backdrop – this season, in a runway space lined with blooming bushes of hydrangeas. During his tenure so far, the Belgian designer has built a distinctive visual language at the house, one which evolves each season but is rooted in the idea of a powerful, towering femininity – encapsulated in his signature wide-shouldered, 1980s-inflected silhouettes.

Held last night as Paris Fashion Week’s opening act, this season, that silhouette was translated into a series of broad-shouldered leather looks, some worn with dramatic blown-up pussybow blouses (‘black leather-clad princess à la Mapplethorpe,’ he described), while diaphanous trench coats and billowing ruffled gowns were rendered in a featherweight technical fabric, a contemporary alternative to the silk they evoked (‘descendants of the Duchess of Guermantes or John Singer Sargent’s famed “Madame X” trade their silks for technical textiles,’ read the collection notes).

It made for a typically cinematic outfit from the designer who, as ever, gathered the strongest front row of fashion month so far – Madonna, Charli XCX, Rosé, Central Cee, Zoe Kravitz and Hailey Bieber were all in attendance, while Bella Hadid made her first runway appearance in some time. Jack Moss

Louis Vuitton’s latest collection was ‘a celebration of intimacy’

Nicolas Ghesquière chose the former summer apartment of Anne of Austria, Queen of France, part of the Louvre palace, to show his S/S 2026 collection for Louis Vuitton this afternoon. Despite having shown in the Louvre several times across his tenure at the house, the choice of these opulent rooms was purposeful: this, said the French designer, was about ‘a celebration of intimacy and the boundless freedom of the private sphere’.

As such, he took elements of what Ghesquière deemed the ‘indoor’ wardrobe – from slippers to nightdresses – and reimagined them in his innovative, expressive style. A typically idiosyncratic assemblage of eras and reference points – he is often deemed the ultimate ‘postmodern’ designer – the collection traversed elongated Elizabethan pointed collars; 1970s-inflected shag-lapel coats, plissé ruffles and silk turbans; and dramatic embellishment, from patterned tassels to enormous wooden paillettes.

‘The lineup expresses a high degree of sartorial freedom and a certain stylistic liberation,’ read the collection notes. ‘Valuing intimacy, an exercise in intrinsic courtesy as an art of living. The ultimate luxury of dressing for oneself and revealing one’s true personality.’ Jack Moss

Courrèges turns up the heat for S/S 2026

Temperatures rose at Courrèges this evening as Nicolas Di Felice presented his S/S 2026 collection for the Parisian house, seeing the room get hotter – and lighting get warmer – as the models paraded the circular runway erected in Le Carreau du Temple. The idea of protection ran throughout: faces were shielded with veiled caps, while a series of sculptural dresses were inspired by the shape of sun visors. Skin-bearing looks provided a contrast, with swimsuits, dresses and tank tops cut away in graphic style – a nod to the house founder’s space age silhouettes. ‘As designers, it’s our duty to provide a unique point of view,’ Di Felice told Wallpaper* earlier this year in our September Style Issue. ‘It’s one of the many, many things I admire about André Courrèges: he wasn’t afraid of radical thinking.’ Jack Moss

The invite for Jonathan Anderson’s first Dior womenswear show is a china plate of walnuts

It is one of the week’s most anticipated moments: this afternoon, Jonathan Anderson will present his first womenswear collection for Dior, following his menswear debut for the house held earlier this summer. A handful of teasers – including some red-carpet looks worn by ambassadors Mia Goth and Greta Lee at the Venice Film Festival last month – hint towards a mood of contemporary romance, with bows and flowers emerging as early motifs (though, as is typical of Anderson, one should always expect the unexpected). The invitation, received by guests in a Dior-grey box, is a plate of walnuts and hazelnuts rendered in china, echoing the menswear invitation in June (back then, it was a trio of eggs on the plate). Both were inspired by a series of ceramic curiosities – featuring different foodstuffs rendered in china – that Anderson had discovered in the house’s archive. Jack Moss

Jonathan Anderson’s first womenswear show for Dior opens with an Adam Curtis film

‘Change is inevitable,’ said Jonathan Anderson of his S/S 2026 collection for Dior, which marked the Northern Irish designer’s womenswear debut for the house. Presented in Paris this afternoon, the theatrical collection saw Anderson warp archival silhouettes in his typically inventive manner, from the Tailleur Bar suit (here shrunken in size) to the architectural waistline of the La Cigale dress, which informed the sculpted cut of overcoats and skirts. The show began with a film by British documentary maker Adam Curtis, known for his BBC series Century of the Self and HyperNormalisation, who collated footage from the house’s archive and the various creative directors who preceded Anderson in his atmospheric style. As the show began, the screen, which was shaped like an inverted pyramid, turned a bright optic white – a symbolic shaking off of the past, towards something new. Jack Moss

Acne Studios decorated its runway set with Pacifico Silano’s homoerotic ‘objects of desire’

For its S/S 2026 runway show, held earlier this evening, Acne Studios continued a tradition of collaborating with artists on its show sets: following Jonathan Lyndon Chase and Lukas Gschwandtner is Brooklyn-based artist Pacifico Silano, whose work zooms in on 1970s and 1980s queer erotica and ephemera. These images decorated the 13th-century Gothic church Collège des Bernardins, which Acne Studios refitted to recall a ‘cigar salon’ for the show. ‘I really like to think of photographs as objects of desire, I’m always considering how they can take up physical space,’ Silano told Orla Brennan in a preview – read their whole conversation below.

READ: Acne Studios’ cigar salon runway set is decorated with Pacifico Silano’s homoerotic ‘objects of desire’

Unpacking Jonathan Anderson’s audacious Dior debut, which recoded the house’s archive

At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson was as much a cultural curator as he was a clothing designer. At Dior, the Parisian house where he presented his debut womenswear collection this afternoon, he looks to be forging a similar path. Entering the purpose-built showspace, guests were greeted by an inverted pyramid protruding from the ceiling – not unlike modernist architect I.M. Pei’s audacious entranceway for the Louvre, just a short walk away across the Jardin de Tulleries – which a card left on each attendee’s seat credited to the Italian film director Luca Guadagnino and production designer Stefano Baisi (Anderson worked with both on Queer as the 2024 movie’s costume designer; here, they were responsible for ‘scenography’).

As the show began, the pyramid transformed into a screen for a specially commissioned film by British director Adam Curtis, best known for his documentaries on individualism, power, and the collapse of 20th-century ideologies, including The Century of the Self, HyperNormalisation, and the recent 2025 series Shifty, which examined late-20th-century Britain under Conservative rule. Collaging archival footage in his atmospheric style, the short film gathered moments from the house’s near-eight-decade-long history, from clips of Christian Dior himself to collections from the designers at the house who followed, including John Galliano and Maria Grazia Chiuri, which flashed across the screens at the show’s start (interspersed horror movie scenes lent the feeling of anxiety which pulsates through Curtis’ work).

Continue reading Wallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss’ report of the show here.

Zara drafts 50 creatives to create 50 objects to celebrate five decades in business

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This year, Zara celebrates five decades in business, a milestone it has marked by drafting 50 creatives – spanning disciplines from fashion to photography, design to art – to create 50 unique objects which will go on sale in limited-edition numbers. Last night, Wallpaper* got a closer look at the anniversary collection in Paris ahead of its October 6 release. Highlights included a colourful sleeping bag by David Sims, a desk lamp by Paolo Roversi, a fluffy ‘conversation island’ by Rosalía, Sterling Ruby plates, a set of bags by David Chipperfield, and a ‘poetically pink’ surfboard by Pierpaolo Piccioli. Proceeds from the collection will go to Women's Earth Alliance, as well as 50 donations to each participant’s chosen charity. Jack Moss

READ: 50 creatives for 50 years: Zara toasts five decades with an exclusive collection by a star-studded list of designers

Catch up on Paris Fashion Week’s best shows so far

One of the busiest Paris Fashion Weeks in some years is well underway, with numerous big-name debuts unfolding in the French capital throughout this week (and into early next). The most talked-about moment so far came yesterday with Jonathan Anderson’s triumphant first womenswear collection for Dior. Preceded by a special film by British documentary maker Adam Curtis, it saw the Northern Irish designer cleverly reconfigure the house’s archive – including the Bar suit – in a series of imaginative silhouettes that played with ideas of fantasy and reality. Earlier in the week, Nicolas Ghesquière explored the ‘ultimate luxury of dressing for oneself’ in a collection for Louis Vuitton that took place at the summer apartments of Anne of Austria at the Louvre, while Julian Klausner’s sophomore womenswear collection for Dries Van Noten, presenting a bold collage of colour and pattern, shuffling flowers, polka dots and stripes into a wardrobe of freshness and play. ‘There were no signs of the tricky second album here,’ wrote Wallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss. Catch up on the best shows of Paris Fashion Week below. Orla Brennan

READ: The standout shows of Paris Fashion Week S/S 2026 – as they happen

A closer look at Jonathan Anderson’s S/S 2026 collection for Dior

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A closer look at Jonathan Anderson’s first womenswear outing for Dior, which was shown yesterday in Paris (we took a second look at a resee this afternoon). Travelling through the house’s 80-year history, the ex-Loewe designer presented an expressive wardrobe that layered ideas of fantasy and reality. Riffs on archival silhouettes met his typically idiosyncratic flourishes, from a back-to-front take on a naval jacket to bunny-eared stilettos and bows latticed through the hemline of lustrous satin dresses. Accessories, meanwhile, saw Anderson have fun with Dior’s signatures, such as the Lady Dior bag softened into a suede bowling bag, or pointed pumps set with a gold ‘C’ and ’D’ on either foot. Close up, there was something in Anderson’s new dressing up box for everyone. Orla Brennan

A new Paris exhibition presents a journey into Virgil Abloh’s archive

This week at the Grand Palais, a new exhibition tells the story of Virgil Abloh’s boundary-collapsing career through 1000 objects and designs. Brought to life by Nike and The Virgil Abloh Archive, it assembles many of the Off-White and Louis Vuitton designer’s most significant works, spanning two decades and his prismatic disciplines (fashion, footwear, architecture, music, industrial design, painting, sculpture, printed matter and advertising all feature).

The display opened on the designer’s birthday, September 30 (when he would have turned 45), and will run throughout Paris Fashion Week alongside a programme of events, workshops, and DJ sets hosted by the visionary’s wider creative community. ‘I could only imagine debuting this in Paris, Virgil's second home,’ said the late designer’s wife, Shannon Abloh, who has led The Virgil Abloh Archive since 2021. ‘This offers an invitation to the world to engage and build upon his ideas.’ Orla Brennan

READ: Inside the Paris exhibition cataloguing over 20,000 objects from Virgil Abloh’s archive.

At Rabanne, Julien Dossena conjures a tropical escape

This season, Julien Dossena cast his gaze toward a tropical escape. Starting by looking at bathing suit shapes of the 1950s, the French designer’s S/S 2026 collection for Rabanne explored swimwear materiality through an acid trip of colours, textures and patterns. In some looks, decorative bikini tops appeared on their own or poked out beneath cut-out dresses with peplum ruffled hems, while elsewhere, body-hugging wetsuits were referenced in neoprene trousers that zipped open at the calf. Expressive modes of evening dressing on holiday came in Hawaiian shirts, sparkling scoop-neck dresses made from thousands of strands of metal, and voluminous satin A-Line skirts worn with oversized fabric belts. It was, said the house, about ‘the yearning for a hopeful horizon’ – in other words, the dream of a sunny paradise when everyday life feels heavy. Orla Brennan

Rick Owens continues to explore his ‘Temple of Love’

A typically cinematic outing from Rick Owens took place this evening on the forecourt of the Palais de Tokyo, seeing models descend a vast staircase and into the pool of water below – an echo of the designer’s menswear presentation held earlier this year. Like that collection, Owens once again drew inspiration from the process of putting together his ongoing retrospective at the Palais Galliera, ‘Temple of Love’ (it opened the day of the menswear show, and continues until January). ‘A retrospective summons up thoughts of tenacity, peaking and decline and I relished leaning into that,’ he said today, informing a collection of ‘glamour and bluntness’ he tracks to the early years of the label on Hollywood Boulevard. Jack Moss

Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez’s Loewe debut channels the ‘elemental colour’ of Ellsworth Kelly

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This morning, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez presented their debut collection for Loewe in a specially constructed white box constructed in the manicured grounds of Parc Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris. Hung at the show’s entrance, the only clue about what to expect next was a yellow and red abstract masterpiece by American artist Ellsworth Kelly, painted in 1989. Set to a pulsating soundtrack, the collection that followed channelled Kelly’s hard-edge, technicolour minimalism into clothes that celebrated the materiality of craft. A storyline of vivid colour and stripes ran throughout; some shapes were sharp and architectural, such as mini-dresses in rigid leather that held their shape away from the body, while others took on an animated movement, such as tasselled skirts that swished energetically as models walked. The chromatic intensity of Kelly’s work was felt most in asymmetrical handkerchief dresses that layered block colours of orange, red, and yellow. There was plenty of the easy, New York cool that defined McCollough and Hernandez’ tenure at Proenza too, but twisted with a Loewe wit brought to the house by their predecessor Jonathan Anderson – such as straight-leg jeans worn with jumpers tied over models’ bare chests and frill-edged hotpants paired with 1980s-inflected windbreakers. A bold new start for the house, it was a display rooted in ‘rigour, fearlessness, and a coherent personal ideology,’ the pair said following the show. ‘For us, creativity is the only way forward.’ Orla Brennan

A closer look at Issey Miyake’s set, featuring a makeshift orchestra by artist Tarek Atoui

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Issey Miyake’s recent shows have felt more like immersive theatre than traditional runway displays, and today was no exception. At the Pompidou Centre, Satoshi Kondo enlisted Lebanese artist and composer Tarek Atoui – who crafts instruments from found objects – to set the stage for his S/S 2026 collection. A makeshift orchestra of stone wells, polished wood blocks, and strings fashioned from Issey Miyake garments created an eerie yet beautiful sonic backdrop for a display that granted the clothes a ‘will of their own’. Arriving through the museum in a parade of topsy-turvy silhouettes, wardrobe staples like polos, shirts, and suit trousers were exaggerated into uncanny forms that invited us to see the powerful life within the garments themselves. Orla Brennan

Matthieu Blazy drops clues about his Chanel debut

What to expect at Matthieu Blazy’s forthcoming Chanel debut has made for one of the most talked-about topics of the S/S 2026 season. So far, the designer has given little away about his first collection – set to take place on Monday evening in the Grand Palais, where the house has long staged its runways – though he has stoked intrigue with a few clues this week. The first came by way of his show invitation, a delicate necklace with a tiny house pendant emblazoned with Chanel’s interlocking C logo; the second, posted this morning on Instagram, a portrait of an unnamed woman photographed from behind, plumes of feathered earrings protruding from a choppy French bob. The shot is by photographic master David Bailey, who helped define the fashion image of the 1960s with his animated black-and-white portraits of London’s leading style figures and musicians. Blazy arrives at Chanel from Bottega Veneta, a role he left in December, succeeding Virginie Viard, who served as creative director for six years and was part of the Chanel team for over three decades. What new direction he’ll bring to the house’s century-long codes remains to be seen, but if his recent hints are anything to go by, his debut promises to marry Chanel’s heritage with the sharp, forward-looking ideas that has made him one of fashion’s most exciting designers. Orla Brennan

Pieter Mulier presents ‘reduced, sculptural’ collection for Alaïa

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This season, Pieter Mulier shifted to the ready-to-wear schedule to show his latest Alaïa collection – typically, the house shows during haute couture week or away from the regular fashion calendar entirely. For the moment, Mulier took over La Fondation Cartier, which saw an enormous screen installed on the runway playing footage of his coterie of model muses, reflected onto a mirrored ceiling as if stuck in a digital loop. ‘Continuum is radical – this collection is an evolution of last season, which in turn builds on the one previous,’ he said in a letter distributed prior to the show. ‘This collection is reduced, sculptural. Precise. Yet there is also an extremity to it, in heightened colours, bold shapes. Uncompromising.’ Indeed, Mulier mined the body-contouring codes of the house with a series of dramatic flourishes – from boldly coloured tassels to dropped pannier waistlines. As ever, the effect was breathtaking. Jack Moss

Glenn Martens stages Maison Margiela debut with music school orchestra

Watching Glenn Martens’ ready-to-wear debut for Maison Margiela (the designer showed his first couture collection in July), it was hard not to think of the show the brand’s namesake, Martin Margiela, famously held 1989. Staged in a playground on the outskirts of Paris, it saw children run around models’ legs, breaking formal ideas of what a fashion show could be. Martens, too, chose a place of community gathering – the Centquatre-Paris cultural centre in the north of the city – enlisting an orchestra of 60 music school students from Romilly-sur-Seine to provide a live soundtrack for the collection. Through the space, which was cloaked in the maison’s signature white fabric, Martens’ wardrobe merged the awkward sensuality he established at Y/Project with the undone dress codes of Maison Margiela. Perhaps less of an elegant vision than that of his predecessor John Galliano – models walked with gumguards that held their mouths open in the shape of the house’s signature four-stitch logo – but not less intriguing, and certainly firmly grounded in the label’s codes of deconstruction, modernity, and freedom. It was, said the brand, ‘a series of concepts and proposals for real life.’ Orla Brennan

At Hermès, Nadège Vanhée explores a ‘free-spirited equestrienne’s wardrobe’

Shown at La Garde Républicaine in Paris this afternoon, Nadège Vanhée’s latest collection for Hermès took inspiration from the Camargue marshlands, imagining the emboldened spirit of an ‘emancipated horsewoman’ as her protagonist. Using the art of saddle-making as a starting point, quilted linen, hand-waxed leather and harness details met fluid silhouettes and sun-bleached tones, such as silken sculptural tops and equestrian jackets worn over asymmetrical skirts. Honouring generations of women and the house’s 180-year history, the collection, said Vanhée, was intended to evoke a feeling that was ‘wild, bright and free.’ Orla Brennan

Pierpaolo Piccioli makes heart-racing debut for Balenciaga at Kering HQ

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The invitation to Pierpaolo Piccioli’s debut for Balenciaga came via a cassette tape that didn’t play music, but the sound of a heartbeat. The show that followed, also titled ‘Heartbeat’, was staged last night at Kering’s headquarters in Paris. Following the subversively experimental years of Demna (who now helms Gucci), opening looks saw the Italian designer bring the house’s codes back to an essential kind of elegance – one that directly referenced the trapeze designs of the house’s founder Cristóbal Balenciaga. Piccioli, however, avoided nostalgia, offering a modern – and palpably sexier look than his collections at Valentino – opening vision for the house. Expressed in a femme fatale palette of black, cream and red, skinny tailoring was worn with languid tops of 1970s feel, while a skin-baring theme came in decollete-plunging architectural leather jackets and low-slung waistlines. Elsewhere, everyday shirting and jersey took dramatic train-trailing forms, worn with crimson leather opera gloves and bug-eyed sunglasses – a nod, no doubt, to Demna. Orla Brennan

Michael Rider looks to ‘good times’ and ‘lightness’ in first ready-to-wear runway for Celine

In July, Michael Rider won the hearts of editors (and gained plenty of new fans on the fashion internet) with his debut for Celine; a resort collection that refracted his own ideas of timeless dress through the prism of predecessors Hedi Slimane, Phoebe Philo, and the brand’s distinctly Parisian codes. ‘We saw this collection as a continuation, as if the July show never really ended,’ said the American designer of his first ready-to-wear outing, which took place this afternoon in the gardens of a St Cloud estate on the outskirts of Paris. Riding the high of the summer, a storyline of silk scarves – a theme in of the resort collection – came in lustrously patterned skirts, longline tops and boldly-hued handkerchief accessories, the colours of which were echoed in scrunched ultra-short skirts and sleek polo long-sleeves that recalled 2010s modes of dressing. Elsewhere, wardrobe classics – from suiting, to tuxedos and trench coats – were cut to take on a fresh, presence-commanding volume. ‘We were thinking about good times, about lightness, and about summer heat,’ said the designer of the confident display. ‘About things that last, and things that are just a moment.’ Orla Brennan

For his bold debut, Duran Lantink ‘Duranifies’ Jean Paul Gaultier signatures

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It was the penultimate debut of fashion week – only Matthieu Blazy, who will show his first collection for Chanel tomorrow evening, remains. Taking place in the bunker-like basement of the Musée du Quai Branly, buzzy Dutch designer Duran Lantink – who has currently put his LVMH Prize-winning eponymous label on pause – presented an energetic debut collection for Jean Paul Gaultier, the first creative director at the house since the eponymous designer’s departure in 2020 (in the years between, a series of guest designers have presented couture collections for the brand). Known for his playful exaggerated and sculpted silhouettes – which warp the body to almost cartoonish effect – Lantink brought his distinct eye to the Gaultier archive in what he called a ‘Duranification’ of house signatures, from Breton stripes and sailor hats to Trompe l’oeil and tattoo prints. Inspiration came from the liberated spirit of the younger Jean Paul Gaultier ‘Junior’ line, which ran from 1988-1994, as well as images from Amsterdam nightclub RoXY taken by Cleo Camper in 1988. ‘RoXY was sweaty, debaucherous, anarchic, stylish in the most careless way,’ said Lantink – a description which could well describe this collection, which also featured bum-bearing silhouettes and trompe l’oeil prints of naked bodies. Jack Moss

The invitation to Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel debut this evening

The day is finally here – this evening at 8pm Paris time, Matthieu Blazy will present his first collection for Chanel. Anticipation has been fervent since the appointment was announced last December, with only a handful of clues as to what to expect: a series of David Bailey-shot teaser images, the announcement of Ayo Edebiri as brand ambassador yesterday, and the invitation for the show, which was delivered to attendees this week. Comprising a necklace adorned with a tiny charm of a house – itself adorned with the signature double-C monogram – when you squint through its tiny window, the show’s date is written in a font barely visible to the naked eye. The show will take place at Paris’ Grand Palais. Jack Moss

A first look at the Miu Miu show set, which features colourful formica tables for seating

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Fashion shows can be formal affairs – especially in Paris, the home of many of the industry’s oldest houses. This afternoon’s Miu Miu show set is a reminder that not everything need be so serious. Rather than seats, guests are met with rows of colourful formica tables, as if hopping on kitchen countertops upon arriving home from school. Shown at the Palais d’Iéna, the collection will look to documentary photographers Dorothea Lange and Helga Paris, exploring ideas of womanhood in the multifaceted context of work; ‘Work as an expression of effort. Work as a symbol of care and love. Work as a reflection of independence, a means of agency.’ Orla Brennan

Thom Browne brings alien invasion to Paris

It was an alien invasion at Thom Browne, a suitably surreal way to spend the tail end of fashion month (save for a handful of smaller shows on Tuesday, Chanel marks the end of Paris Fashion Week this evening). Beginning with gleaming silver ‘aliens’ distributing cards to the audience that read ‘We come in peace’, the collection that followed saw Thom Browne signatures – namely, a play on the label’s classic tailoring in increasingly theatrical proportions – worn with glittering alien helmets. Ending with ‘Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft’ by The Carpenters, Browne said that the collection explored ‘the edge between the ordinary and the outer limits’. It was impossible not raise to raise a smile. Jack Moss

Matthieu Blazy’s debut Chanel show set takes the Grand Palais to outer space

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What kind of spectacle Blazy might bring to the Grand Palais – the historic home of Chanel’s shows – has been the subject of much speculation in recent months. The wait is now over. The former Bottega Veneta designer has suspended a solar system of colourful planets from the building’s vast glass ceilings, while a glossy black tiled floor below mirrors the stars of the night sky. Stay tuned for more from Blazy’s landmark debut. Orla Brennan

A first look at Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel debut

Matthieu Blazy’s first collection for Chanel was staged amid a solar system of enormous glowing planets within the Grand Palais. It saw a melding of masculine tropes – including a rare collaboration with Parisian shirtmaker Charvet – with an expressive femininity, from dramatic feather skirts and hats to flowers which bloomed from the sleeves and hems of tailoring. Meanwhile, riffs on the tweed suit featured throughout, appearing to unravel at their edges, while a dropped waistline recalled the liberated line of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s pioneering jersey dresses. Jack Moss

‘I just wanted to have fun’: Matthieu Blazy makes a joyful Chanel debut

The invitation for Matthieu Blazy’s debut runway show for Chanel was a necklace: on it, a tiny silver charm shaped like a house and engraved with Chanel’s double-C emblem. When you peered through its front window, the time and address of the show were there in minuscule letters – barely visible to the naked eye.

Chanel itself is a house, but a big one. Its revenue in 2024 was close to 19 billion dollars, and that in itself was a drop from the year prior due to market conditions (the value of the company is several billion dollars more). Known far beyond the closed circle of fashion, you might not own a Chanel jacket or a 2.55 handbag, but you have likely worn its perfume or make-up – you might have even taken its name for a child or a pet.

Chanel is also the house of Karl Lagerfeld – a towering figure who himself transcended fashion to become a household name – and before that, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel. Stripping away what Janet Flanner in a 1931 issue of the New Yorker called the ‘gussets, garters, corsets, whalebones, plackets, false hair, and brassières’ of turn-of-the-century women’s dress, the French couturier would liberate the body and stage a fashion revolution.

Continue reading Wallpaper* fashion feature editor Jack Moss’ report of the show here.

Agnès b. marks 50 years in business with special runway show

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While all eyes might have been on Chanel last night, earlier in the evening, there was another celebration of a French fashion institution: Agnès b., the eponymous label of Agnès Andrée Marguerite Troublé, marked 50 years in business with a special runway show. Favouring understatement in her designs, the show – titled ‘Toute Une Histoire’ (‘it’s a long story’) – saw an eclectic cast walk the runway, from a couple in bridal attire to a baby held in a model’s arms, while the French ballet dancer Hugo Marchand closed the show. Interspersed among new designs were pieces from the archive, spanning 1975 to 2018, demonstrating the timeless nature of Trouble’s designs. As is to be expected, her final bow elicited a standing ovation – a testament that amid all of this newness, there are plenty of designers with staying power. Jack Moss