A return to craft and contemplation for Haute Couture
What is the role of couture collections in 2026? It is a question designers seemed to be grappling with this haute couture season. Couture remains the pinnacle of luxury_ yet in a world in flux_ recent seasons have sometimes rendered its ostentatious creations more vanity project than wearable proposition. This season_ however_ some voices – both new and established – reminded audiences to return the focus to the clothes themselves_ while simultaneously inviting a sense of the fantastical.
A new perspective
A return to the clothes_ however_ did not mean a loss of splendor. Just days after the fashion world bid final farewell to Valentino Garavani_ creative director Alessandro Michele presented his second couture collection for the Roman fashion house. The opening look of the collection_ titled Specula Mundi_ was a plunging batwing gown in striking crimson – a clear tribute to Valentino and his iconic shade of carmine_ first introduced in his debut collection in 1959. Yet it was not the garments alone that set the tone. It was the manner in which they were presented_ signalling a shift in how couture is consumed.
Viewed on a hanger_ Michele_s clothes were a lavish mix of 1920s and 1970s glamour_ gowns fit for showgirls and eccentrics alike. But the presentation itself transformed the experience. The collection was not shown on a runway_ instead_ it was displayed through twelve Kaiserpanoramas_ compelling the audience to observe each creation through individual peepholes.
“The image doesn_t overwhelm the spectator_ not yet; it educates him. It teaches one to stay still_ to focus the gaze_ and to assume a position built on attention_” wrote Michele in the accompanying show notes.
In effect_ Michele taught his audience to slow down_ to be present_ and to focus on the garments rather than the phone screens that now dominate most fashion shows. This makes the title of the collection – Mirror of the World – all the more poignant. Michele both directs attention to the clothes and reflects the world of couture itself_ which traditionally ignores instability rather than responding to it. In Valentino Couture_s case_ that world is preserved behind small square windows_ offering only the chosen few a focused glimpse of its splendour.
Through this deliberate interplay of clothing and presentation_ Michele demonstrates that couture_s relevance in 2026 lies not in spectacle alone_ but in its ability to command attention_ cultivate contemplation_ and remind the world that fashion at its apex is meant to be both seen and savoured.
Couture as an antidote?
The horrors persist in the world_ but so_ somehow_ does Daniel Roseberry_s fantastical vision of fashion. In a news cycle that makes even the most hardened among us crave escape_ the designer offered precisely that: a temporary suspension of reality_ something so unapologetically imaginative it felt almost improbable. At first glance_ this might appear at odds with the notion of couture returning to _real_ clothes – after all_ these garments were anything but real. Yet their purpose_ their very reason for existing_ was firmly anchored in the present. Roseberry suggested that couture in 2026 need not mirror reality_ but could respond to it by reaffirming the value of beauty at a time when the world feels increasingly bleak.
For Schiaparelli_s Spring/Summer 2026 Haute Couture collection_ titled The Agony and the Ecstasy_ Roseberry turned to Michelangelo_s Sistine Chapel – not as a literal narrative source_ but as an emotional one. Rather than translating frescoes into garments_ he sought to capture the visceral sensations they provoke: awe_ vulnerability_ tension and transcendence. This approach defined the collection_s heartbeat: couture not as literal storytelling_ but as an invitation to experience sensation rather than to decode symbolism.
That philosophy materialised in a series of reptilian and arachnid features – scorpion tails_ snake teeth and chimera-like silhouettes – all rendered in explosive_ gravity-defying forms. These creations balanced extraordinary technical rigour with a sense of unrestrained imagination_ garments that felt alive in their excess. Here_ fantasy was not escapism for its own sake_ but a deliberate strategy: a reminder that craft and creativity_ pushed to their limits_ can still provoke emotion in an oversaturated visual culture.
It is therefore not a stretch to assume that Roseberry_s collection was never intended primarily to be sold_ but to inspire. At a time when both couture and ready-to-wear increasingly privilege commercial clarity over narrative ambition_ The Agony and the Ecstasy stood as a quiet rebuttal. Its relevance lay not in wearability_ but in intent.
New couture
And then there were the newcomers_ Jonathan Anderson and Mathieu Blazy_ each showing their first couture collections for Dior and Chanel respectively. Two of the most anticipated collections of the season – and the year – yet those seeking instant spectacle might have been surprised. While wholly different_ both visions centred on clothing_ craft and careful attention to detail.
This is not to say that magic or poetry were absent. There was plenty of both_ alongside excursions into nature_ but above all_ there was lightness. At Dior_ this was evident in a flower-filled venue that invited comparison with Raf Simons_ own couture debut_ before florals and fauna migrated onto the runway itself. The collection mirrored that atmosphere. Voluminous tunics of delicate feathers hovered over flowing silk trousers_ while cashmere knits draped effortlessly off one shoulder atop short wrap kilts. Slim tank tops paired with jacquard skirts_ their waists puffed in a playful inversion of the traditional bustle_ blending elegance with ease. Even a narrow black python coat offered only a subtle nod to the shrunken Bar silhouette_ one of the few overt references to Dior_s heritage.
Beyond the garments_ handbags were central to Anderson_s vision_ bridging creative expression and commercial strategy. The collection encompassed jewellery forged from meteorites and bags upcycled from 18th-century textiles_ offering clients – and the wider public – new ways to engage with the painstaking craftsmanship at the heart of the house. Speaking to The Business of Fashion ahead of his first couture presentation_ Anderson emphasised that Dior couture exists to preserve skills that might otherwise vanish_ a responsibility that continues to shape his approach and illuminates the enduring value of couture in 2026.
A value that both Dior and Chanel clearly share is a devotion to craft_ much like the nature motifs that framed both venues. As Blazy noted in his show notes_ “Haute Couture is the very soul of Chanel. It is the foundation and the full expression of the house.” Yet he chose whimsy over realism for his debut_ at least when it came to set design. The Grand Palais was transformed into a forest of oversized mushrooms on a pale pink carpet_ accompanied first by Walt Disney_s Sleeping Beauty and ending unexpectedly with Oasis_ “Wonderwall.”
Those expecting fantastical_ princess-like gowns were met with a more understated reality. The opening looks were restrained_ yet the collection fulfilled couture_s true purpose: to reveal the extraordinary skill of an atelier capable of transforming delicate fabrics into near-silent masterpieces. Blazy opened with a nude chiffon reinterpretation of the classic Chanel tweed suit_ its sheer layers barely held by fine chains and pearls_ stripping away familiar signifiers and introducing details distinctly of Blazy himself. Tank tops and jeans appeared in trompe-l_œil organza_ nodding to his work at Bottega Veneta_ while fringes and feathers punctuated the collection_ marrying technical virtuosity with playful elegance.
In an age dominated by instant social media reactions_ where a show can be judged as “boring” within minutes_ it is easy to overlook subtlety. Couture does not need to overwhelm or dazzle to justify its place. Its significance often lies in quiet complexity_ the precision of technique_ and innovations that reveal themselves only through careful attention and repeated viewing – qualities that remain central to its purpose in 2026.
