There's hardly a time in the fashion world's calendar more magical, more enamouring, than Haute Couture Week in Paris. Here, designers are unshackled from the constraints of pragmatism in pursuit of the sublime.

From Roseberry at Schiaparelli to Michele at Valentino – all the big names are returning for the Spring Summer 2026 season. And, even more excitingly, there will be a few debuts. Christian Dior's Jonathan Anderson will have his first hand at couture for the House, as will Mattheiu Blazy for CHANEL and Duran Lantink at Jean Paul Gaultier.

For all the highlights from the week, as they happen, read on...

CHANEL

Matthieu Blazy's courtier debut for CHANEL was light as a feather – diaphanous and ethereal in mood, and set amongst a runway populated by oversized spotted mushrooms and pink-trimmed trees. The show started with an opaque reimagining of House classics – flap bags and skirt suits, even jeans – fashioned from sheer organza in varying shades of blush, red and blue. From there, embroidery crept from an embellishment to centre stage, with Blazy's signature textured fringes and tassles affixed to tweed tailoring, sometimes even consuming the wearer entirely. Closing the show in a paillette-drenched bridal look was Blazy's apparent new muse: Bhavitha Mandava, the NYU-student turned CHANEL model who opened his subway-themed Metier d'Arts last month.

Roger Vivier

During Paris Haute Couture Week, Roger Vivier presented its SS26 Pièce Unique collection titled Atelier Animalier. The collection, unveiled at Maison Vivier in Paris, and conceived under the creative direction of Gherardo Felloni, was an exploration of animalier motifs as a historical code of the Maison. Drawing directly from the Monsieur Vivier's archives, Felloni reinterpreted leopard, zebra and giraffe motifs originally developed in the 1960s into 11 one-of-a-kind Efflorescence Jewel bags (each handmade in the Roger Vivier ateliers). The presentation was also paired with the launch of a new monograph Roger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination, published by Rizzoli.

Giorgio Armani Privé

Silvana Armani, Giorgio Armani’s niece, had her debut at the helm of the House following the passing of the eponymous designer last September. Unveiling her own vision, Silvana currently stands as the only woman at the helm of a couture Maison. At first glance, the collection felt regal in both setting and styling – and show notes conferred that the collection was centred on jade – considered a royal, sacred, and imperial stone, particularly in Chinese culture. Its greenish-blue hue drifted throughout the 60 looks, which featured a mix of sparkling gowns and sharply tailored trousers and jackets (a favourite silhouette for Silvana). Closing the show was a customary wedding look, featuring long sleeves, high neck and a sweeping veil – the only look in the collection designed by the late Giorgio Armani.

Gaurav Gupta

The Indian avant-garde couturier brought the drama to Haute Couture Week with his collection Divine Androgyne – a collection rooted in Indian spiritual philosophy. A luminous opening look led the way like a torch for a collection of sculptural and celestial gowns, featuring intricate beading and shoes that snaked up calves like vines. One of the final looks from the collection had two models walking in tandem, their dresses entwined like yarn or roots into the threads of the other.

Schiaparelli

Scorpion tail dresses, horns, and bewinged, sculptural jackets elevated Schiaparelli's Haute Couture showing in Paris to something a little darker; more fantastical. For his tiered ballgowns smattered with 65,000 silk feathers or bustiers chiming with hundreds of shells and pearls (that took 4,000 hours to complete), creative director Daniel Roseberry cited varied inspirations for his prey-like garments – from Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, to the sci-fi film Alien. Roseberry told WWD backstage that the collection was a musing on anger: "Anger is the deepest form of compassion... Normally, we associate anger with aggression, but this was something different."

Christian Dior

Anderson's debut as a couturier was one of the week's hottest tickets (even John Galliano and Rihanna had seats in the FROW). Taking place at the Musée Rodin in Paris, the collection had clearly pulled inspiration from the natural world, with floral earrings, brooches and embellishments adorning most of the collection's looks. As Anderson’s inaugural foray into couture, the collection seemed to naturally revolve around themes of inquiry, experimentation, and apprenticeship. The House's show notes read: "When you copy nature, you always learn something. Nature offers no fixed conclusions...Haute couture belongs to the same logic."

Rahul Mishra

Mishra's Spring Summer 2026 couture collection, Alchemy, explored the elemental – fire, earth, air and water – through a series of looks sparkling and gravity-defying looks in sequence. The Indian designer, rather than rely entirely on obvious motifs, created each look through exquisite and meticulous hand embroidery – threads, beads, and sequins carefully layered to create flames, waves and gusts of wind.