FASHIONmode 109 - ´Paris Couture A/W 2026 Review´

Paris Haute Couture Week has entered a striking new era.

Once defined primarily by tradition and ceremony, the schedule has been revitalised by a wave of major creative appointments and ambitious first collections.

Following the January couture debuts of Matteo Blasi at Chanel and Jonathan Anderson at Dior, the AW2026 season introduced two further arrivals, Pier Paolo Picchioli at Balenciaga and Duran Nantick at Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Each designer approached couture as a living, evolving discipline rather than a museum piece.

Built upon the exacting principles of garments created by hand for an individual client, often involving thousands of hours of specialist craftsmanship, the collections brought fresh reverence to the form.

Sculptural shapes, technical construction and dramatical proportions dominated, whilst Balenciaga's presentation was distinguished by an expressive and inhibited exploration of colour.

Reporting from Paris, we examined the collections that shaped the Autumn-Winter 2026 collections, including Blasi's dreamlike vision for Chanel, Anderson's Linda Bengelis-influenced Dior collection, and an assured Paris debut from London-based label Standing Ground.