Shows by Saint Laurent and Weinsanto kicked off a hotly anticipated Paris Fashion Week on Monday (Sept 29) following a blockbuster celebration in Milan of Giorgio Armani, who died earlier in September.
With Milan Fashion Week wrapped up, attention switched to Paris where the Spring/Summer 2026 season is set to underline the changing of the guard underway in the top ranks of the global luxury clothing industry.
VIPs and fashionistas are all jostling for the hottest ticket in the French capital, Franco-Belgian designer Matthieu Blazy's debut at Chanel, which will take place on the penultimate day on Oct 6.
Monday (Sept 29) began with shows by France's Weinsanto and Belgian designer Julie Kegels, a newcomer who had Spanish singer Rosalia on the front row, while Saint Laurent drew other stars for its big-budget presentation at the Place Du Trocadero.
Many A-listers from Cate Blanchett, Glenn Close to Richard Gere turned out on Sunday (Sept 28) evening for the Giorgio Armani show in Milan, the final collection the Italian designer worked on before his death earlier this month.
It had originally been intended as a celebration of 50 years of Armani's fashion house, but the show became a tribute to the legend, who died on Sept 4, aged 91.
Attention in Paris will be on a new generation of designers taking the reins at major labels, with the sector as a whole banking on the changes to hopefully boost flagging sales.
Around 10 different labels have appointed new creative directors who will make their first appearances this season.
"We're opening a new chapter, not so much for fashion week itself, but for what fashion will be over the next 10 years," Pierre Groppo, fashion editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair magazine in France, said.
Blazy was poached from Kering-owned Italian brand Bottega Veneta to take over at Chanel.
He faces the daunting task of turning the page on Karl Lagerfeld's decades-long dominance of the French powerhouse.
The "Kaiser" defined the hugely profitable brand up to his death in 2019 and was succeeded by his longtime co-worker Virginie Viard, who was seen as a successful continuity candidate.
Blazy, who first caught the eye as a designer at Maison Margiela, has given almost nothing away about his intentions after taking over one of the most sought-after spots in the fashion business in December.
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New era
Another hotly awaited moment in Paris will be Jonathan Anderson's first women's collection for LVMH-owned Dior, on Oct 1, after the Northern Irish designer's well-received debut men's line in June.
Attention will also focus on Pierpaolo Piccioli at Balenciaga, who is succeeding the streetwear-loving Demna, who has switched to struggling Gucci.
The provocative Georgian, who uses one name, went big on the red-carpet glamour with his first collection for Gucci during Milan Fashion Week.
It won praise from Simon Longland, head of fashion buying at upscale London department store Harrods, but he said "without doubt the highlight of the week" was British designer Louise Trotter's first bow at Bottega Veneta.
Dutch designer Duran Lantink will be hoping he can create similar buzz when he sends down models for the first time in Paris for Jean Paul Gaultier.
The week will also see the debut of Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez at Loewe, Miguel Castro Freitas at Mugler and Mark Thomas at Carven.
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Best of the rest
Some major designers will be showing only their second collections – often considered by industry insiders as more meaningful than the debuts.
They include Sarah Burton for Givenchy, Glenn Martens for Maison Margiela and Haider Ackermann for Tom Ford.
Alongside the newcomers will be collections from Louis Vuitton and Hermes, while long-absent labels such as Celine and Thom Browne return.
Victoria Beckham will also unveil her latest designs on October 3, just days before the airing of a new three-part Netflix documentary about the former Spice Girl.
The Paris event comes at a turbulent time for the luxury industry, facing slowing demand in China, US tariffs on exports and uncertainty over the global economy. – AFP
