Get the lowdown on the debut collections from the new creative directors of Chanel, Dior, Alexander McQueen and Jean Paul Gaultier
A model showcasing the Dior Spring/Summer 2026 womenswear collection, presented in Paris. Photo: AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard
Matthieu Blazy’s finale look for Chanel at Paris Fashion Week. Photo: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Seán McGirr’s woven chainmail dress for Alexander McQueen at Paris Fashion Week. Photo: Getty
JW Anderson’s peplum blazer and pleated skirt for Christian Dior at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month. Photo: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images
Duran Lantinks morphsuit of a hairy naked man for Jean Paul Gaultier: Photo: Getty
Jonathan Anderson
With new designers at the helm of some of the most iconic houses, the recent Paris Fashion Week saw some seismic shifts in the style landscape as we know it. Debuting their spring/summer 2026 ready-to-wear collections, Northern Ireland’s JW Anderson dared to enter the house of Dior, Dubliner Seán McGirr paid homage to Alexander McQueen’s provocative ethos, Matthieu Blazy pushed Chanel into a new era, and Duran Lantink, well, he certainly did something at Jean Paul Gaultier.
Matthieu Blazy’s finale look for Chanel at Paris Fashion Week. Photo: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Chanel
French-born designer Matthieu Blazy began as a menswear designer at Raf Simons before moving to the house of Maison Margiela and now he’s taking on the house of Chanel – one of the most influential and well-respected brands in the fashion sphere. His predecessor, Virginie Viard, took over after Karl Lagerfeld’s death. A difficult role for anyone to fill, rather than make the brand her own, Viard got caught in what Chanel was and not where it was going. Much like the founder of the house, Gabrielle Chanel, Blazy took his cue from menswear, putting models in oversized white shirts from Charvet. The suit jackets were boxy and masculine, and he kept things fresh with low-waisted suit trousers that the ‘underwear’ jutted out of. Blazy opted for draped dresses rather than form fitting – authentic for a brand originally conceived to remove restrictions from the everyday woman.
The running theme in this show was texture. The classic Chanel tweed was showcased with metallic threads running throughout, partaking in a neutral colour palate. The final look was a dress with a humble white silk T-shirt on top that exploded into a feather-adorned, voluminous dream at the waist. The colour palette of the feathers mimicked the intergalactic theme of the show. Blazy pushed Chanel into its own stratosphere.
JW Anderson’s peplum blazer and pleated skirt for Christian Dior at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month. Photo: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images
Dior
JW Anderson’s Dior show was the most coveted invite in town – especially given that it took the form of a porcelain plate. As he proved during his time at Loewe, Anderson is a man unafraid to rock the boat – yet, much like Blazy, he sees the history of the brand as a north star to guide him. At the beginning of the show, an upside down pyramid hung from the ceiling reading ‘Do you dare enter?’ I wonder if this was a question for the audience or rather for Anderson himself as Dior is his biggest undertaking to date.
His first womenswear collection for the brand was feminine yet sculptural. Models wore pleated gowns that twisted around their waists and formed into circle skirts finished with bows. Anderson manipulated fabric to give a contemporary take on modern classics like suit trousers and peplum blazers. Oversized bows bounced behind models in transparent gowns while they walked. The grey peplum co-ord nodded to the original design of Christian Dior, while flipping the look on its head and distorting it.
A common thread running throughout the show was high-low dressing; Anderson mixed woollen and silk capes with denim mini skirts, some paired with reimagined buccaneer hats. A special mention must be given to Anderson’s accessories, such as the bunny ear stiletto, his chic suede Dior bucket bag and his bold, modern jewellery.
Seán McGirr’s woven chainmail dress for Alexander McQueen at Paris Fashion Week. Photo: Getty
Alexander McQueen
Two years on from his appointment as creative director, Seán McGirr was drawing from the designs of the brand’s founder. He showed daring bottoms which McQueen himself coined as ‘bumsters’: a waistline so low that your derriere peeks out above it.
A distressed theme ran throughout the show in tattered hemlines and shredded dresses. McGirr paid close attention to the early work of McQueen by giving his own take on the chainmail dress, laced bodices and nods to the 18th and 19th century Gothic style which is a constant source of inspiration for the house.
Duran Lantinks morphsuit of a hairy naked man for Jean Paul Gaultier: Photo: Getty
John Paul Gaultier
Dutchman Duran Lantink’s debut collection as artistic director of Jean Paul Gaultier felt more like he was making fun of his brand rather than paying homage to its roots. Founder Gaultier pushed boundaries and led with sexuality in an unexpected yet camp way, such as in the use of prints of X-rays or body heat maps to showcase the female form. Lantink’s take on this was to put a model in a cheap-looking morphsuit of a hairy, naked man with genitals on full display. I’m no prude, but this was plain vulgar.
The show also featured motocross pants which felt out of place and patchwork leggings that would lead you to believe Bozo the clown shrunk them in the wash. One saving grace of the show was a two-piece trench coat with exaggerated shoulders. I do sympathise with Lantink somewhat because Gaultier will always fit better in the couture world. Take Simone Rocha’s stint at the brand in 2024. Gowns were transparent, bra cups were pointed and sailor caps were donned. Proving risque does not equal vulgar, she hit the mark of camp sexuality while creating beautiful pieces that paid homage to the brand’s history.