Published
July 9, 2026
A showcase of classical craftsmanship, unbridled creativity and exacting expertise, Paris Haute Couture Week spotlights the breadth of talent on display.
At Elie Saab, a winter of roses and dreams
For Elie Saab, autumn/winter was awash with roses, lace and feathers, as he unveiled his latest haute couture collection on Wednesday. Entitled “Le Bal des Rêves Indomptés” (The Ball of Untamed Dreams), it saw the designer draw on Magritte and Dalí to imagine “goddess” gowns with ethereal silhouettes.
A year ago, Elie Saab staged his haute couture on the Belle Époque staircase of the Pavillon Cambon, presenting a collection at once opulent, sculptural and imbued with an unapologetic sensuality, exploring the play of folds and counter‑folds. Last January, the spring/summer couture collection took up residence at the Palais de Chaillot for a season inspired by 1970s “hippie chic” Morocco, playing with the reflections and refractions created by pieces that were a striking testament to meticulous craftsmanship.
For Autumn/Winter 2026/27, Elie Saab returned to the Palais de Chaillot, where tourists who had braved the heatwave to admire the Eiffel Tower were also treated to sightings of actress Heart Evangelista, model Poppy Delevingne and socialite Olivia Palermo slipping into the monumental, soon‑to‑be‑nonagenarian Art Deco edifice.
Deep black and burgundy tones commanded the opening looks. Roses were omnipresent—worked as motifs, rendered in embroidery or sculpted in silk on pockets and collars. Where it was not silk or organza providing lustre, gem‑set embellishment took over, illuminating draped gowns often finished with sweeping trains, at times detailed with delicate satin pleats or weighty velvets.
The second chapter shifted to more measured hues—beige, silver, powder pink and, at times, lilac. Here, roses were traced in beaded embroidery; elsewhere, fine fabric flowers entirely cloaked a short dress. The final section of the show reached back to the 1920s with a series of beaded‑fringe dresses whose dancing reliefs played with graduated colour effects.
These gradients recurred throughout, notably on a remarkable mermaid‑line halterneck dress where translucent, shimmering black lace dissolved into powder‑pink featherwork. Feathers also appeared as masks of increasing complexity, culminating in a striking headpiece shaped like a black swan.
At Jean-Paul Gaultier, Duran Lantink is back in the saddle
The Dutch designer’s first collection for Jean-Paul Gaultier met with only muted enthusiasm—so much so that Mr. Gaultier himself stepped in to defend his successor’s talent. Through his eponymous label, the designer had previously captivated the fashion world with innovative explorations of silhouette. A measure of that eccentricity returned on Wednesday evening for his second haute couture outing.
At the brand’s headquarters, in the gallery of the townhouse on Rue Saint‑Martin, near the Grands Boulevards, Lantink presented an Autumn/Winter 2026–27 collection inspired by the equestrian world. References to dressage and show jumping abounded, from long plaits tied at the nape of the neck with a large bow, to riding breeches and jodhpurs that appeared in most looks. The models, women and men alike, advanced through the gallery, where large white sheets were stretched across the walls as if mimicking the gait of a horse in a dressage test, eyeing the front rows under the amused yet tense gaze of the atelier teams seated on the first‑floor balcony.
Under the watchful eye of Jean-Paul Gaultier, accompanied by Catherine Deneuve, the designer showcased his talent—here conjuring a horse, there introducing a subtle imbalance in a double silk‑satin slip dress with a lateral protrusion, or a tapered dress with a ship’s‑prow neckline. A master of disconcerting volumes, he mostly struck deft balances that intrigued without going adrift. He permitted himself nods to the archives, such as an armour‑like dress referencing the 2008–2009 haute couture collection. Yet it is in eccentricity that he truly shone: a voluminous top bristling with long glass‑tube beads and black pearls; a pink feathered dress from which flamingo necks seemed to emerge; and corseted dresses sprouting protrusions.
The 34‑look show culminated in a gripping, rhythmic finale devised by Frédéric Sanchez, heralding the entrance of an imposing duchess whose dress flared dramatically, with tubular side extensions and cascading layers of silk and polyamide tulle in burgundy.
And this time, a standing ovation greeted the designer’s bow, as he stamped his mark on the Puig‑owned house.
Stéphane Rolland brings Dalida back to life for a haute couture show at the Olympia
The first notes of Dalida’s music echoed through the Olympia even before the first model appeared. For his Autumn/Winter 2026–2027 haute couture collection, Stéphane Rolland took over the legendary venue where the singer wrote some of the finest chapters of her career. Inspired by her return to the stage in the early 1970s, the designer did not seek to replicate an icon, but to convey, through thirty‑three silhouettes, the renewed strength of a woman who has come back from her wounds.
The show began to the first notes of “Il y a Toujours une Chanson”, performed by Dalida at the Olympia in 1977. The runway, installed as an extension of the stage, transformed the theatre into a catwalk and immediately immersed the audience in the singer’s world. The show closed with “Helwa Ya Baladi”, performed by Oumaima Taleb, bringing this musical interlude to a close like a final encore.
A few hours before the show, Stéphane Rolland explained to FashionNetwork.com that he had drawn his inspiration from a very specific period in the artist’s life.
“We didn’t want to portray the Dalida that everyone imagines. We focused on the early 1970s, when she returned from India and took to the stage at the Olympia once more. She was different, more serene, dressed entirely in white, with softer make‑up. It was this woman who inspired us.”
This rebirth suffused the entire collection. The first silhouettes emerged dressed almost exclusively in white, ecru or cream. For Stéphane Rolland, this colour went beyond a mere palette: it evoked both light and celebration, allowing the crêpe, gazar, chiffon and organza to capture every ray cast onto the runway. Long capes floated behind the models, while the volumes seemed suspended in the air, sometimes giving the impression that the figures were gliding rather than walking.
Among the most striking passages was an immaculate dress with a plunging neckline, extended by a spectacular skirt sculpted from great plumes of feathers. The material seemed to vibrate in time with the model’s steps, as if each movement summoned a new relief. More than a garment, the silhouette read as a presence—light, yet monumental.
A few looks later, a voluminous white coat completely enveloped a figure from which only a red collar discreetly peeks. As the model advanced, this immaculate cocoon parted to reveal a monochrome scarlet ensemble comprising a high‑necked top and a long, straight skirt, both emphasised with imposing crystal embroidery. The effect broke with the earlier whiteness and marked a genuine shift in register—as if the scene had suddenly caught fire.
The narrative then intensified with the arrival of black. A long dress with architectural volumes, extended by a spectacular train, imposes an almost theatrical silhouette, whilst a sculptural necklace frames the model’s face.
The work of the ateliers played a key role in this mise‑en‑scène. “All the embroidery is crafted from precious stones. I must pay tribute to our ateliers, which have done an exceptional job. Everything is made in Paris, in the purest tradition of haute couture,” emphasised the designer.
Rock crystal, amethysts, quartz and other gemstones punctuated the silhouettes with glints that caught the light without ever tipping into ostentation.
Beyond the collection, Stéphane Rolland also championed a particular vision of haute couture. “We are one of the few completely independent houses. We self‑produce, and the entire collection is created in Paris by around thirty people. We also have a responsibility: to pass on this expertise to younger generations,” he explained.
This commitment is reflected in his business model. Without a boutique, the house receives clients exclusively by appointment in its Parisian salons.
“We want to offer a unique experience. Even our semi‑couture is crafted almost like haute couture. Each client is welcomed personally; the dress is tailored to her wishes and a bespoke mannequin is created to her measurements. For me, true luxury is the service,” said Rolland.
As they left the stage to the final notes of “Helwa Ya Baladi”, the thirty‑three silhouettes closed a collection that sought not so much to recount Dalida’s life as to rekindle the emotion of her comeback. For the duration of the show, the Olympia rediscovered one of its most iconic voices—this time translated into the language of haute couture.
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