Scene Setting: The show was staged some 5.3kms outside of the centre of Paris, as is customary for the designer. Yellow carpeting covered the vast space, running halfway up the walls and under windows and then peeling down. Guests stood in the middle as the sound of Radiohead signalled the start of the show. At the head of the catwalk a smart yellow sun hovered just above the floor bringing to mind Olafur Eliasson’s installation at Tate Modern in 2003. The light channelled an optimistic futurism – somewhere between the dawn in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and the rays setting on a faraway desert.
Mood board: The look was 2000s sci-fi. Models had hands wrapped inside muffs printed with the words: ‘Arrival: the future has begun’ and ‘Solar Youth: they don’t want you to know what you are.’ Long slim coats had ‘RS LAB’ printed on the chest pocket and were worn with metallic high neck tops. Ponchos elongated the line of the body and restricted the arms. A fuzzy coat was laminated down the back; some looks came out smothered in clear plastic.
Finishing touches: Ahead of the show Simons unveiled five iterations of a new ‘Runner’ shoe – an ankle boot with zips up the back and moulded half-trainer heel. News of the project – which will be manufactured solely by Simons rather than with a sports brand – broke a week before via the designer’s Instagram account. The capsule of eight styles will be ‘an investigation of form and function and an exploration of shape, the typical silhouettes of sports sneakers are re-proposed.’ Simons is stepping into the future with a modish, sporty sartorialism.
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The return of Genghis Cohen: LA’s cult Chinese diner lives onThe 1980s Chinese-American landmark returns with red booths, neon nostalgia, and a fresh dose of Hollywood eccentricity
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A monumental exhibition of French design revives the spirit of art deco for contemporary timesThe Galerie des Gobelins hosts the inaugural Salon des Nouveaux Ensembliers, a contemporary movement inspired by art deco’s grand traditions
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Sotheby’s is auctioning Mercedes Gleitze’s Channel-crossing RolexThe historic Rolex that started the sport-watch synergy is going under the hammer, amidst a contemporary boom in sporty-elegant timepieces
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Inside Roger Vivier’s opulent new Paris HQ and archive, a haven for shoe loversWallpaper* takes a tour of ‘Maison Vivier’, an 18th-century hôtel particulier that houses the French shoemaker’s headquarters, studio and archive – an extraordinary collection of over 1,000 pairs of shoes
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The key takeaways from the S/S 2026 shows: freedom, colour and romance define fashion’s new chapterWe unpack the trends and takeaways from the S/S 2026 season, which saw fashion embrace a fresh start with free-spirited collections and a bold exploration of colour and form
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The independent designers you might have missed from fashion month S/S 2026Amid a tidal wave of big-house debuts, we take you through the independent displays that may have slipped through the cracks – from beautiful imagery to bookshop takeovers, museum displays and moves across the pond
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From wearable skincare to scented runways, unpacking the unconventional beauty moments of fashion month S/S 2026The S/S 2026 season featured everything from probiotic-lined athleisure to fragranced runways – and those Maison Margiela mouthguards
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Pierpaolo Piccioli makes Balenciaga debut ‘from a place of love and connection’Attended by Anne Hathaway and Meghan Markle, the ex-Valentino designer’s first runway display for Balenciaga took place within Kering’s Paris headquarters
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Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez make a bold start at Loewe, inspired by Ellsworth Kelly’s ‘elemental colours’The former Proenza Schouler designers presented their debut collection for Loewe this morning, channelling ‘clarity and colour, sensual physicality, and sunniness’
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‘Change is inevitable’: Jonathan Anderson’s first Dior womenswear collection recodes the house’s archiveAn audacious collection from the Northern Irish designer, presented in Paris this afternoon, saw him reconsider the Dior archive in his unwaveringly inventive style
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Acne Studios’ cigar salon runway set is decorated with Pacifico Silano’s homoerotic ‘objects of desire’Brooklyn-based artist Pacifico Silano breaks down his collaboration with Acne Studios, seeing his work – which zooms in on 1970s and 1980s gay erotica – backdrop the brand’s S/S 2026 show today in Paris
