PARIS FASHION WEEK SPRING/SUMMER 2026: DAY 8

editors ELIANA CASA, MAREK BARTEK, MARIA MOTA and MARIE-PAULINE CESARI

COPERNI
review by PHOEBE GIBSON-DOUGALL

all images COPERNI via vogue.com

This SS26, Coperni went back to basics. Minimalist design and a more intimate show signalled the brand’s desire to focus on fashion’s foundations, but as per usual, innovative technology stole the show. With this collection the brand released its C+ line, essential pieces meant to act as “wearable skincare”.

Featuring the C+ Regenerating Bodysuit among other basic pieces like leggings and tops, the C+ line is bacteria-infused clothing that “releases a unique blend of prebiotics and probiotics that restores the skin’s microbiome and rejuvenates it.” The brand asserts that “skin contact with the fabric boosts radiance and hydration” and will enhance one’s natural glow. Naturally, the C+ line was a central focus of the brand’s SS26 show and seemed to signal an interesting shift for the brand. Where in the past Coperni’s technological endeavours revolved around robotic spectacle—a spray-painting machine or mechanical hounds—now the focus has shifted to technology’s potential role in wellness.

Creative directors Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer sought to reimagine clothing’s ability to not just cover and embellish the body, but care for it also. In my eyes this is a welcome and intriguing avenue for the brand to explore; in a culture marred by consumption, how often do we reflect on the literal relationship clothes have with our body? Fabric has the ability to irritate, soothe, or comfort, so the choice to hone it on its nurturing potential is alluring. The duo showcased the new line alongside bomber jackets, bloomers, and sleek accessories, proving that with this new collection we won’t have to choose between looking and feeling good.

MIU MIU
review by MAREK BARTEK

all images MIU MIU provided by the brand

Before becoming fashion royalty, Ms Miuccia Prada got a degree in Political Science, was a part of the Communist Party in Italy and a vocal feminist often joining protests for women’s rights. Though now a fully realised designer, Ms Prada has never shied away from being political, and in much of her work, we can see commentary on what’s happening in the world. It may not be as obvious as a graphic tee but it’s most certainly there, in a more subtle, often slightly ironic way.

Miu Miu’s latest collection, named ‘At Work’, was no exception. While everyone’s leaning towards the more gothic, Marie Antoinette-esque aesthetic with a hint of wealth, Ms Prada offered a collective reality check with a runway inspired by working women and the on garment unifying them — an apron. As she shared backstage: “We in fashion always talk about glamour or rich people, but we also have to recognise that life is very difficult. And to me the apron contains the real difficult life of women in history, from factories to the home.”

The set of the show was staged to resemble some sort of a factory canteen, with red rubber flooring and guests being seated on green and blue Formica tables. To the sound of minimalist electronic music, the first look came out — actor Sandra Hüller wearing a blue apron cinched at the waist. The rest of the outfit was composed of a dark, muted blue utility jacket with leather collar and cuffs, layered over a light grey V-neck knit, light blue shirt and a colourful purple, absinthe, brown, and red scarf, and paired with stiff trousers and safety boots.

Despite the first look leaning heavily into the female workforce in the secondary industry sector, Miu Miu didn’t stay only there and explored the complexities of women’s hard work and its significance. As the show progressed, the typical “worker” canvas apron slowly shifted to other forms of skirt-like waiter aprons, pinafores, taffeta and leather aprons, at times with ruffles adding a feminine touch, floral wrap-overs, and lastly, more decorative, perforated aprons.

Ms Prada referenced women not only “at work” but also at home. Women who are often deemed invisible: employees across industries, including services and fashion, mothers and grandmothers, who have dedicated their lives to better the lives of others. Work turned into an expression of effort, a symbol of care and love, a reflection of independence, and a means of agency.

But while the collection carried a strong message of honouring working women, it also critiqued and raised questions regarding class divisions in society, fetishisation of the apron as a symbol of submission, and luxury fashion’s tendency to borrow aesthetics without actively improving the realities of the women who often produce its goods. Ms Prada knows it very well, so when asked about it, she admitted that translating aprons into fashion was challenging, concluding: “At the moment, I’m particularly sensitive to that. But I use the instrument I have.”

THOM BROWNE
review by VERONICA TLAPANCO SZABÓ

all images THOM BROWNE via vogue.com

We come in peace, declares Thom Browne with his latest collection, after which we’ve been transported somewhere deep into space, light years away. The extraterrestrial journey began at the late Karl Lagerfeld’s former home, the lavish mansion on Rue de l’Université de Paris, Hotel Pozzo de Borgo. Nothing says more alien than the most American of American designers presenting in this opulent 18th-century style interior featuring opulent crystal chandeliers, jacquard wallpaper and gold panelling. Overall the show was wildly entertaining to watch and the witty fantasy poured into its conception screamed out with each look. There was not just one otherworldly reference hidden in the soundtrack but two! The first was the eerie electronic sound of the radiophonic theme of Dr. Who and the Close Encounters music from Steven Spielberg’s movie.

Onto the collection itself, Browne’s show opened with a troop of silver haired and skinned servicemen dressed in the trademark gray tailoring we’ve all come to love! Bedazzled alien heads adorn the jacket’s pockets, throughout the hallway they randomly hand out cards to those in the audience, imbuing them with an inner circle knowledge that is never revealed. The first look emerges from the smoke with a new jacket shape, in gray seersucker with a curving shoulderline and more leg and arm holes than we can count. This jacket was then worked/reworked a million different ways throughout the different looks all while retaining that Browne-coded East Coast Americana repp striped feel. Just when it gets too serious or too contained Browne slaps a giant sparkly green alien head on it, or in a more kooky turn of events other models walked out with a "tin foil hat" a head covering that is believed to shield the brain from electromagnetic radiation or mind control (necessary gear for the forthcoming invasion). More of our favourite looks featured, leather dog bags, drawn on naked torsos, silver rings pierced into jackets and tweeds light enough to float into the stratosphere.

The craftsmanship of Browne’s atelier is unmistakable in all the looks and made even more prominent in the curving jackets, bubble skirts and a series of coats that looked like they had been dipped in a constellation of stars. The second to last look really rocked our world with a dress that looked like it was dipped in liquid mercury generating a gorgeous silver cascade before our eyes. After all the overstimulation between all the different debuts, shows and presentations, it was so nice to board a space ship and be taken away for even just an hour by this ecstatically fun show that welcomed quirkyness and joy.   

CHANEL
review by VERONICA TLAPANCO SZABÓ

all images CHANEL provided by the brand

Matthieu Blazy gave us the moon and all the stars with his debut at Chanel. To say that there was a lot of anticipation would be an understatement, Blazy practically had the whole fashion world watching Monday evening. The Grand Palais rose to the occasion once more turning into a massive stage made from a dark sea of glass, the runway mirroring everything, from the orbs, to the colours and their pulse. Making a nod to Chanel’s long love for world building and to countless iconic Karl Lagerfeld collections, (remember the rocket that took off in there?). The collection was one small step for Blazy, but one giant leap for Chanel, as the fourth designer to lead the house founded by Coco Chanel 115 years ago. To those saying it doesn’t look like Chanel, well, of course it doesn’t. The brand’s image has been shaped by 36 years under Karl Lagerfeld, with only a brief Virginie Viard interlude. For most of us, that span represents our entire lifetime. We’ve never truly seen Chanel through any other lens, so it’s only natural that we need a moment to adjust. After all, it’s human nature to be wary of the new.

Opening the show was the modern Chanel woman, clad in a long pencil skirt and free of any defined waist. One of Blazy’s first instincts was to revisit Coco’s own spirit of reinvention, recalling how she borrowed from her lover Boy Capel’s wardrobe, translating the utilitarian codes of men’s tailoring into her own revolutionary vision of womenswear. This spring her wishes were honoured, with clothes that move like a breath of fresh air, that don’t constrict, creating space around the body giving you the permission to live in it. Still plenty of black and white looks were spotted to ground the collection, but it is infinitely refreshing to see colour again. Pulled from the orbiting planets above, and sprinkled in, mainly via, accessories, Blazy’s Chanel woman is blooming before our eyes. 

From the well-loved crushed leather 2.55 bags, now featuring wire in the flaps so the wearer can manipulate it, to the larger Supermodel tote revisited in new textures and tones, we can definitely see these become daily wardrobe staples. The fabrics themselves were also to die for, all the delicate embroidery, the lush glittering looks, silk blouses, had the atelier’s talents written all over them. The Camellia flower wasn’t forgotten either, embroidered at the hems of sweater and skirt sets with feather like versions appearing shortly after. Equally unmissable was the lightness afforded to tweed this season, fabric innovation was a top priority for Matthieu Blazy at Bottega Veneta just as it is here at Chanel too. Tweed can become lumpy quickly, but Blazy’s appeared quite light, by brushing out some of the fibers at the end, allowing for so much movement that certain skirts appear to come alive like critters. 

Overall everything felt cleaner, fresher, more youthful. I adore Chanel, but no one can deny it has always carried that rich-grandmother inheritance vibe. Now, for the first time in a while, I can envision an entirely new generation, a whole myriad of fresh faces, embracing these designs. It’s only fair to say that Matthieu Blazy girl bossed just close enough to the sun, leaving us inspired and excited for Chanel’s new era. 

PS: yes, “Rhythm Is a Dancer” has been looping in our earphones ever since.