From hats at Celine, and barrettes and brooches at The Row, to the silhouette of the moment and the trench coat that’s everywhere, here’s the inside track on PFW …
As Paris Fashion Week wraps up for another year, we’re reflecting on the moments that stood out. “I loved Dries Van Noten and Chloé, both expertly mixed prints, checks and fabrics. The Row was exceptional. Saint Laurent has us inspired to wear suits again, the latex lace was absolutely incredible. Yohji Yamamoto showed us a beautiful homage to his Japanese roots, with subtle iterations of traditional dress. Pieter Mulier closed his incredible chapter at Alaïa with another standout collection, but also with an emotional homage to his team: it was stunning,” says Brigitte Chartrand, chief buying and merchandising officer at Net-a-Porter. See more of our highlights below.
Chic Chapeaux at Celine
If Matthieu Blazey’s Chanel represents an idealised Frenchwoman, then Michael Rider’s Celine nudges us towards the Parisienne we all want to be. As one fashion critic said, she is “expensive-looking but aspirationally relatable, but there is a grittiness to her (as well as an inherent sense of chic), that means you could picture these clothes actually being worn. (The same way, last season, we could picture Rider’s Celine logo bike helmets popping up IRL on the streets of Paris.) There was a lot to love for AW26 at Celine. Particularly, a clean approach to ornamentation that saw XL silver disc dresses teamed with simple trench coats and off-white box handbags. But, also: the headgear. Wide rim bowler hats à la Diane Keaton tipped the look towards times-past without ever veering into nostalgia, lingering purely in the realm of desirability. As supermodel Erin O’Conner commented on one post, “Beige trench, silver slither showing underneath. Swooooon.”
Everyone’s Wearing Silver Amulets
Images: Instagram @mayastepper.
Cool girls all over fashion month are embracing long necklaces that whisper of quiet bohemia. Usually coming in silver, these talismanic chains boast mystical symbols, or lockets that look like they could be filled with patchouli. This one, worn by model Maya Stepper, is from her own brand. The whole vibe speaks to an aesthetic Allison Bornstein describes as “chic desert aunt”: we think they look entirely fresh.
Barrette Hair Clips at The Row
This season’s hair look at The Row – which, by definition, defines how we all want to do our own hair for the season ahead – is all about a loose twist with an old-fashioned tortoiseshell barrette holding everything (barely) in place. The bottom line? Old school hair accessories will continue to have kudos into autumn.
Chloé’s Haute Horse Girl
Images: Chloé.
For AW26, Chloé’s cool-girl has departed the bohemian Left Bank and headed for the wilderness. “She’s got wild hair and she is very free,” explained model Raquel Zimmermann backstage at the brand’s Paris show. Meanwhile, Chartrand name-checks the striped jeans and hair accessories at Chloé as a favourite moment from Paris. There’s a folklore aesthetic defined by chintzy ruffled shirts, moody florals, check print dresses, flashes of shearling and thick woollen socks (or, possibly, tights). There were also riffs on rodeo dressing with leather trousers, Western boots, tiered skirting and long plaits. All in all, the proposal for a haute horse girl had appeal.
Trapeze Trench Coats
The fashion crowd is leaning into the trapeze trench coat, according to Instagram. What’s interesting about this style is how it instantly looks dressier, making a case for a one-and-done trench that is your whole look. Buzzed about now is the sell-out Jane trench from Paris brand Nour Hammour but we’ve also seen a lovely style at BA&SH, too.
Bow Loafers at Dior
Instagram @jonathan.anderson.
We’re still digesting the AW26 collection at Dior. The biophilic catwalk presentation took place on a suspended runway in the Tuileries Garden which looped around the park’s octagonal lake – and the accessories were noteworthy. We’re coveting the black leather loafers with gold bow detailing, pictured, which would elevate any outfit.
Alexa Chung’s Boyfriend Look
Attending the Miu Miu show, Alexa Chung wore a workman’s jacket layered with an overcoat and knit, topped off by utility trousers and boots. The finishing touch? Polished skin and hair.
Chloë Walks Miu Miu
Image: Miu Miu.
Fashion’s most enduring It girl Chloë Sevigny walked the runway for Miu Miu’s Paris Fashion Week show alongside veteran Australian model Gemma Ward and actress Gillian Anderson, who looked exquisite. This wasn’t Sevigny’s first rodeo, however, the A-list actress first walked the runway for the Italian fashion house in 1996. (We’re also noting the return of the zig-zag hairband.)
Simplicity at Chanel
Image: Chanel.
Margot Robbie‘s new fringed bob may have been the talking point on the Chanel front row, but this refined skirtsuit with artisanal textures from the AW26 collection is sticking with us.
Goodbye, Oversized
An interesting talking point at Paris was the departure from the oversized silhouette that’s characterised fashion for the last five years. At Celine, Michael Rider spoke of suiting that was close to the body, narrow shoulders and cropped kick-flares (hooray!) as a welcome change from baggy shapes and powers shoulders. In a world of volume on steroids, it’s a welcome bid for normalcy. “We’re always scared when it looks too much like a fashion show,” Ryder told the press backstage. We agree. Meanwhile, on the streets, this look was defined by decadent black slim jackets and cropped trousers with split hems, as seen on Claire Thomson-Jonville, head of editorial content at French Vogue.
The Row’s Best Collection Yet
Image: The Row.
The Row doesn’t allow photography at its Paris Fashion Week presentation, so naturally once the official runway shots of the collection were released, the internet went into a tailspin, with some critics suggesting it’s the brand’s strongest collection to date. We’re noting the neat black suiting offset by brooches with vintage appeal.
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