Paris Fashion Week Highlights from Autumn/Winter 2026 Shows
Jonathan Anderson’s talked-about Dior debut and other buzz
Paris Fashion Week arrives twice a year in its full splendor: in March for the autumn/winter collections, and in September and October for the spring collections. In between these are the menswear shows and haute couture shows, but it’s these two weeks that are the culmination of what insiders call “fashion month.” Following New York, London, and Milan fashion weeks, Paris is the grand finale, and it is irrefutably the most important fashion week of all the cities. This March proved to be no different.
In addition to a whirlwind calendar full of designer showings, there was the third annual Grand Dîner du Louvre, comparable to the Paris version of the MET Gala in New York. This year’s event raised over €1.6 million for heritage preservation. The charity gala is invitation-only and supports the Louvre’s collections. It wasn’t just celebrities and fashionistas at the gala. This year, after the Winter Olympics in Milan, the glamorous event welcomed Olympians such as Eileen Gu, the Chinese-American Olympic freestyle skier who has won multiple Olympic medals. Gu is also a fashion week regular and an ambassador for Louis Vuitton. The decorated skier has been featured in LV campaigns.
Paris Fashion Week recently concluded and was met with a flurry of excitement over new collections. Here are some of the top highlights from the week.
Dior
Arguably one of the buzziest shows of this season was Dior’s. It was the debut of Dior’s new creative director, Jonathan Anderson, who was previously at Loewe. Anderson’s first collection for the house focused on volume and whimsical details for the show, which felt quintessentially Parisian, right down to the invitations. The invitation for the Dior show included little green chairs, like the kinds seen in Jardin des Tuileries, where the collection was staged. Fashion show invitations to Paris Fashion Week are not just invitations; they are brand statements and a harbinger of the fun to come on the runway.
Lily pad-inspired shoes and voluminous skirts full of excess and frills marked a new era at Dior: the Anderson era. Fittingly, the collection was staged outdoors at the Jardin des Tuileries.
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While Anderson may be from Northern Ireland, his debut Dior collection felt positively Parisian in every way: excellence in execution, attention to detail, a style that begs to be copied, and word-of-mouth buzz that had visitors––and shoppers––returning for more.
Chanel
French-Belgian designer Matthieu Blazy is, like Anderson, another hot name in fashion right now. Blazy is the new creative director of storied house Chanel. Blazy made his Chanel debut in January for the house’s first haute couture show of the year. For the fall/winter collection, Blazy did not disappoint. The designer played with bold colors and loose silhouettes, emphasizing the voluminous trend that shows no sign of stopping. He also styled the classic Chanel blazer look with new interpretations, and pops of bright color with fabulous accessories heralding the idea of maximalism. Preppy and playful looks abounded at Blazy’s show inside the Grand Palais, and celebrities turned out in droves for the collection.
Saint Laurent
Lace is having a moment – there is no doubt about that. Perhaps this resurgence of an obsession with lace coincides with the newfound raciness seen in this year’s most-watched television shows, like Heated Rivalry and the new season of Bridgerton, two hugely popular programs which feature provocative intimate moments and romance with the same casualness as the cast of Friends sitting in Central Perk coffee shop on the sofa. That is to say: in some ways, we’ve never been a more sexually forward culture than we are now, and fashion reflects that. Enter, Saint Laurent.
Over at Saint Laurent, lacy looks once traditionally reserved for bedroom moments are finding their way on designer catwalks, and soon, on sidewalks in fashionable cities around the world. While some may clutch their pearls aghast at such looks, this fashion writer is here for it. Fashion is meant to be fun, playful, and to push the limits. Our clothing helps us play a part, and some people may need a little more help getting in touch with their flirty side. Don’t despair; Saint Laurent is here to help.
Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney is from England, but she is no stranger to Paris Fashion Week. While her autumn/winter collection last year featured 1980s vibes, this year, the designer leaned into the Year of the Horse. McCartney’s latest collection featured real, live horses and was staged at an equestrian venue in the Bois de Boulogne area of the city. The designer is a noted vegan and proponent of animal rights; her latest staging was meant to emphasize that animals can enhance fashion and be celebrated in the fashion world, rather than exploited. Notably, McCartney does not use any leather, fur, or feathers in her pieces.
Even the house’s social media caption about the collection championed this idea, saying of the latest looks: “The Winter 2026 collection features deadstock fabric, forest-friendly viscose and RWS wool from traceable and trusted sources. Over one billion animals die Annually for their fur and skins. As always this collection is free from leather, feathers, fur, and exotic skins and is 100% cruelty-free.”
McCartney’s latest collection featured sparkles, bold dresses, and mega-glam silhouettes. Endearingly, one look from the collection was a shirt that read: “My dad is a rock star.” (McCartney’s father is Beatles legend Paul McCartney.)
Matières Fécales
Matières Fécales is one of the most unusual and spellbinding new designers in Paris. You may be able to tell from the designer’s name alone that this is a provocative and playful brand. Matières Fécales (“fecal matter,” in English) is the brainchild of designers Hannah Rose Dalton and Steven Raj Bhaskaran.
The brand formally entered the Paris Fashion Week scene in March 2025, after its acceptance into the Dover Street Market Paris incubator helped them produce their debut runway collection. I was fortunate to attend the brand’s inaugural PFW show at Hôtel Le Marois last year, at which iconic designer Rick Owens also attended to lend his support. Since then, the brand has continued to grow and play. Matières Fécales not only counts Rick Owens as a famous champion, but it also has fans in celebrities like Chappell Roan, FKA Twigs, and Lady Gaga. Matières Fécales excels at the idea of “fashion as performance,” and their latest collection highlighted that theme.
Miu Miu
Towards the end of the week, Miu Miu finished fashion week strong with a gorgeous collection from creative director and founder Miuccia Prada. The house’s name, “Miu Miu,” comes from Miuccia’s childhood nickname, and that playful energy frequently reverberates through the house’s collections. While Miu Miu is a Prada affiliate, it is regarded as the sillier and more subversive little sister of sorts to the more grown-up Prada.
Closing out this year’s show was Sex Education star Gillian Anderson, who wore a gorgeous sheer-golden gown with detailed embellishment. Anderson was an “It Girl” in the 90s as the star of The X-Files, and the latest collection leaned heavily into the ongoing “90s revival” in fashion with silhouettes. In particular, the dress cuts from the latest collection will feel familiar to anyone who shopped at a department store in the 90s. Hats were also featured heavily on the Miu Miu runway, adding to its sense of fun.
Other Notable Shows
Other notable shows from Paris Fashion Week included Sarah Burton’s Givenchy collection, Vivienne Westwood’s playful looks, Lebanon’s Georges Hobeika’s iconic glamorous dresses, and Louis Vuitton’s latest, which, like Andersons’s Dior, focused on the outdoors and nature for inspiration. The Vuitton show from Nicolas Ghesquière transformed the Cour Carrée of the Louvre into an alpine-inspired outdoor-like extravaganza.
Lead photo credit : Fashion in Paris. Photo credit: Unsplash
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