Though the fall/winter 2026 season appeared relatively quieter on the heels of last season’s record-breaking number of designer debuts, it didn’t suffer for it. If anything, it brought into sharper focus how these designers were going to evolve the legacies of their respective inherited brands. Jonathan Anderson continues making Dior more his own, while Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez build on the Loewe loved by many without alienating Anderson fans. Sarah Burton seems to have struck the perfect balance, imbuing the elegance of Hubert de Givenchy’s mid-century couture with the ease of how women live their lives today.    

Related article: The ELLE Word: Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2026

DIOR

Jonathan Anderson kicked off Paris Fashion Week with a Dior show that improved on the debut he presented last October. Here, he has fully embraced that signature, voluptuous New Look silhouette—fitted at the waist, a full flare below—but his is also much softened and lightened up in a way that feels distinctively Anderson-ian. The first look out was the Bar jacket in pale Dior grey but as a soft knitted cardigan. Instead of a full pleated skirt, it was paired with a frothy pouf of a miniskirt. Anderson had many ideas on how to make the very classic Bar modern—some of his best were the simplest. See the slightly oversized version, with its structure retained, but worn with slouchy jeans. And then there were the shrunken iterations, that looked like they swallowed up a frilly petticoat. Apart from the Bar, Anderson also presented really great dresses—like the knitted LBDs with trailing streamers—as well as daywear and separates. Standouts amongst these include the flouncy, curly knits (brought forward from haute couture), the embellished jeans, and the absolutely effortless but elegant tuxedo-bathrobe hybrids. 

Related article: The History Behind Dior’s Haute Couture Florals

GIVENCHY

Sarah Burton presented her best collection for Givenchy to date, thanks to the fullness of the vision of womanhood on display. She spent her first two seasons building up the wardrobe foundations of her Givenchy, and this season, she let loose a little—adding a little flourish here, deconstructing something there. She opened with suits and shirts that were both sharp and soft; and velvet slip dresses worn with headpieces that evoked classical Flemish portraiture, but were actually T-shirts twisted into place by Stephen Jones. She built from there towards a collection that had something for every woman: More suits (some razor-sharp, some peplum-hipped), more elevated staples—like white leather shirts with backward portrait collars, and black leather pencil skirts—and for those who fancy a little more visual pow, there were florals and feline prints sprouting fringe to the floor, and lace built into sculptural shapes. Best of all were her black-tie halter-necks in floral jacquard or red silk, loosely gathered and worn with mannish trousers and those compelling T-shirt turbans. 

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LOEWE 

Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez had big shoes to fill when they took over Loewe. Jonathan Anderson turned the sleepy Spanish leather-goods company into a billion-dollar fashion brand known for its craft and cultural influence. The stroke of brilliance here was that the duo chose to build on that, rather than eradicating everything. In their debut collection, they gave us jeans and T-shirts made of tufted, shaved leathers and crinkled “cotton” shirts in hand-dyed and -pressed leathers. For fall/winter 2026, they continued making clothes that stimulate and delight, but in ways that feel instinctive rather than overwrought. The duo bring a sporty American ease to haute Spanish and French craft. This season, they served up even more extraordinary artisanal feats rendered on easy-to-wear, everyday things. There were slip dresses, hoodies, T-shirts and jeans moulded from latex, lending a bouncy, squeaky, slightly surreal quality to these familiar classics. Leathers were made to look like neoprene, or inflated like floatation devices. For the first time, the duo also presented menswear on the runway—rooted in that same playful pragmatism and craft-intensive approach. Highlights include “corduroy” trousers which were actually shaved shearling, and bomber jackets that sported oversized, twisted-wire hoods and collars.

HERMÈS

This season, Nadége Vanhee spun out the concept of twilight into a collection full of compelling, desirable clothes. She was interested in the in-between hours as day turns into night, when senses heighten, colours shift, surfaces glisten and forms take on new dimensions. At its core, the collection was about the tension between restraint and release, between streamlined sleekness and sensuality. Vanhee’s silhouettes were aerodynamic, fitted close to the body—but they also had a sense of fluidity, and of the female form underneath. Many of the (superb) coats and dresses came with zippers that curve around the body, allowing the wearer to reveal or conceal as much as she wants. This being Hermès, there was an abundance of ultra-luxe leathers, even exotics, but things never felt stuffy or cloyingly rich. Riding boots and jodhpurs that nodded at the House’s equestrian heritage lent a sportiness to the clothes, as did the bike shorts and bodysuits worn underneath some of the looks. An all-black palette for a collection inspired by twilight would be too obvious and that is not the Vanhee way. Instead, colours shifted from the inky blues of dusk to the faded reds of a setting sun, from the pale yellow of a low, full moon, to mossy greens of foliage in darkness. In a feat of craftsmanship, there were also black leathers subtly patinated with the faintest trace of golden glitter, like a moonlit lake.