where has the familiar aesthetics of fashion houses gone?
now dior shoots horrors, and balenciaga dances in lemon tones.
paris fashion week ss26 went down in history as a moment of tectonic shift. about ten leading houses simultaneously presented the debuts of new creative directors. critics have already dubbed the event a "musical chairs game," but behind this metaphor lies a fundamental reassessment of what fashion should be in 2025.balenciaga and pierpaolo piccioli
the most radical turnaround of the season. the house, which became synonymous with dystopian streetwear under demna, has plunged into the soft light of romanticism. black minimalism has been replaced by explosions of purple and lemon-yellow and archival sculptural silhouettes. however, piccioli does not abandon demna's legacy, leaving the characteristic sunglasses as the main leitmotif of the collection.
dior: decoding and recoding
jonathan anderson became the first sole creative director of dior since dior himself, responsible for women's, men's collections, and couture. his debut was the most conceptual of all. the film by director adam curtis, which opened the show, was edited as a horror, with credits asking: "dare you enter the house of dior?", interspersing archival footage with references to hitchcock's "psycho."
sarah burton at givenchy
sarah burton chose a return to basics, to construction and tailoring. she was inspired by the original patterns from hubert de givenchy's debut collection in 1952, discovered hidden in the wall during the building's renovation. in her second collection at the house, burton confidently set the tone for a new era of givenchy, and hollywood stars lined up for her outfits.
glenn martens and maison margiela
after the romantic era of galliano, glenn martens returns the house to its roots: the rough, upcycling aesthetics of the late 80s. in his ss26 collection, we saw wearable conceptuality: jeans, white shirts, leather instead of couture drama. theatricality has not disappeared, but has taken on new forms: a children's orchestra in giant tuxedos, metal braces in the models' mouths. margiela is once again for life, not for the museum.
loewe: from one genius to two
jack mccollough and lazaro hernandez closed their own proenza schouler for the chance to rethink the spanish house. the appointment of the duo is also significant because it breaks the tradition of sole authorship in big houses. their debut ss26 collection, shown in september, was a manifesto of clarity and color. inspired by ellsworth kelly's abstractions, the designers created a collection built on pure geometric shapes and rich shades. the duo proved that loewe, after anderson's departure, remains in reliable hands.
gaultier: the return of the enfant terrible
the scandalous duran lantink at jean paul gaultier is an appointment with a taste of nostalgia for that fashion which was not afraid to be funny, daring, and politically incorrect. the dutch designer, famous for his provocative works (just think of his "vulva pants" for janelle monáe) and collaborations with beyoncé and billie eilish, became the first permanent creative director of the house in five years. lantink's debut collection has already caused a lot of buzz online, meaning he has succeeded in shocking the public.
demna's debut at gucci "la famiglia"
the most talked-about chapter in the chronicles of fashion reshuffles of 2025. demna presented his debut collection for gucci titled la famiglia: a personal declaration of love for italian tradition, but with his signature georgian irony. the show was not a runway but a family portrait, where each model plays a role in the album.
instead of the usual kitsch, we saw warm shades, soft silhouettes, suits with a hint of the old gucci of the 70s. the collection was shot by the legendary catherine opie, and the photos were placed in frames from an old album, where instead of relatives, there was a fashion genealogy.
