Paris Women’s F/W 2026 Highlights Part 5

From Tracht to Dietrich

Chloé

For F/W 2026, Chemena Kamali’s Chloé woman seems to go through a minor grunge phase. The opening of the collection was full of tartan and plaid: frilly skirts and dresses that carried through the whole show. Some had elongated blazers on top; others were full-on plaid flounce. Her interest this season was folklore, craft, and traditional costuming. Not just for the aesthetic of it—she’s mostly highlighting the work behind a garment: the craft, the skill, the people and the communities behind those skills. We can assume that a large percentage of those skilled people are women, which makes this feel utterly Chloé in itself—and also like something we need a little bit more of at the moment: togetherness. With this focus on handcraft techniques came a sense of eeriness, almost amuletic in the way one black dress, worn by Mona Tougaard or the same dress in white worn by German model Julia Stegner towards the end, could easily be the costume of the main character in any elven-adjacent or mythical flick. The Chloé logotype belt got an overhaul and is now made up of four horses and their feet intertwining in a way to spell out Chloé–super smart.  There was also a pinkish knitted look that had a slight Trachten vibe, with flowery patterns—something worth highlighting. After all, this creative director is a woman from Germany heading a major luxury house. A few nods to home add a personal touch, which Chloé doesn’t lack, but which certainly feels deepened with this great-looking celebration of craft and care that was Chloé F/W 2026

Chloé F/W 2026

Chloé F/W 2026

Chloé F/W 2026

Plaid flounce

Chloé F/W 2026

Chemena Kamali was leaning into folkloristic practices 

Mona Tougaard for Chloé F/W 2026

Mona Tougaard for Chloé F/W 2026

Trachten vibe

Slight Trachten vibe

Chemena Kamali‘s F/W 2026 collection for Chloé

Chemena Kamali‘s F/W 2026 collection for Chloé

Carven

Observing Mark Thomas’ work at the brand Carven – where he’s worked for many years and now gets to creatively helm – is a pleasure. His approach is about crafting desirable clothing for women without chasing trends. Color is kept deliberately quiet, with the emphasis being on materiality, the choice of fabric and the patterns he cuts them into. This was a more chic and „women walking about town“ collection in contrast to his first show, which was a tad more laid back and casual. Showing in a different location than usual – not in their HQ – underlined this invigorating esprit this F/W 2026 collection had while still keeping elements of homey comfort: Carpet tassels on a double-layered floor-length coat, fuzzy slippers, negligé organza lace on dresses or this one gown fully looking like a draped curtain situation. Going for a more loose-fitting silhouette and a touch of military tailoring made for a solid Carven F/W 2026 lineup.

 

Carven F/W 2026

Carven F/W 2026

Carven F/W 2026

Quiet coloring

Carven F/W 2026

Focus on materiality and cut

Carven F/W 2026

Roomy silhouettes

Carven F/W 2026

Draped curtain dress

Carven F/W 2026

Military edge

Rick Owens

This was a silhouette wild ride: for Rick Owens F/W 2026, the sky was the limit. In the first half of the show, Owens stretched his models to elongated extremes; in the second half, he fully exploded proportions with the most voluminous furry coats we have ever seen — all worn by the tallest models on towering platform heels. Titled “Tower”, the collection began with fittingly towering silhouettes: long gowns in shiny leather, wool, or Kevlar — a material typically used for performance wear or bulletproof apparel, making a statement in itself. These flowed into some super wearable outerwear if you look past all the Rick-Owens-styling-extremes, layered with additional vests that either raised the collar or broadened the shoulders, again, for the towering effect. Speaking of collars: They were a standout detail. Owens added a throat latch, normally only found on well made trench coats, across most of his jackets: leather, wool or felt and it looked great. He also introduced a new shorts style, extended around the belly, either flapping or standing stiff depending on fabric, cut mid-thigh — creating a silhouette where tops pool into the shorts. The macramé mask from the men’s collection returned, now reworked as a dress, apparently requiring 4,000 meters of cord. Wow. And, a nod to one of his greatest admirations, Marlene Dietrich, Owens closed the show with reinterpretations of her iconic white swansdown coat she wore towards the end of her career on stage — but in the familiar Rick Owens way.

Rick Owens F/W 2026

Rick Owens F/W 2026 

Rick Owens F/W 2026

Towering silhouettes

Rick Owens F/W 2026

Great outerwear in luxe fabrics

Rick Owens F/W 2026

The reworked throat latch detail

Rick Owens F/W 2026

4000 meter cord macramé dresses

Rick Owens F/W 2026

Marlene Dietrich on the moodboard for the coats