Changing of the Guard: Fashion's Season of New Voices

Fashion News

CELINE Eté 2026

This Fashion Month wasn’t about shock value; it was about succession.

Across Paris and Milan, some of fashion’s most storied houses passed the torch to new creative directors, each tasked with balancing reverence and rebellion. The result? A season defined by transition, where heritage met hesitation, and modernity arrived with a steady hand rather than a shout.

Balenciaga: Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Soft Revolution

Pierpaolo Piccioli’s first Balenciaga show, The Heartbeat, opened with a quiet kind of drama; no dystopian sets, no chaos, just pure form.

The collection reintroduced the house’s sculptural soul: cocoon coats, tunic draping, and fabrics that seemed to hover rather than cling. After years of ironic spectacle, this was a moment of sincerity and a nod of reverence to Cristóbal Balenciaga.

Piccioli didn’t chase relevance; he restored humanity. His Balenciaga was tender where it used to be tense, and proof that emotion can be the new edge.

Dior: Jonathan Anderson Deconstructs the Divine Feminine

Jonathan Anderson’s anticipated debut for Dior was an exercise in tension. He approached the house’s sacred codes, such as the New Look, the Bar jacket, and the hourglass, and pulled at every seam.

Peplums slouched, collars collapsed, and hems defied symmetry. It wasn’t rebellion for its own sake but a question of what femininity means when perfection is passé.

Some saw hesitation; we saw precision, particularly with the accessories. Either way, Anderson made Dior breathe again, giving the maison an injection of fun while maintaining intellect and making key pieces gloriously alive.

Bottega Veneta: Louise Trotter’s Quiet Command

Louise Trotter’s Bottega Veneta debut was proof that calm can still captivate.

Her collection gave the audience texture, movement, and composure, redefining what “quiet luxury” can be. Intrecciato leather was reimagined as sculpture, lean tailoring flexed and flowed, and dresses whispered rather than screamed.

Trotter designs for people who move through the world, not pose for it. In a season obsessed with noise, her restraint felt like power.

Versace: Dario Vitale and the Return of Desire

Dario Vitale’s arrival at Versace marked the house’s first era beyond the family name, and it worked.

His debut replaced the bombast with clarity: sharp vests, liquid tailoring, bare backs, and a precision that turned sensuality into strength. It was still very Donatella's Versace, just distilled.

Vitale’s message was clear: sex appeal doesn’t have to be spectacle. It can be smart, subtle, and beautifully cut.

Mugler: Miguel Castro Freitas Cuts a New Code

At Mugler, Miguel Castro Freitas brought discipline to decadence. His debut kept the sharp silhouettes and body armour the house is known for, but with an architect’s restraint.

Corsetry softened, latex gleamed like liquid glass, tailoring moved with purpose.

It was Mugler for a new decade, still commanding, but less about performance and more about presence.

Jean Paul Gaultier: Duran Lantink’s Joyful Rebellion

Duran Lantink’s first ready-to-wear collection for Jean Paul Gaultier was irreverent in all the right ways.

He took the house’s icons of stripes, cone bras, and tattoo prints, and flipped them into something fresh, genderless, and joyous.

Lantink’s approach felt less like homage, more like dialogue. It was Gaultier’s spirit, remixed for a generation that refuses to pick a lane.

Céline Été 2026 Collection: Michael Rider Evolves the Formula

Presented on October 6 in Paris, Michael Rider’s second collection for Céline cemented his emerging vision for the house.

Building on the foundations he laid in his debut, Rider refined the Céline vocabulary with fluid tailoring that skimmed the body, collegiate knits, and softened edges. The result was classic Céline re-energised; intellectual, understated, and quietly confident.

The collection’s ripple effect was immediate. Its polished minimalism and measured sensuality echoed across Paris, reaffirming Rider’s steady hand and instinct for contemporary refinement.

Chanel: Matthieu Blazy’s Celestial Reset

The most recent debut, Matthieu Blazy’s first for Chanel, arrived under a sky of planets.

His show on October 6 unfolded like a cosmic rebirth: tweeds layered with fluid satin, airy knits, and featherlight volume that nodded to Coco’s modernism without freezing it in time.

Blazy’s Chanel is built on movement and wonder; heritage with an orbit. It was emotional, a touch surreal, and exactly the reset the house needed.

Courrèges: Light, Line, and Future Tense

Elsewhere in Paris, Nicolas Di Felice continued his reign at Courrèges with a study in futuristic minimalism.

Second-skin silhouettes, helmet veils, boots that fused into leggings — all underscored by a rotating, light-bathed set. The effect was both clinical and sensual, like space-age intimacy.

In a week of emotion and excess, Courrèges reminded everyone that restraint can still seduce.

The Takeaway: Renewal Over Noise

After years of chaos, fashion finally feels like it’s slowing down, but not standing still. This season’s debuts weren’t about burning down the past; they were about lighting it differently.

Piccioli gave Balenciaga its soul back. Anderson cracked open Dior’s perfection. Trotter redefined quiet power. Blazy’s Chanel shimmered with new gravity.

If last decade’s designers fought for attention, this generation seems to be fighting for meaning. The revolution, it turns out, is quieter than expected.

By Jheanelle Feanny