Balenciaga unveiled its Summer 2026 collection in Paris, marking Pierpaolo Piccioli’s much-anticipated debut as creative director. Staged at the house headquarters, the show signaled a new chapter for Balenciaga, with Piccioli bringing the color, volume, and couture sensibility that defined his years at Valentino. Drawing from Cristóbal Balenciaga’s radical codes, the designer framed his debut around ideas of simplicity, presence, and freedom.
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The guest list reinforced the significance of the moment. Meghan Markle, Anne Hathaway, Isabelle Huppert, Anna Wintour, Baz Luhrmann, Barbara Palvin, FKA Twigs, Georgina Rodríguez, Vittoria Ceretti, Shailene Woodley, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Kristin Scott Thomas, Megan and Stellan Skarsgård, Krit Amnuaydechkorn, Arthur Fils, Ayaka Miyoshi, PinkPantheress and many more joined a packed front row. Their presence reflected the cultural gravity of Piccioli’s debut and the anticipation surrounding Balenciaga’s new direction.
Piccioli opened with an homage to the 1957 Sack Dress, reinterpreted as a long black V-neck gown styled with white gloves and oversized sunglasses. He followed with balloon skirts, a cocoon coat in absinthe green, a magenta trapeze dress, and a fluid red gown with an asymmetric scarf. Nicolas Ghesquière’s influence appeared through conceptual riding hats, while a reintroduced tunic worn over slim trousers offered an understated yet refined silhouette.
Eveningwear carried much of the collection’s focus, from couture-cut chinos to an oversized white shirt extended into a sweeping train. Absent were the meme-driven gestures of recent seasons, replaced by precision, craft, and optimism. Piccioli’s Balenciaga debut balanced respect for the house’s past with a forward-looking vision shaped by sophistication and presence.
