Fashion shows, showrooms and meetings with the world’s leading luxury brands …
The autumn-winter 2026 shows at Paris Fashion Week reached a crescendo for the finale with a soulful turn at Chanel from fashion’s great alchemist Matthieu Blazy. Every brand – from Dior and Givenchy to Victoria Beckham and Hermès – vacillated between elegance and comfort as an antidote to the political and economic backdrop. There were sterling efforts across the week, including The Row, Alaïa and Issey Miyake. The exemplar of modern style is Michael Rider’s Celine, whose compelling and propulsive treatise on personal style encourages you to dress yourself with clarity and curiosity.
Day 1
10:00 Having checked into La Dépendance Hôtel by Palais Royal, I started Paris Fashion Week with an 8am Lagree class at Elevate Studio before venturing to the Hermès headquarters for a re-see of the AW2026 collection by Nadège Vanhee. Some highlights included a forest-green houndstooth coat, styled with an oversized trucker sweater and jodhpurs (riding pants are squarely in), and a tailored leather coat in deep burgundy with a removable Tuscan sheepskin collar. Each look – and there were plenty – served as a reminder of the level of luxury that Hermès can provide. Every detail is carefully considered, from the placement of zips to the modularity of pieces or the painterly use of colour and, of course, the wrought craftsmanship of the accessories.
10:45 From there, I took in two New York-based brands: Savette and Colleen Allen. Savette’s handbags by Amy Zurek, former accessories designer at The Row, suggested stealth wealth before it was widespread. This season, she updated one of the brand’s core styles, the Symmetry Top in a soft vintage leather with a patinated metal oval clasp – the “cool girl’s Kelly”. Ironically, Colleen Allen (who is nominated for the prestigious LVMH Prize for Young Designers this year) is also an alumnus of The Row. There, she put her mark on menswear, but at her namesake label she’s executing witchy womenswear in a deceptively simple manner with nods to 18th-century women’s dress codes, modernising them with sensuality and romanticism.
12:30 The afternoon was defined by a triumvirate of Irish talent with visits to the showrooms of Simone Rocha, Maria McManus and Sphere One. Simone Rocha first presented her AW26 collection at London Fashion Week. Her distinct universe spanned mythology and modernism from Tír na nÓg to Adidas Originals. There is the sense, leafing through rails of embroidered organza, blood red sequin dresses and slashed tailoring embellished with crystal flowers, that Rocha is sure as ever of who she is and what her brand stands for.
The same self-assuredness is present in New York-based Maria McManus who delivered her strongest collection to date in February during New York Fashion Week. During my visit to the showroom, I was excited to see her deadstock leather printed with python, reversible recycled polyester and cashmere cap, and romantic spin on Aran sweaters with a purple hook-and-eye closure, up close. They were just as delightful as they looked in photos and a subtle aesthetic shift in the right direction.
Next was Sphere One where, inspired by the late modernist architect Zaha Hadid, Lucy Downes introduced some sculptural silhouettes, festooned with silk tulle and organza trims, including one round-neck with sleeves that resembled The Opus, one of Hadid’s most famous buildings. All crafted in cashmere sourced from Loro Piana or Todd & Duncan, some more masculine styles like tabards and flecked cashmeres rounded out the offering. Downes has been in business for 27 years and she’s having more fun than ever, which shows in the knits.
14:30 Margaret Howell is another industry stalwart, proving that the simplest things can be extraordinary since she designed her first shirt over 50 years ago. It was that initial offering that became the gambit for AW26: a relaxed crisp poplin dress shirt, softened suiting, Fair Isle knits and lightweight rollnecks. The acoustics of the showroom were provided by the chatter of guests delightedly parsing through utilitarian racks with Eva, the manager of the London Workroom, a newly-opened specialised facility committed to local production of Howell’s meticulously constructed shirting.
15:00 Niccolò Pasqualetti, a new designer based in Tuscany, is one to watch. They have a sculptural approach to form and function, one that eludes gender (save for a few architectural nap dresses) with its capacious silhouettes. Tactility is another one of their strong suits, contrasting shearling and sequins, dyed sheepskin, and studded lambskin.
16:00 I zipped to the Proenza Schouler showroom to view Rachel Scott’s debut collection for the New York label. Scott’s mission might seem straightforward: dressing the soignée ladies of the Upper East Side, with some helpings of downtown cool. But it’s more complicated than that in an increasingly fragmented fashion market. However, Scott’s textural play gives depth to the PS sportswear sensibilities. Furthermore, there was some excellent footwear in the form of fringed sandals and shearling-lined mules.
16:30 Following their Copenhagen runway show, SKALL has landed in Paris. You get the sense that the Scandi woman is innately and effortlessly cool. Conveniently a few streets over, I called by the By Malene Birger showroom, staged in an apartment overlooking Place des Vosges. My personal favourite pieces were a reversible cow hair overcoat and some flannel shirting, but the crowd pleaser comes in the form of leather lipstick holders in scarlet, which will most definitely have a moment.
17:30 Before my Ashlyn appointment, I snuck into Ofr Bookshop to purchase the latest issue of System with Jonathan Anderson on the cover. Ashlyn Park’s resumé is an impressive read: Yohji Yamamoto, Raf Simons’ Calvin Klein and Nili Lotan. But it’s her own label where you should start your inquiry: she imbues American sportswear with European couture sensibilities. A funnel-neck leather jacket, with elasticated sleeves for multiple styling opportunities, was produced from supple leather. Bouclé jackets curve at the waist, emphasising a feminine shape. Park said her exploration was guided by the “vernacular” of American fashion, and how it’s a melting pot of culture and craft.
18:30 Ottolinger’s Cosima Gradient and Christa Bosch celebrated ten years of their brand with a jubilant celebration. As we packed into a derelict building and plonked ourselves down on cinder blocks, their creatures of the night emerged in velour tracksuits, chubby shearling jackets and “borrowed” hoodies, parading the tight runway with an unmistakably Berlin attitude. I had spoken to the pair before the show and they indicated artist Iza Genzken, and her brash and bold approach to art, was a key inspiration.
19:30 Later in the evening, I stopped by an intimate cocktail hour Diotima hosted to celebrate its collaboration with artist Wilfredo Lam (known for Afro-Cuban futurism and Caribbean spirituality). As soon as I entered the space, I was confronted with the outfit Jessie Buckley wore to the recent premiere of The Bride! Designer Rachel Scott has an innate understanding of how tactility and artistry can be communicated commercially. Her work also feels deeply connected to the moment: Scott collaborated with the Refugee Atelier in New York on textiles artistry, embroidery and crochet, giving a voice to women from across the world whose skills carry their own histories of displacement and resilience.
21:30 I concluded the day with a trip to Ojii Peronnet, a Japanese fine dining haunt beloved by the fashion set, for some sushi, yellowtail tuna sashimi (yes, it’s as good as it looks), soba with langoustines and pistachios, followed by a sumptuous chocolate mousse. The interiors, which coalesce the Roaring Twenties with Japanese art and 1970s New York, are scintillating and worth visiting alone.
Day 2
11:30 At the Alexander McQueen re-see appointment, staged at the sprawling Rue Saint-Honoré flagship, you could best see the bugle beads intricately embroidered on a military jacket or the intricate lace embroidery on mini dresses up close. Irish designer Seán McGirr’s latest collection for the storied house felt personal, but still connected to its legacy. He imbued it with Hitchcockian drama and dark romance.
13:00 Gabriela Hearst courted us with food. As we mounted the steps into Petit Palais, an early 20th–century museum with opulent ceiling frescoes, one of the first sights on arrival was a bacchanalian spread by none other than renowned chef Alain Ducasse. But it was the clothes that we stayed for. The show opened with an ivory cashmere floral lace dress with handkerchief sleeves and godets with hand–painted cowboy boots, and closed with a black sheer silk organza and ivory fine bobbinet hand-placed floral embroidered slip dress. There were some dashing military pants cut from Japanese recycled denim and cross-dyed wools with handwoven herringbone tweed coats. Backstage, Hearst shared that the show was homage to Eglantyne Jebb, a humanitarian who advocated for children’s rights, leading to the foundation of Save the Children (which Hearst regularly works with). Everything felt purposeful, with strokes of romanticism.
15:00 Twin sisters Laura and Deanna Fanning’s Kiko Kostadinov collection was inspired by bird watchers, athletes and morning commuters. The London-based designers distill a pool of references, which ranged from the above to Cindy Sherman and Sylvia Plath, with aplomb. Craftsmanship collides with sportswear, resulting in some unlikely yet favourable combinations. They also manage collaborations effectively, partnering with ASICS on shoes, Oakley on sunglasses and, for the first time, Panchavaria on fine jewellery.
16:30 It’s been over 50 years since Agnès b., purveyor of Alexa Chung’s favourite navy sweater, opened its first Paris store. The show in a building beside Canal Saint Martin was the only one you could imagine invoking a smile from the beleaguered fashion set. You couldn’t help but grin as founder Agnès Troublé, now 84, walked the runway carrying flowers to the adulation and adoration of the crowd.
18:00 After, I called into the Monastery Made pop-up, a botanical skincare line using plant-based ingredients by aesthetician Athena Hewett. Beloved by Sofia Coppola and co-signed by Goop, the Paris pop-up, supported by Dover Street Parfums Market, was hosted by a gallery in the Marais. I picked up the Attar Floral Repair Concentrate, Aloe Hyaluronic Moisture Boost and The Universal Balm.
19:00 I rounded out the day with dinner at Daroco with my colleagues from Samui in Cork to celebrate the boutique’s 25th anniversary this year. We discussed our highlights from Paris Fashion Week (Dries van Noten, Sacai) over pizza, pasta and tiramisu.
21:00 I headed back to the hotel to prepare for an early morning hot Pilates class at Club Lulu before flying home to further dissect this season’s collections.
Paul McLauchlan is a freelance fashion editor who contributes to The Irish Examiner, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode and Fashionista.
