PARIS: Paris Fashion Week is leaning into glamour, bold styling and elaborate presentations for spring/summer 2027, as luxury houses pull out all the stops to win back shoppers amid a prolonged industry slowdown. The womenswear calendar runs September 28 to October 6, with 68 shows and 34 presentations across the French capital.
Saint Laurent Goes for Gold
Saint Laurent staged one of the week's most dramatic shows: giant chandeliers casting golden light over a black outdoor runway with the Eiffel Tower glowing in the background. Designer Anthony Vaccarello, marking his 10th anniversary at the house, sent out safari jackets and trench coats in metallic fabrics, cocktail dresses in shimmering lace and cropped jackets in brocade — a collection dominated by gold.
The front row was pure star power: Catherine Deneuve, Kate Moss, Hailey Bieber and Rami Malek. The show lands at a pivotal moment for parent company Kering, which is counting on Saint Laurent's momentum — fuelled by improving demand in the US and Europe — while sister brand Gucci keeps struggling.
Dior, Hermès and Chloé Shine
At Dior, Jonathan Anderson's third womenswear outing played out in the Tuileries Gardens, where a contemporary pagoda wrapped around the Bassin Octogonal fountain. Rihanna, Jennifer Lawrence, Eileen Gu and Anya Taylor-Joy filled the front row as weightless chiffon, silk mousseline, organza and Chantilly lace drifted down the runway in soft pastels — Anderson bending Dior's codes until they felt entirely his own.
Hermès creative director Nadège Vanhée presented an airy collection of loose-knit tops, mesh dresses embroidered with fine leather strips and midi skirts sliced into thigh-high strips, shown in the bright white halls of the Garde Républicaine as Sofia Vergara and Emmy Rossum fanned themselves in the October heat. A billowing bright-orange parka and a "sunflower yellow" zipped skirt delivered the colour punches. Vanhée — womenswear director since 2014 — will present Hermès' first-ever haute couture collection in January.
At Chloé, Chemena Kamali embraced elaborate textures, layering lace, pearls, tassels and broderie anglaise.
Bare Looks and Bold Statements
Revealing silhouettes were everywhere. Tom Ford designer Haider Ackermann paired razor-sharp tailoring in baby blue, black, olive and white with bare chests, fishnets, skimpy swimwear and silk robes. Balmain showed corsets, garters and bras beneath cropped jackets, while Rick Owens offered sculptural gowns and elaborate tulle.
Balenciaga went the opposite way, focusing on craftsmanship — detailed stitching reshaping humble shirts, T-shirts and jeans. Loewe, celebrating its 180th anniversary under Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, mixed American sportswear with Spanish flair and debuted the Puzzle Charm bag. Stella McCartney — watched by Jennifer Lopez — paired relaxed tailoring and dolphin-motif denim with a message on ocean conservation, while Rihanna turned up at conceptual label Matières Fécales' presentation.
A Season of New Voices
This season brought two major debuts: Drew Henry at Courrèges and Kai Nesselrath at Carven. Alaïa held intimate presentations after Pieter Mulier's departure for Versace, while Valentino, Maison Margiela, Sacai and Casablanca returned to the calendar. With Chanel and Louis Vuitton still to show, the week isn't done yet.
Outside the venues, the pavements became a runway of their own. With temperatures in the high 20s, the front-row crowd skipped autumn coats for bare legs, tank tops and corsets over crisp shirts — proof that in Paris, the coolest looks are the ones that break the rules.
Sources:
- TBS News: Paris Fashion Week dazzles with gold, bare looks amid luxury slowdown
- Reuters: Hermès shows airy knits and slit skirts in spring/summer 2027 collection
- SCMP: Paris Fashion Week — Hermès, Celine, Givenchy, Loewe for SS27
- The National: Dior, Saint Laurent and Tom Ford bring glamour to SS2027
- bmodel.news: Paris Fashion Week cheat sheet — Spring/Summer 2027