The 5 best moments of Paris Fashion Week FW26 Fashion month is finally over

After kicking off with menswear week in January, we can finally say that, after two very long months, an Olympics and even a war in between, the fashion season dedicated to the FW26 collections has officially come to an end. Closing the circle, as always, was Paris Fashion Week, which according to the official calendar featured 68 shows and 31 presentations. A schedule perhaps a little underwhelming compared to past seasons, and certainly more focused on quantity rather than quality. Despite that, however, there were a few moments that truly managed to capture the attention of the entire fashion system: here are the five best moments of Paris Fashion Week FW26.

LV’s crazy hats

Who would have thought that Nicolas Ghesquière would rediscover his creative flair at Louis Vuitton? The Franco-Belgian designer, after more than a decade of shaping an image that was often perceived as somewhat tedious for the Maison, proved during his latest show that he can still surprise. On the runway appeared ironic and theatrical silhouettes, accompanied by a series of headpieces that felt quite unusual for LV. Among them were a 2026 version of the traditional Dutch bonnets, but also hats with an almost architectural structure, resembling small gazebos, and cone-shaped hoods vaguely reminiscent of Pinocchio’s hat.

Sarah Burton is a worthy heir to Lee McQueen (and Hubert de Givenchy)

If her debut didn’t fully convince everyone, the second collection by Sarah Burton for Givenchy left little doubt that the British designer is a worthy heir to her mentor. The Parisian Maison’s FW26 was an almost impeccable exercise in tailoring, built on strict proportions and an exceptional attention to garment construction. On the runway we saw pinstripe double-breasted suits, coats with an hourglass silhouette and draped dresses crafted with almost sculptural precision. The shark boots also made their return, this time reintroduced in a thigh-high version, capable of making every look extremely sensual while still covering the entire length of the models’ legs.

Courrèges and the ghost bag

This season Nicolas Di Felice decided to bring something to the runway that seemed almost impossible: the thinnest bag ever made. That’s how the Courrèges Shadow bag was born, an accessory that at first glance appears completely flat. Viewed from the front or from the side it almost looks nonexistent, as if it had been pressed between two surfaces. The trick, however, lies in the construction. The bag is made of stretch jersey coated in leather, an elastic material that allows you to slip a surprising amount of items inside without significantly altering its shape.

Celine’s security

For Michael Rider’s second collection, the Celine show began even before the models stepped onto the runway. What caught guests’ attention was the security team, stationed at the entrance and around the show space with a detail that was anything but random. At first glance they could easily have been mistaken for models, but the security staff were wearing a series of ties from the Maison. The ties ranged from more playful prints featuring pianos and dogs, to more classic versions embellished with crochet work.

Julian Klausner doesn’t miss

And if we’re talking about worthy heirs, we can’t fail to mention the enfant prodige of the new generation of designers, Julian Klausner. Season after season, across both womenswear and menswear, he continues to convince the entire fashion system that after Dries he was the only one who could preserve the Maison’s codes while still managing to modernize the brand. According to the designer himself, the collection is «a celebration of transformation, of the silent yet powerful dialogue between past and future». A leitmotif that emerges especially in the use of materials and in the details of the final looks of the show, where the tiles become the true protagonists.