Paris Fashion Week Opens With Big Debuts, Political Reflections and a Tribute to Armani

The Spring-Summer 2026 womenswear shows opened in Paris on Monday with a mix of high drama, emotional tributes, and keenly awaited debuts from some of the fashion world’s biggest names.

French designer Victor Weinsanto kicked off the week with a Versailles-inspired collection, featuring drag queen Nicky Doll in corset-heavy looks. Belgian newcomer Julie Kegels made her debut in the upscale Passy neighborhood, drawing Spanish pop star Rosalía to the front row. The evening climaxed with a lavish Saint Laurent show at Place du Trocadéro, where models strode past white hydrangeas arranged in the shape of the house’s logo.

Creative director Anthony Vaccarello used his show notes to reflect on the world’s increasingly polarised politics, arguing that luxury fashion could serve as “a form of discourse” rather than a symbol of inequality.

This year’s Paris Fashion Week, following a historic edition in Milan, will see around 10 houses debuting new creative directors. Among the most anticipated: Matthieu Blazy’s first Chanel collection on October 6, seen as a pivotal moment after the Karl Lagerfeld and Virginie Viard eras. Blazy, poached from Bottega Veneta, has so far remained tight-lipped about his vision.

Other debuts include Jonathan Anderson at Dior (October 1), Pierpaolo Piccioli at Balenciaga following Demna’s departure to Gucci, and Dutch designer Duran Lantink presenting his first collection for Jean Paul Gaultier. Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez will also show their first Loewe womenswear line, while Miguel Castro Freitas steps in at Mugler and Mark Thomas at Carven.

The event unfolds against the backdrop of an emotional farewell in Milan, where the fashion world paid tribute to Giorgio Armani, who died earlier this month aged 91. His final collection, originally intended as a 50th anniversary celebration, became a moving homage attended by stars including Cate Blanchett, Glenn Close and Richard Gere.

Meanwhile, Milan highlights included Demna’s Gucci debut, which drew praise, and Louise Trotter’s Bottega Veneta show, hailed by Harrods’ head of fashion buying Simon Longland as “the highlight of the week.”

As Paris prepares for its own defining moments, industry insiders say the second collections of designers like Sarah Burton (Givenchy), Glenn Martens (Maison Margiela), and Haider Ackermann (Tom Ford) will be just as closely watched as the high-profile debuts.

But the fashion world enters this week amid global uncertainty — from slowing Chinese demand to U.S. tariffs on luxury exports — adding financial stakes to what is already one of the most closely watched seasons in years.