Our fall 2026 couture highlights include Carrickmacross lace on the runway, Chanel’s woodland whimsy and Catherine Deneuve on the front row …
Michael Stewart’s couture debut
The talk of couture fashion week was Irishman Michael Stewart. His debut at Paris was with Standing Ground, a brand that specialises in slow fashion for a roster of private clients. And the show at the Irish embassy in Paris was abuzz amongst the international press. A coup for indigenous design, the cherry on top was Stewart’s finale look, worn by storied supermodel Kristen McMenamy, which was a couture gown made entirely from Carrickmacross lace.
The gown was made in collaboration with Monaghan-based lace artisans, with designer-educator, Natalie B Coleman facilitating. “When deciding to show at Haute Couture in Paris it was important to me to work with Irish craft that stands confidently within that world. Carrickmacross lace allows me to bring hand-worked craft from Ireland into dialogue with couture at the highest level,” Stewart says.
Woodland whimsy at Chanel
Even Chanel couture has gotten the whimsy memo: the 63-look show was adorned with fairytale touches, both obvious and quirky. Think: dresses with 3-D flowers, leafy tendrils and swan motifs, heels inspired by Jack and the Beanstalk, a skirt-suit that referenced Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz and a set design that nodded to Jumanji. One model carried an antique book of fairytales, plucked from Gabrielle Chanel‘s apartment at Rue Cambon. “I was interested in fairytales, but I was also interested in modern tales, the story of women today,” Matthieu Blazy told Vogue.
Reformer rules at Julie de Libran
Amidst the fantastical and grandiose catwalk sets, Julie de Libran took another route, showing her haute couture collection at Paris pilates hub Studio Rituel. Models manoeuvred around reformer beds, doing fluid poses and stretches in a bid to show that couture has a place amidst the everyday. As for the clothes? They went big on autumnal glamour with sequins, lace and brocade.
Plissé Power at Dior
Fresh from dressing a certain couple for their gargantuan New York nuptials, Jonathan Anderson wowed at Dior‘s fall 2026 couture outing. Even Anna Wintour‘s reaction was one of the most animated we’ve seen (behold: there was an actual whoop of appreciation). The Fall 2026 couture collection at Dior was certainly a balancing act – maintaining its appeal for the super-wealthy couture customer, while stretching the brand’s relevance and kudos to a wider audience. The dramatic lamé hand-plissé which adorned dresses, striking clutches and novel hats – inspired by the work of American sculptor and visual artist Lynda Benglis – was certainly a talking point.
Catherine Deneuve at Chanel
French actress Catherine Deneuve, clad in a shimmering red knit and carrying a covetable double-flap bag, was seated on the front row at Chanel, living up to her status as a cinematic icon. Albeit, Deneuve’s affiliation is usually with Louis Vuitton and Saint Laurent; Deneuve was a muse to Yves Saint Laurent, who dressed her for some of her key film roles including Luis Buñuel’s Belle de Jour (1967).
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