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“It’s raining outside, but we don’t care,” Cardi B said to Dazed at the Rabanne show on Wednesday afternoon. She’s right; it’s been a drizzly start to Paris Fashion Week. It’s also been a strong start, with some buzzy new names, a change of perspective at some houses, and a doubling down on winning formulas for the major players. Here, Vogue Business breaks down the key takeaways from Paris Fashion Week so far.
Brands looked back to look forward
Speaking of rain, Saint Laurent staged not one but two blockbuster shows back-to-back on Tuesday, this time decamping from its usual Eiffel Tower location to the (only partially covered) yard of the brand’s headquarters in rue Bellechasse (where Anthony Vaccarello staged his first show for the house back in 2016). The collection had two major parts, one reminiscent of Yves Saint Laurent’s personal style, with fluid suits and blazers and glasses, the other one with skirts. “It was a collection truly rooted in the heart of the brand,” said Simon Longland, director of buying, fashion, at Harrods.
Although Saint Laurent may not be immune to the wider luxury slowdown, it proved its firepower with a strong collection and a front row that included Gwyneth Paltrow, Justin Theroux, Rosé of Blackpink, Kate Moss, Lauren Hutton and Lenny and Zoë Kravitz. The most-shared moment, however, was the return of Bella Hadid, who walked the runway for the first time since 2023.
On Wednesday, the Dries Van Noten studio showed for the first time since the designer’s retirement in June. The beloved designer sat front row, however, a little hidden, closer to backstage, as he didn’t want his presence to overshadow the work.
Soon after that, Julien Dossena showed another impressive collection for Rabanne to an audience that included Cardi B and Camila Cabello. Celebrities also turned up in mass for the Schiaparelli show on Thursday evening, including Kylie Jenner and Kelly Rutherford on the front row. “It was a powerful and seductive show where choosing highlights was difficult,” says Longland. “The draping, corsetry and exaggerated volumes were my overall standouts.”
Mugler moved slots this season, replacing its usual high-octane night-time show with a pared-back, salon-style show in Paris concert hall Le Trianon on Thursday afternoon, which referenced the Mugler archive more head-on than creative director Casey Cadwallader’s previous work. The show format was a “180” for the brand, Cadwallader told Vogue Business, but the focus was on the clothes this season, as the brand aims to keep scaling its ready-to-wear business, notably key categories like denim, tailoring and menswear, which it launched this year.
Rick Owens returned to Palais de Tokyo on Thursday with a moving show that featured the most diverse cast we have seen so far this season. “I have once again asked all the fashion schools in Paris to send us students and faculty to walk in the show as an expression of unity and reliance on one another. Also included are members of Owenscorp and friends whom I admire for living their aesthetic,” the designer wrote in his show notes. The show also included black-clad figures throwing petals on the runway while perched high atop the building.
Making Paris their own
The bar was also set high for Chemena Kamali’s second outing at Chloé after her first was met with overwhelmingly positive feedback. She sent out another fresh and feminine collection that earned her much applause. In attendance were Sienna Miller, Selma Blair, Diane Kruger and Nicolas Bos, who became CEO of parent company Richemont in June.
“It’s only Chemena’s second show, but she already feels so established; it’s a real success story,” says Héloïse Salessy, fashion editor at Vogue France. “I loved the bloomers, the lingerie, the accessories. I think maybe we’re all a little bit nostalgic at the moment, and the boho trend fits in with that. I’m curious if it will continue in future seasons.”
Scandi mega-label Ganni made the move to Paris on Tuesday, with an off-schedule show straight after Dior. The show featured more elevated, voluminous dresses that we’re used to from Ganni, alongside its signature bright separates and heavy hardware shoes (Copenhagen emerging designer Nicklas Skovgaard and New York designer Claire Sullivan consulted on their design). It’s a big shift for the label, which recently appointed CEO Laura du Rusquec, former deputy CEO at Balenciaga. And with contemporary price points, it’s not the typical on-schedule label at PFW. “We are not trying to be someone; we are not trying to play a luxury game,” Ditte Reffstrup told Vogue Runway’s Laird Borrelli-Persson.
Meanwhile, at Acne Studios, the show space was filled with playful upholstered sculptures by artist Jonathan Lyndon Chase. The collection, dominated by jersey and knitwear, was commercial with some interesting twists.
From boho to ballet: The key emerging trends
The first few days of Paris have continued to deliver on the romanticism we have been seeing so far on the season’s runways. “Delicate lace at Chloé, silk and organza at Dries Van Noten, and chiffon maxi dresses at Saint Laurent have floated down the runway, paying homage to brand heritage in their own distinct way,” says Kate Benson, buying director at Net-a-Porter.
In the spirit of boho, fringing was a key trend for Milan and continues to show up at Paris shows, with designers exploring different iterations beyond suede. From all-black fringed skirts at Dior to fringed zips or belts at Hodakova and colourful fringed coats at Benjamin Benmoyal, we can expect to see the style across the rest of the week.
The Olympics may be over but sport continues to inspire Paris designers. At Cecilie Bahnsen, the designer translated her signature puffy dresses into gorpcore, creating beautiful floral printed and cinched windbreakers, coats and trail shoes as part of a tie-in with The North Face.
At Dior, Italian artist and competitive archer Sagg Napoli shot arrows down the centre of the runway throughout the show. The collection featured ballet-inspired bodysuits paired with track pants, sporty accessories and moto jackets styled with dresses or blazers. From Napoli to the pumping soundtrack, including FKA Twigs’s Eusexua and Charli XCX’s Guess, it was a high-energy show for Dior, LVMH’s second-biggest brand, which had Brigitte Macron among guests.
France’s first lady also attended the Balmain show, which, according to Poppy Lomax, head of superbrands & international designer at Harrods, was “overall great for the Balmain client, full of iconic mini and maxi dresses, as well as skirts with embellished jackets adorned with pearls, embellishments, and gold chains”.
“I love the feeling of female empowerment seen so far, for example, at Saint Laurent and Cecilie Bahnsen, where model casting has included a more diverse range of faces from rugby players to rock climbers,” Benson says.
Elsewhere, balletcore was spotted also making a return. Rising talent Alainpaul made his official schedule debut on Tuesday morning with a strong show of well-cut, ballet-inspired separates and dresses. “Alainpaul is one of the best emerging designers in Paris, he’s definitely one to watch,” says Salessy.
The new generation starts to mature
Alainpaul is one of many emerging names that really kickstarted PFW this season. On Tuesday lunchtime, editors sat to “lunch” at iconic brasserie Terminus Nord for Marie Adam-Leenaerdt’s third show. The Belgian designer drew a much bigger crowd this season, noted global director of Vogue Runway and Vogue Business Nicole Phelps — likely because she was a finalist in the 2024 LVMH Prize.
Then on to LVMH Prize winner Hodakova, who also scaled up dramatically. From a much bigger venue in Pavillon Vendôme (with an impressive guest list of press and buyers) to a much broader collection featuring her signature belt weave accessories in new shades of white and brown.
Rising brand Zomer presented on schedule for the second time this season, which Salessy noted as another highlight. Staged on Wednesday, it was a welcome explosion of colour against Paris’s grey skies, and the designers had some fun, sending female lookalikes of themselves down the runway to take their bow.
Ester Manas, known for her inclusive creations and casting, staged a show against the backdrop of an elephant-shaped sculpture: “A lot of people thought inclusivity was a fad when it isn't at all, so we decided to put up a big elephant for people to see,” Manas said backstage after the show. Has fashion evolved on that front? “In the wrong direction,” she added.
What’s next?
Looking ahead, the weather forecast is better for the weekend in Paris, and editors and buyers are looking forward to a bit of sunshine and many more important shows. “Paris Fashion Week is full of some of the most exciting brands within our mix, so there is much to look forward to,” Benson says. “We are excitedly awaiting Alessandro Michele’s runway debut for Valentino and Gabriela Hearst’s return to Paris Fashion Week, having shown exclusively in New York in past seasons.”
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected].
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