Code couture: the first show after Valentino's death and the Russian designer's show

The French capital hosts the Spring-summer 2026 Haute Couture Week from January 26 to 29. Valentino hosted the first show after the death of the founder of the house, Valentino Garavani, and forced the star guests to spy on the show. Schiaparelli created replicas of jewelry stolen from the Louvre, and released the "scorpion sisters" on the catwalk. Chanel has radically rethought classic tweed suits. And Dior made 95-year-old seamstress Paulette Boncourt, who worked for decades in the brand's atelier, its main star. As part of the event, the collection was traditionally presented by Russian designer Yulia Yanina. For more information, see the Izvestia article.

Valentino

One of the main events of the new couture Fashion Week in Paris was the Valentino show, which took place on January 28, a week and a half after the death of its founder Valentino Garavani. The show took on a special meaning and became a tribute to the memory of the great couturier.

The white jacket became a direct reference to the historical "white collection" of Garavani in 1968. Austere elegance was replaced by bold and deliberately theatrical models: dresses with long hems, voluminous sleeves and collars, colorful headdresses-crowns, feathers, luxurious capes.

Creative director Alessandro Michele relied not only on the collection, but also on the presentation. He abandoned the podium in the classical sense. Round rooms were built in the screening room, in which models appeared. The guests peeked at what was happening in each of them from the outside through small windows. Everything was set to energetic techno, which was replaced by classical music and vice versa. Kirsten Dunst, Dakota Johnson, Elton John, and even the star of the Turkish hit "Knock on My Door", Hande Ercel, were among those watching the trends of the upcoming spring-summer season.

The show of the Russian designer Yulia Yanina

The Russian fashion house Yanina Couture, led by Russian designer Yulia Yanina, continues to participate in the event outside the official schedule. The show took place in the historic center of Paris, where Coco Chanel's boutique, atelier and apartments have been located since the 1920s. The choice of location is not accidental. The spring-summer 2026 collection is dedicated to the life of the founder of the Chanel house, who has become a symbol of Haute Couture.

Russians Russian culture and friendship with many prominent Russian personalities influenced Coco Chanel's work. This is Diaghilev, this is Stravinsky, and all the great ballet artists — Vaclav Nijinsky, Serge Lifar," Yulia Yanina told Izvestia. This could not but be reflected in her collections. Elements of the Russian costume were found in many Chanel collections. It's very nice. We also took advantage of this. The decorative theme is rich and laborious, and it is readable — nature, floral motifs, a very veiled camellia and, of course, an ear of corn, which is close to the Russian people as a symbol of happiness, fertility, and good luck.

She used traditional Russian techniques — Vladimir's upper seams, gold embroidery, and a tambour seam. Another technique is the evolution of color. The black and white palette refers to life in the orphanage at the Aubazine Abbey, where the character of Gabrielle Chanel, the future Coco, was formed. Gradually, light appears in them — shades of ivory, beige and gold.

Among the guests of the show were foreign and Russian celebrities: opera star Anna Netrebko, Italian influencer Valentina Ferragni, Belarusian supermodel Tatiana Diaghilev and others.

Chanel

The Chanel house itself on the Paris catwalk will be remembered for the debut of Mathieu Blazy, who was previously known to the fashion public for his work with Bottega Veneta. On the one hand, he turned to the recognizable traditions of the brand, on the other — he gave free rein to his imagination, which attracted the guests of the show from the threshold. The Grand Palais Palace, where Chanel shows traditionally take place, has turned into a pink forest where huge mushrooms have grown and weeping willows have overhung.

Blazy reinterpreted classical forms. Instead of recognizable tweed suits, translucent ones were shown, made of chiffon and striving for a feeling of weightlessness. In the new interpretation, the little black dress has acquired a midi length. He also showed a new look at the traditional wedding finale — instead of a magnificent dress, Indian model Bavita Mandava appeared in a costume made of pearl-colored petal scales. Feathers and fancy embroidery in the form of mushrooms added freshness and light mood to the images. Star guests came to support the designer — Dua Lipa, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Tilda Swinton, Vanessa Paradis, Anna Wintour and Russian businesswoman Olga Karput.

Schiaparelli

The images of the star guests of the screenings become a separate show. Schiaparelli, who traditionally opened Paris Haute Couture Week, started it before the models took to the runway. Daniel Roseberry, the creative director of the fashion house, turned out to be a man well versed not only in the fashion agenda, but also in the news. He created replicas of jewelry stolen from the Louvre. Among other guests, actress Teyana Taylor appeared in them, the star of the film "Battle for Battle" with Leonardo DiCaprio, who will soon compete for the Oscar.

Teyana Taylor

Photo: REUTERS/Abdul Saboor

The brand presented a collection called "Agony and Ecstasy". The idea came to the designer when he was in search of creative work in the Vatican. At the last moment, he decided to visit the Sistine Chapel, whose painted walls inspired Roseberry.

— This revelation has influenced every detail of this collection. The sharp strokes and quick swirls turned into scorpion tails. I drew stingers and snake teeth, chimeric archetypes of high fashion, with venom woven into the silhouettes. I knew that these reptilian/arachnid creatures, these "infantas terribles" as I called them, would become the heroes of the collection.: They will be gravity—defying birds, bold in color, explosive in silhouette," says Daniel Roseberry.

All these animals seemed to be on the catwalk in luxurious fantasy dresses: one is decorated with a fan of feathers from black to red, the other is embroidered with iridescent crystals of the color of absinthe, reminiscent of peacock tail patterns, the third with a spiral under the wings of a butterfly, made entirely by hand from lace. The "scorpion sisters" also appeared on the catwalk - a jacket and a bustier with a tail on the back. Artificial bird heads are used as accessories. These fantasies, Roseberry explains, are a tribute to nature and a reference to Elsa Schiaparelli's fascination with the animal world.

Dior

Another debut of Paris Haute Couture Week is Jonathan Anderson's couture collection as creative director of Dior, which became part of the house in the summer of 2025. He was now given a particularly high level of trust — his predecessor John Galliano was present at the show, as well as 95-year-old seamstress Paulette Boncourt, who had given decades to the Dior atelier. The latter outshone the other star guests (Rihanna, Tilda Swinton, Jennifer Lawrence and others) and attracted all the attention to herself — Boncour appeared in neat black shoes and a strict gray coat with a bag around her neck.

Dior also turned to nature. The central theme of the spring-summer collection was the aesthetics of a blooming garden. This is a reference to Christine Dior's passion for gardening. The podium space turned into an installation: suspended cyclamen decorated the ceiling, and mirrored walls created the feeling of an endless space surrounded by greenery.

Jonathan Anderson rethought the archives of 1947 — instead of classic maxi dresses, mini, knitwear, fitted silhouettes, draperies and voluminous clutches prevailed on the catwalk. The creators found inspiration in the works of Kenyan-British artist Magdalena Odundo, whose baked clay vessels with their smooth shapes are reflected in the catwalk images. Floral motifs resounded in bud dresses and embroidery, and the bold color palette moved away from pastel cliches, presenting juicy shades.