Paris Haute Couture Week Delivers Drama Despite Slimmed‑Down Line‑Up

PARIS — Haute Couture Week | Fall 2025

A pared‑back schedule and a handful of high‑profile absences did little to dim the spectacle in Paris this week, where four shows—Maison Margiela, Chanel, Balenciaga and Giambattista Valli—commanded the spotlight. With Dior and Valentino sitting out and several major houses waiting until September to unveil new creative directors, the runway was clear for scene‑stealing debuts, farewells and one very French‑Italian celebration.

Glenn Martens Reshapes Margiela

• Why it matters: Martens’ inaugural collection marks a new era for the famously avant‑garde house.
• The look: Repurposed leather cracked to the verge of decay, body‑con dresses pieced from mold‑print wallpaper, and models encased in rigid plastic shells or jeweled veils.
• The takeaway: A raw, future‑leaning vision that nods to founder Martin Margiela’s obsession with up‑cycling while reasserting the label’s edge.

Chanel Bids Adieu to Its Studio Team

• Backstory: With Virginie Viard’s exit last year and Mathieu Blazy set to take over in September, Chanel’s in‑house studio delivered a curtain‑call collection.
• Setting: Guests slipped through a side entrance of the Grand Palais into salons echoing Coco Chanel’s original couture quarters—plush cream carpets, mirrored walls and stalks of golden wheat on every seat.
• On the runway: Chartreuse tweed against baby‑blue satin, a black satin halter gown cinched by a utility belt, and tiered lace skirts under double‑breasted coats—each look steeped in Chanel’s storied flirtation with British tweed and Highland romance.
• Sound bite: “Powerful yet graceful… almost gothic,” longtime muse Caroline de Maigret told reporters.

Demna’s Last Bow at Balenciaga

• End of an era: Designer Demna closed his decade at Balenciaga before departing for Gucci, drawing an A‑list crowd that included Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman and even incoming successor Pierpaolo Piccioli.
• Runway moments: Kim Kardashian channeled Elizabeth Taylor in white silk and Taylor’s own earrings; Isabelle Huppert lent Parisian gravitas.
• Collection notes: Exaggerated satin‑lapel polka‑dot coats, an hourglass leather gown, and a houndstooth homage to Cristóbal Balenciaga’s 1967 muse—interspersed with waxed floral prints inspired by Demna’s Georgian childhood tablecloths.
• Legacy: A curtain‑call heavy on bourgeois codes filtered through Demna’s irreverent lens.

Giambattista Valli Celebrates a Double Milestone

• Honor first: Hours after receiving France’s Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the Roman‑born designer unveiled a presentation—no runway—of sorbet‑hued ballgowns bursting with embroidered blooms.
• Designer’s words: The palette, he said, featured “colors you want to smell and eat.”
• Why it resonated: Valli’s exuberant femininity provided a joyful counterpoint to the week’s darker, more conceptual turns.

Looking Ahead

With Chanel, Gucci, Balenciaga (under new leadership), Loewe and Bottega Veneta all poised for September debuts, the couture calendar’s current lull feels more like a deep breath before fashion’s next act. For now, Paris has reminded the industry that even a streamlined lineup can deliver headline‑worthy creativity—one cracked leather jacket, mirrored salon and farewell bow at a time.