Paris Couture Week Cheat Sheet: Fall/Winter 2026

After the scorching heat of Paris Men’s, editors have been frantically checking the weather forecast for the next week on the fashion run: couture. At least this time, if temperatures rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, we’ll be better equipped, sporting high-tech cooling devices and knowing how best to dress.

Weather aside, Fall/Winter 2026 Haute Couture Week, running from July 6 to 9, will feature shows from 30 houses, compared with FW25’s 27-strong line-up. All eyes will be on the first couture shows of Pierpaolo Piccioli at Balenciaga (July 8), Duran Lantink at Jean Paul Gaultier (July 8), Maria Grazia Chiuri at Fendi (July 9 in Rome), as well as the second couture shows of Jonathan Anderson at Dior, fresh off the buzz surrounding Taylor Swift’s wedding dress (July 6), Matthieu Blazy at Chanel (July 7), and Silvana Armani at Giorgio Armani Privé (July 7).
On Sunday, the eve of couture, Olivier Theyskens presented his debut show for Boloria, a new label launched by Weareone.world, the Antwerp-based entertainment company behind the Tomorrowland festival, marking Weareone.world’s foray into fashion. The Franco Belgian designer, who has previously been at the creative helm of Rochas, Nina Ricci, and Theory, presented a co-ed ready-to-wear collection titled Le Monde Flottant (“the floating world”).

“Michiel and Manu Beers, the founders of Tomorrowland, always felt that, if one day they could have a brand, they would name it Boloria, because it’s a beautiful name,” Theyskens said backstage. “It’s a name of a sub-genre of a butterfly species, created by a scientist in 1899. It really resonates with me.”

As for the official calendar, Indian couturier Manish Malhotra, who dressed Karan Johar at this year’s Met Gala, is among the guest houses showing in Paris this season. (His label is partly owned by Reliance Brands Limited, which also partners with Rahul Mishra on his ready-to-wear business.) The second guest house is Standing Ground, the UK-based brand by Irish designer Michael Stewart, who won the LVMH Savoir-Faire Prize in 2024.
Among those returning to the week is Dutch designer Iris van Herpen, who shows couture each July. The schedule also includes regular fixtures Schiaparelli, Julie de Libran, Elie Saab, Alexis Mabille, and Viktor&Rolf.

Last season, Alexis Mabille unveiled a virtual reality runway show in collaboration with AI specialists at French production company Gloria Pictures. While Tuesday’s show is due to mark a shift back to craftsmanship and intimacy, the designer is set to release another project later this year involving virtual reality.

Valentino is missing from the calendar this season, after creative director Alessandro Michele pivoted to show couture each January. Other absentees include Gaurav Gupta, Julien Fournié, Miss Sohee, and Phan Huy. Maison Margiela is also skipping the schedule, after last showing couture in July 2025, when creative director Glenn Martens presented his debut for the house.

Dutch fashion designer Peet Dullaert, who, in June, scooped the top prize of the first edition of the New Crafts Awards, launched by hospitality giant Accor and Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM), will show on Thursday at 11.30am.

Adeline André will close out the official calendar in Paris, on Thursday at 4pm, while a number of attendees will fly to Rome for the Fendi show that evening at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea.

“I am excited for all of them, but especially Iris van Herpen, who now shows once a year, so it’s an extra special treat to experience her boundless imagination,” theater producer and couture devotee Jordan Roth says. “Plus, Robert Wun, whose majestically dark and poetic storytelling is always magic to witness. And, of course, discovering the newest ways that Daniel Roseberry has woven art, sensuality, wit, and craft in his Schiaparelli is always the best way to kick off the week.”

Beyond the shows
On the sidelines of the couture shows, Roger Vivier will present its Pièce Unique FW26 collection on Tuesday, called L’Atelier des Papillons, while Pierre Hardy will present his SS27 collection for his namesake house on Wednesday.

It’s also high jewelry week: Dior will present its Diorissima collection at Villa Dior, a space dedicated to Dior’s very important customers (VICs). Hermès will present its haute bijouterie, designed by Pierre Hardy at Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Boucheron, Chanel, Chaumet, De Beers, and Messika are among houses that will present new high jewelry pieces throughout the week. Cartier will preview its fine jewelry creations and precious bag collection on Wednesday and Thursday. Meanwhile, Danish jewelry giant Pandora will introduce a creative platform in collaboration with British stylist Harry Lambert, called Pandora Wonders.

On Tuesday, a new exhibition, “Azzedine Alaïa and Africa”, opens to the public at Fondation Azzedine Alaïa. It’s curated by Olivier Saillard and features Peter Beard photographs on the first floor.

Beka Gvishiani celebrated the fifth anniversary of his Instagram account StyleNotCom on Sunday, with an exhibition that will run until Friday at 85 Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré.

Martin Margiela will be auctioning off a selection of items from his personal archive in Paris on Thursday. The sale brings together around 200 lots, including his personal white blouse, graffiti Tabi boots from 1991, photos, drawings, and other objects that span 1984 to 2008. Organized in Paris by Maurice Auction and Kerry Taylor Auctions (the auction houses behind the Mouna Ayoub haute couture sale), the exhibition, conceived under the artistic direction of Martin Margiela, with scenography by Bob Verhelst, opened on Friday and will be welcoming the public through Wednesday, by reservation only. “I felt it was time to let go of a part of my fashion memorabilia,” Margiela said in a statement. He will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale to an association dedicated to the fight against AIDS.

Last but not least, the charity gala for AIDS research, Sidaction Dîner de la Mode, which counts Jean Paul Gaultier as a longtime supporter, will be hosted on Thursday night at Lycée Carnot.