I Just Got Back From Paris Fashion Week—These Are 6 Key Trends I Know Will Matter Next Season
And that's a wrap! The marathon run of Fashion Weeks has now come to a close. New York, London, Milan and now, lastly, Paris ('The Big Four' of fashion) have played host to some of the world's leading brands, designers and 'IYKYK' labels, presenting us with what's to come for the spring/summer 2026 season ahead. It's time to catch our breath a bit (there have been some real show-stopping moments, big-name debuts and lots of fun celebrity cameos) and digest all that we have seen.
A model walks the runway at Matthieu Blazy's debut show for Chanel.
As I took my Eurostar back to London from Gare du Nord (read: misty-eyed and scrolling my camera roll, in part due to the spotty free WiFi), I found myself reflecting on all that Paris had on show over the course of the long weekend, and just how special this season, in particular, has been. Paris has always been at the epicenter of trends, luxury fashion and all things chic (hello Dior, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès, Saint Laurent, and Celine!), so it goes without saying that everything from ready-to-wear, to handbags, shoes and accessories that matter next season will no doubt stem from the French capital yet again.
A model walks the runway at Saint Laurent, framed by the Eiffel Tower.
This season, hotly anticipated creative director debuts were the talk of the town, and stakes were high, most notably for Jonathan Anderson's first appearance at Dior. We then got to see Pierpaolo Piccioli's new vision for Balenciaga, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez kick things off at Loewe, Glenn Martens' new tenure at Maison Margiela, and for the pièce de résistance, and the final swan song of the season, Matthieu Blazy premiering at the monolithic house of Chanel. All in all, these luxury brands, and their new heads of state, gave us rich ground for emerging trends, new ways of getting dressed, modern visions of luxury, and, for me, a little pang in the heart for all the things I want to shop next season.
We also saw a real roster of celebrities, supermodels and household names take to the runway, such as Heidi Klum walking for Vivienne Westwood, Milla Jovovich at Miu Miu, Cara Delevingne strutting her stuff for Vetements, Coco Rocha showing us how it's done at Akris, and lastly, my favourite, alt-pop starlet Caroline Polochek, newly becoming a Chloé girl.
I have taken calculated guesses as to what key trends will emerge next summer, or possibly even sooner, so read on to discover my editor's picks of the 6 biggest themes Paris has to offer.
