We won’t see a Paris Fashion Week like this for a long time

This season, every day at Paris Fashion Week felt like Christmas. It’s been a wild year for fashion and, with more than 10 creative director debuts throughout SS26, it was always bound to be an interesting season.

Let’s start with Duran Lanktink’s Jean Paul Gaultier debut. The designer isn’t afraid to ruffle some (read: a lot of) feathers. Remember the large silicone breasts he featured in his own brand’s AW25 collection? Lanktink’s first JPG collection as the permanent creative director was typically divisive, with skin suits and a dress cut so low at the groin that one wrong move and the model would have flashed everyone. There were tubular bras and curved belts, too. The internet wasn’t quiet about its dislike of the collection – honestly, we’re still divided – and it sparked a wider conversation about the difference between fashion critics and empty criticism.

Now, onto the veterans. Haider Ackermann’s Tom Ford oozed sensuality, with high-cut body suits, power suiting and whispers of fabric turned into dresses. At Schiaparelli, designer Daniel Roseberry brought out polka dots, peeling dresses, glowing accessories and sheer numbers all soundtracked to Aaliyah’s One In A Million and Rock the Boat (a decision made 30 minutes before the show). Lacoste’s show space resembled a locker room, with tiled floors appreciated by Adrien Brody and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who eyed up the transparent coats, oversized polos, ankle boots and striking nylon tracksuit sets from the front row. And speaking of A‑listers, Lana Del Rey turned up with her alligator-loving hubby for Valentino.

Here’s what else you might have missed during the whirlwind that was PFW.

Jonathan Anderson’s Dior has been a constant source of chatter since the men’s line debuted back in June. Large cargos, offbeat tweed jackets and ​“Dracula” totes. The women’s show, which carried much of the same energy, drew Michèle Lamy and Rick Owens, along with Glenn Martens, Rosalía, Jenna Ortega and Odessa A’zion for a first look.

Anderson, renowned for his subversiveness and penchant for art, ensured all of this trickled through. Bar suits made of Donegal tweed were shrunken and cropped, denim mini skirts were ushered in, alongside a bell-shaped jersey dress, wispy lace pieces and tricorn hats. It was a visual push and pull that honoured his predecessors but it also felt like a rejuvenation: a glimmer of something unpredictable, exciting and totally new. No complaints from me.

Later, Glenn Martens’ first Margiela ready-to-wear line had models sporting metal four-stitch logos in their mouths, trainers in metallic hues, and floral prints that clashed with sequins. Kris, sorry, Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner were front and centre as an orchestra of children in oversized suits played onstage. A torn, battered leather jacket was a personal highlight that reminded me of Martens’ disruptive nature. More of that, please!

At Miu Miu, the humble apron received a facelift. As I attempted to watch the show via the Eurostar’s patchy WiFi (oh, the glamour!), the first thing that struck me were all the iterations of them: jewelled! Leather! Floral! Latticed! Was it a not so subtle ode to the return of the hot line cook? A way of telling us all to get up and work? An homage to the multifacetedness of womanhood? Either way, we’re onboard with Mrs. Prada’s vision, if it comes with Miu Miu-fied leather arm warmers and pinafores to boot. Richard E. Grant looked suave in a leather pinny, grey laser-cut knit and trousers, while one model wore a black apron, brogues and nothing more. As always, there were familiar faces on the runway: FACE cover star Cortisa Star walked for the second time, while Sandra Hüller and Milla Jovovich made cameos too. Not one to be left out, Mrs. Prada’s quick little wave at the end featured a scarf lined with jewels, wrapped around her suit jacket and across her arms. Girls don’t want flowers, they want accessories dripping with jewels!

Mid-week, New Yorkers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez made their debut as co-creative directors of Loewe. A pretty minimalist set leant itself to a sporty line staged on the doorstep of the city university, where Emma Chamberlain, Tracee Ellis Ross and Sarah Paulson gathered on the front row. Clever rubber heels – complete with swappable liners depending on your mood – piqued attention (it reminded me of the quirkiness of Christopher Kane’s AW19 liquid-filled pouches). There was outerwear with drawstring detailing on the back, and no shortage of colour as cobalt and carmine mini dresses with jutting hips turned the corners. Beaded skirts clicked and clacked, and everyday pieces such as parkas, tank tops and jeans, were dialled up.

Now, Pierpaolo Piccioli doesn’t do things by halves. For the start of his Balenciaga era, he invited his nearest and dearest to his debut show, including famed jam merchant Meghan Markle, whose appearance caused gasps as she was seated.

While the show signalled a new beginning, there were nods to Demna’s bug-eyed sunglasses (now encrusted with rhinestones), while construction was sharper and lines more polished. The room was fragranced with Getaria, a perfume named after Cristobal Balenciaga’s birthplace. It was *whispers* safer than Demna’s era on the accessories front, and so gone were the scuzzy, beaten-up City hags. Instead, they were given a mature makeover, with suede finishing. Colours rotated between shocking aubergines, nude-ish pinks and sexy leather pieces that felt almost like a separate collection: dom-esque peplum corseted tops, leather trousers, bombers with slits as arm holes. Hot! Here’s hoping for more sexed-up pieces next season.

“The men and women kept walking but the seasons changed,” said Michael Rider on Celine’s SS26 show.​Indeed, it felt as though the creative director had pressed pause after his first show back in July, only to hit start again for SS26. Adwoa Aboah, Natasha Lyonne, Ottessa Moshfegh and more looked on as models walked through Parc de Saint-Cloud (a large park west of Paris) with cycling helmets in the crook of their elbows. Motif jumpers, frayed black mini dresses and cropped double-zip bombers passed through. Sixties shift dresses blossomed with prints, silk scarves were clutched by models wearing leather gloves, and boots had gold-tipped detailing. Celine-isms flooded the coed line – skinny silhouettes, leather outerwear, shirting with interesting collars – and Rider’s vision was chock full of wearable, multifunctional pieces that make sense in a wardrobe today, tomorrow, and surely the future.

Bumsters! Oh, how we’ve missed you. Seán McGirr’s Alexander McQueen show ended the night with a bang as he ushered in the return of the renowned ultra low-rise jeans, ensuring the audience saw a cheeky crack or two. More flesh was flashed all in the name of giving into ​“deep-seated desires” and ​“innate impulses”: nipples peeked through fringed leather tops; models with mascara and eyeliner-streaked faces wore figure-hugging corsets; leather skirts sat dangerously low on the hips. A.G. Cook provided the soundtrack and more nostalgia came by way of marching band jackets and reimagined ​“Irere” boots from the SS03 line. The line emitted rebellion and disruption – what more could you ask for?

In a way, it feels like all of PFW has been leading up to the Chanel show. Invites were like gold dust, and if you were lucky enough to receive one of the small Chanel-engraved necklaces – show invite in tow – it was an IG worthy moment. Finally, the moment arrived last night. The historic Grand Palais exhibition hall was transformed into a Chanel galaxy, with floating planets dotted above lacquered flooring.

To start his Chanel tenure as though it was his last show was Matthieu Blazy’s process; a gag of a statement that made for a rip-roaring show. A loose, houndstooth boxy jacket and trouser look opened the show, followed by misshapen bags, and silk shirts that fluttered. Tweed was zapped to life; feathers adorned skirts; and Charvet shirts paid homage to Coco Chanel and her lover, Boy Capel, whose clothes she would borrow. Paula Cole’s I Don’t Want To Wait faded into The Corrs’ Runway as raffia swishy skirts, tactile sets and other much newness appeared. As cliche as it might sound – even watching from a livestream (true story) – it felt like you were witnessing fashion history being made. With a galaxy surrounding Blazy as he hugged the final model, Awar Odhiang, to Snap!’s Rhythm Is A Dancer, it felt written in the stars.