PARIS FASHION WEEK SPRING/SUMMER 2026: DAY 9
editors ELIANA CASA, MAREK BARTEK, MARIA MOTA and MARIE-PAULINE CESARI
KIKO KOSTADINOV
review by PHOEBE GIBSON-DOUGALL
all images KIKO KOSTADINOV via vogue.com
Amongst the noise of this season’s Paris debuts, two sisters quietly emerged as a refreshing answer to calls for greater female representation. On the final day of Paris Fashion Week, Laura and Deanna Fanning made their debut for Kiko Kostadinov’s womenswear with an artfully compelling collection. Drawing inspiration from the work of Chicago artist Christina Ramberg, the duo’s debut offering was a study in contrast, blending structure with softness, femininity with androgyny, and geometry with abstraction. Artistic details were everywhere, cut-out shapes recalled collage work and bright colours spoke of kindred canvases. Texture and pattern were combined with gleeful abandon, resulting in an alluring visual coherence. For me this debut is a perfect example of daring experimentation that still hits the mark of what women want to wear. Making a statement and trying something new can still honour women’s bodies and their style, without turning us into gimmicks.
FAÇON JACMIN
review by VERONICA TLAPANCO SZABÓ
all images FAÇON JACMIN provided by the brand
This season, Façon Jacmin presents ‘The Morning ’After ', a collection that captures the poetics of disarray. Inspired by the annual cocktail at the Wallonie-Bruxelles Délégation, where politicians, artists, and fashion figures converge, the designs imagine the aftermath of such an event. Picture this, the air is soft, makeup is smudged, hair is undone and garments are barely holding on. Rooted in the brand’s Belgian design DNA, vibrant tones meet tender pastels in layered trompe-l’œil compositions, evoking the blurred vision after a sleepless night. Fabrics drift and shift, mirroring the gestures of dressing in a haste, a t-shirt repurposed as a skirt. Perrier flows as the universal cure and Komono sunglasses shield weary eyes. Denim turns into a bathrobe, a cornflower blue dress emerges like morning light, a nod to imperfection, and the feeling that lingers after the party ends.
CHRISTOPHER ESBER
review by PHOEBE GIBSON-DOUGALL
all images CHRISTOPHER ESBER provided by the brand
Coming of age in Australia in the late 2010s, Christopher Esber is a name I’d recognise anywhere. His slinky yet sculptural dresses were always an object of desire at my all-girls’ high school, defining and embodying conceptions of femininity for me and my peers. So naturally I was delighted to see a swathe of dresses in Esber’s SS26 collection; everything from elegant pieces of shimmering silk to a delicately beaded strapless confection. For Esber, this collection explored the tension between work and holiday, drawing inspiration from the reality vs. expectation nature of escape. Office wear morphed into beach-ready looks—a cut-out blazer worn underneath a bikini top or trousers with sarong-esque embellishments—to bring “an element of raw, dishevelled beauty” to traditional workwear silhouettes. Where once there were large, polished gemstones; fluted, wooden wind chimes now acted as an unexpected accessory, adorning strappy tops and sculpted necklines. The beach and the office are two very different settings, but as usual, Esber managed to execute his vision with striking precision, merging dreams and reality in a raw and imperfect mix.
CFCL
review by MAREK BARTEK
all images CFCL provided by the brand
At La Gaîté Lyrique, CFCL once again proved that quiet innovation can be as powerful. The space echoed the feel of a concert rehearsal, setting the tone for a collection that moved with rhythm rather than drama. Accompanied by a live performance from TLF Trio, the show unfolded like a study in softness, light, and motion.
Designer Yusuke Takahashi continues to redefine knitwear as “tools for daily life,” and yet nothing here felt utilitarian. Transparency and curvature became key words. Dresses layered in recycled polyester and sheer nylon, colours like mint, grey, and soft pink blended into one another as if touched by air. The new Overwrapped Pottery and Swell dresses shimmered faintly under the lights, drawing inspiration from Mariko Mori’s acrylic sculptures and Émile Gallé’s glasswork. Elsewhere, hand-dyed organic cottons brought a tactile warmth to the lineup, the dyeing process itself becoming decoration. CFCL’s collaboration with VEJA extended the brand’s sustainable vision into footwear — sneakers made with the same quiet precision as its knits.
What sets CFCL apart is its calm conviction: technology and tenderness, transparency and tactility. There’s something radical about making something so intentional feel so effortless. In a week of full of noise, CFCL whispered, and everyone listened.