Paris Couture Week 2026 opened with a renewed sense of reverence for craftsmanship, imagination and the enduring power of fashion as art. Against the grandeur of the city’s historic salons and museums, the season unfolded as a study in precision and poetry, where haute couture once again asserted its role as fashion’s most elevated form of expression. And very rightfully so. From the industry leaders such as Dior, Chanel and Schiaparelli to India’s brightest, here are some of our favourite pieces from the Spring 2026 collections.
Schiapparelli
Photo credit: Courtesy of Schiaparelli
Dior
Photo credit: Daniele Oberrauch / Gorunway.com
Chanel
Photo credit: Filippo For / Gorunway.com
Paris Couture Week 2026 Show Stoppers: Indian Designers Shaping the Future of Haute Couture
Amid the international spectacle of the season, Indian designers in particular asserted a powerful presence. Namely, Rahul Mishra and Gaurav Gupta were the real “talks of the season” as their eye-catching couture collections received both critical admiration and global digital attention. Their continued prominence in Paris signals a broader shift, strengthening the influence of Indian craftsmanship within the fashion industry all around the world.
Gaurav Gupta
Gupta’s couture collection Divine Androgyne drew on Indian spiritual philosophy to explore creation through duality, where masculine and feminine energies exist in constant union. Sculptural, body-conscious silhouettes translated into couture, blending cosmic motifs, time symbolism and embroidery with futuristic surfaces. Rooted in sacred Indian references yet universal, the collection represented a meditation on balance, resilience and the merging of origin and future.
Photo credit: Daniele Oberrauch / Gorunway.com
Rahul Mishra
The theme of Mishra’s Alchemy collection was the transformation the five elemental forces into an exercise in sculptural poetry. Through hand embroidery and dramatic construction, earth, water, fire, air and ether was presented as a meditation on transience, craftsmanship and the quiet power of nature. Inspired by time spent in the Himalayas, the collection positioned couture at the intersection of philosophy, artistry and environmental awareness.
Photo: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com
Fashion Legacy That Lives Forever
Paris Couture Week 2026 marked the first presentation of Valentino haute couture without its founder, Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani. Yet his presence remained unmistakable, his legacy woven through every look on the runway. The show unfolded as a reverent tribute, opening with a cinematic homage to Valentino’s lifelong devotion to beauty and fantasy.
Alessandro Michele answered with an immersive presentation that fused historical reference with theatrical spectacle, staging the collection within a kaiserpanorama-inspired set that evoked fashion’s pre-cinematic past. What followed was a procession of richly expressive looks, full of feathers, fluid drapery and an unapologetic romanticism. Held together by Michele’s instinctive sense of drama, costume and showmanship, the collection was grounded, fittingly, in a final declaration of Valentino red.
Valentino
Photo credit: Alessandro Lucioni – Gorunway.com / Courtesy of Valentino
Additionally, should you be looking for some more everyday fashion guidance, have a look at our wishlist. It is safe to say, you will find plenty of shopping inspiration there. Both high street and high end – we made sure to suit all budgets. And yes, all the links are there, too – do not worry, we have got your back.
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Karolina Capova
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