5 things to expect from Paris Haute Couture Week SS27 From exciting debuts to highly anticipated returns
The Paris Haute Couture Week officially kicks off today, marking the most anticipated event on the calendar for fashion enthusiasts and industry insiders alike. More than any other fashion week, this is not an event designed to win over the general public, but rather the true driving force behind haute couture: the VICs (Very Important Clients), the exclusive clientele who continue to sustain a market built on savoir-faire, exceptional craftsmanship and desire. Opening the week is Schiaparelli by Daniel Roseberry, now one of the season's most eagerly awaited and spectacular shows, while the first day will conclude with the unexpected appearance of Standing Ground. The schedule also features Matthieu Blazy's second couture outing for Chanel, Jonathan Anderson's second collection for Dior, Pierpaolo Piccioli's highly anticipated debut at Balenciaga, and the return of the maisons that have become defining names on the Haute Couture calendar in recent years, including the "new" Giorgio Armani Privé under the creative direction of Silvana Armani. One thing is certain: this season promises plenty of memorable moments.
Here are five things to expect from Paris Haute Couture Week FW 2026-2027.
The return of Balenciaga
Balenciaga officially returns to the Haute Couture calendar with the debut of Pierpaolo Piccioli. The maison rejoins the schedule as a Guest House after several years away, following its last couture collection, which was designed by Demna. While Piccioli's first ready-to-wear collections have inevitably sparked debate, with critics pointing to a creative vision still taking shape and the weight of an exceptionally demanding legacy, Haute Couture may well be the arena where the Italian designer feels most at home.
After all, throughout his career, the line between couture and ready-to-wear has always been remarkably fluid. During his years at Valentino, he established himself as a master of volume, impeccable tailoring and sculptural silhouettes deeply rooted in the legacy of Cristóbal Balenciaga. Now, all eyes are on whether his debut will mark the beginning of a compelling new poetic vision for the house.
The omnipresence of Chanel and Dior
Between Matthieu Blazy and Jonathan Anderson, the schedule leaves little room to catch one's breath. Fresh off their recent ready-to-wear and Resort collections for Chanel and Dior respectively, both designers are already back on the runway with two of the week's most highly anticipated shows. While it's impossible not to feel a certain sense of fashion fatigue, it's equally undeniable that the two creative directors are reshaping the language of their respective maisons.
Drawing on nature-inspired imagery, floral references, dreamlike atmospheres and silhouettes that transform models into modern-day nymphs, Blazy and Anderson are proving that today a collection is built not only through the clothes themselves, but through an entire creative universe of materials, craftsmanship, set design and storytelling. The price of success may be high, but the results remain among the most compelling in contemporary fashion.
Jean Paul Gaultier ushers in a new era
After years of experimentation and transition, Jean Paul Gaultier is officially turning the page on its Guest Designer era. Following collaborations with Chitose Abe, Glenn Martens, Olivier Rousteing, Haider Ackermann, Simone Rocha and Ludovic de Saint Sernin, the maison appointed Duran Lantink as its new creative director. This season marks his third runway outing for the house. After a debut that divided critics and a second collection that received a far warmer response, the Dutch designer is now expected to consolidate his vision and prove that Jean Paul Gaultier's new chapter can finally find its footing after years of creative uncertainty.
Standing Ground is the name to watch
Among the most exciting newcomers of this Couture Week is Standing Ground, the label founded by Irish designer Michael Stewart, which is making its official debut on the Paris Haute Couture calendar. His journey has been anything but conventional. For years, Stewart continued to work independently, producing almost every garment himself while attracting little attention from the wider fashion industry. As he told Vogue, he jokingly referred to his creations as bedroom couture, garments painstakingly crafted in his own bedroom. That perseverance has finally been rewarded with a place on fashion's most prestigious stage. The question now is whether the brand's monumental minimalism will win over not only critics, but also the clientele that continues to define the success of a couture house.
Rahul Mishra, Manish Malhotra and Robert Wun
The Indian craze continues to gain momentum on the Haute Couture runways. Rahul Mishra has become a fixture on the official calendar and, since making his debut in 2020, has redefined the dialogue between Haute Couture and Indian craftsmanship, turning embroidery, traditional techniques and sustainability into a creative language recognised around the world. This season also marks Manish Malhotra's debut as a Guest House. After building a legendary career in Bollywood's film industry, the designer finally arrives on the Paris couture scene, bringing with him an aesthetic defined by opulence and savoir-faire.
Alongside them returns one of the most celebrated names on the scene: Robert Wun, the most original voice of the new generation, whose collections transform garments into visual narratives, giving shape to emotion, memory and theatricality through silhouettes that seem to exist far beyond the body that wears them. In short, if couture continues to be the place where dreams meet savoir-faire, this season promises to remind us once again why Paris remains its greatest stage.
