Couture Week is known for fame, spectacle and the intersection of the two, all of which are intrinsic to fashion’s most florid week. As the industry’s most revered arm, we can’t deny that haute couture holds a particularly special place in our hearts.
And it seems the celebrity set feel the same, turning out in force to witness the collections from the front row.
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If the couture shows back in January marked the beginning of a new creative era, autumn/winter 2026 is where those visions begin to crystallise. A debut may introduce a designer’s intent, but it’s the second collection that reveals whether there’s a lasting point of view.
With Jonathan Anderson at Dior and Matthieu Blazy at Chanel presenting their sophomore couture outings, this season is less about impact and more about defining a new house identity.
While the collections remain at the heart of Paris Couture Week, the front row has become a spectacle in its own right. Thanks to the week’s rarefied guest list, off-schedule fashion moments are almost guaranteed.
Already, we’ve seen Emma Corrin descend on the Petit Palais in a feathered jacket of pastel plumage, complete with talon-like claws erupting from the bust and shoulder blades. Meanwhile, over at Dior, Sabrina Carpenter arrived fresh from her whirlwind weekend celebrating Taylor Swift’s wedding at Madison Square Garden. Fittingly, after Swift chose Dior Haute Couture for her bridal gown, Carpenter also embraced an ethereal all-white look, wearing a delicately draped lace dress with an ankle-grazing skirt, sculptural 3D floral appliqués blooming across the shoulder and hip, and cascading feather tufts adding another layer of texture.
With much of the schedule still ahead, including Pierpaolo Piccioli’s hotly anticipated haute couture debut for Balenciaga, we’ll be watching just as closely for the front-row arrivals as the collections themselves.
Ahead, our favourite front row looks so far.