Paris Fashion Week: Biker looks at Hermès; Victoria Beckham shows sheer dresses, sharp suits; Stella McCartney goes equestrian; lace dresses and power suits at Saint Laurent; flower power at Dior
PARIS — Hermès designer Nadege Vanhee took inspiration from the ambience of twilight for a fall/winter collection featuring fluid leather coats, zip-front mini dresses, and biker shorts.
(See the show here: https://tinyurl.com/5287jtn3)
Guests entering the Garde Republicaine, the sprawling barracks of Paris’ mounted gendarmes, stepped onto a floor of thick moss extending across the show space. Models emerged from a luminous circular opening in the far wall evoking the moon and marched along a winding raised catwalk, above the vegetation.
The looks came in dusky blue and green tones, with pops of orange, oxblood and yellow.
Tight dresses in dark leather had asymmetrical zips revealing a contrasting shirt underneath, while long brown overcoats featured huge sheepskin collars.
Aviator jackets and trench coats were paired with glossy cycle shorts made out of lambskin. Ostrich leather was used throughout for jackets, jodhpurs, and an orange biker-inspired jumpsuit that was zipped up the front and belted at the waist.
Tailoring featured double-breasted jackets and cigarette trousers in browns and iridescent burgundy.
Ms. Vanhee has been womenswear creative director since 2014 for Hermès, which caters to the ultra-wealthy and tightly controls access to its products, with years-long waiting lists for its most exclusive handbags.
VICTORIA BECKHAM
Victoria Beckham presented sculptural gowns in sheer fabrics, tightly cut suits and voluminous coats in Paris on Friday for a fall/winter 2026 collection that played with shape and texture. (See the show here: https://tinyurl.com/3z6yhkcw)
Dresses in dark blues and greens featured bodices of three-dimensional rosettes, a motif that repeated across skirts, contrasting with sober suits in navy and black.
Large overcoats were paired with sheer white skirts or drainpipe trousers, while knitwear had giant collars and cut-outs revealing the models’ backs.
According to the show notes, the collection was inspired by the work of Art Deco artist Tamara de Lempicka, famous for her cubist portraits of aristocrats in sumptuous clothing.
STELLA MCCARTNEY
Stella McCartney, known for her commitment to animal rights and sustainability, put horses at the center of her eponymous brand’s Paris Fashion Week show set in a riding hall in Paris’ Bois de Boulogne. (See the show here: https://tinyurl.com/2zk6pddh)
Five black horses and five white horses charged in and began performing an intricate equestrian choreography, walking in circles and weaving around each other, before the first models emerged on an oval catwalk surrounding the sandy ring.
The winter 2026 collection continued the equestrian theme, with thigh-high riding boots, and suit trousers or jeans fashioned into stirrup pants and paired with bright preppy sweatshirts.
“There’s a lot of new innovations in the show,” Ms. McCartney told Reuters in an interview after the show. “Everything’s plant-based, vegan, so there are no animal glues, there’s no dead animals.
“That’s why I always like to sort of remind people and celebrate and bring animals into the conversation,” she added, saying the show also honored the Lunar New Year of the Horse.
Dresses and skirts covered in plastic-free sequins featured hip bustles, pleats and bows, while multicolored crochet scarves provided a pop of color to tailored suits.
Stella McCartney, founded 25 years ago, became fully independent once more last year after Ms. McCartney bought the minority stake held by LVMH back from the luxury group.
SAINT LAURENT
Saint Laurent presented a contrasting collection of oversized suits and delicate lace dresses for its winter collection on Tuesday at Paris Fashion Week. (Watch the show here: https://tinyurl.com/4kmrscr9)
The show opened with a string of power suits in black with large lapels and shoulder pads — evoking the tuxedo for women which French designer Yves Saint Laurent created in 1966 in a break with tradition.
See-through lace dresses and skirts in earthy tones of red, orange, and brown were paired with huge fur coats or balanced with chunky jewelry.
Saint Laurent, owned by struggling luxury group Kering, has suffered three years of declining revenue as a post-pandemic boom in spending on expensive handbags and clothes evaporated. Creative director Anthony Vaccarello, leading the brand since 2016, is credited with growing Saint Laurent’s revenue and reach.
DIOR
Dior creative director Jonathan Anderson showed floating flower-shaped dresses and heels decorated with water lilies for his first autumn/winter womenswear collection at the Parisian fashion house on Tuesday, as luxury conglomerate LVMH tries to breathe new life into the brand and revive sales. (Watch the show here: https://tinyurl.com/57v8tr6j)
Staged above an octagonal pond in Paris’ Tuileries gardens on a sunny spring day, the collection continued Mr. Anderson’s nature theme with ostrich feather trims on coats and the hem of one dress evoking a bunch of arum lilies. Jeans covered in silver sequins were paired with intricately ruffled shirts and jackets.
“This marks Jonathan Anderson’s fifth show for the house and his second for women’s ready-to-wear, and, for me, it is his strongest collection to date,” said Simon Longland, director of fashion buying at Harrods.
Alongside Louis Vuitton, Dior is a key pillar of LVMH’s fashion and leather goods business, and Bernstein analyst Luca Solca estimates the brand’s sales declined 6-8% last year.
Mr. Anderson, who previously led LVMH-owned Loewe for 11 years, has already made his mark on Dior, releasing a new take on Dior’s classic cotton canvas tote bags featuring stylized book titles, such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula and French classics Madame Bovary, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and Bonjour Tristesse. — Reuters
