Welcome to our new series: an unfiltered, stream of consciousness Paris fashion week fall 2026 diary recounting the real life moments, thoughts, and magical highlights that make the best week of fashion month so interesting.
On the second day of Paris Fashion Week, I left my hotel shortly before 10AM, wearing one of my most-asked about almost-vintage maxi dresses from Vivienne Tam, with a jacket from Iris Apfel’s collection and my favorite Dior saddle bag of all time.
The day began at Zomer, which I didn’t realize until I arrived was also open to the public via the Watch Party, set up by the influencer Ly.as. Models walked through the theater while the big screen displayed all the details; it was definitely an interesting format but I found the screen distracting. If you’ve been following the discourse, we’re at a particularly interesting time where content creators are claiming ownership of ideas (like the watch party), trends predictions, and formats that some may say have existed in the industry for years pre-TikTok-ification. I remember when Balmain projected its show on a huge screen and invited non-industry insiders to the show on the outskirts of Paris years ago, and I remember attending Instagram’s Met Gala watch party for years too. I also know writers, stylists, and editors have been covering trends for decades, but aren’t as loud as video content creators who sometimes talk about some of the same ideas, months or years later. Does having a larger, louder, more chronically online audience automatically mean you own an idea? It’s an interesting question. At the end of the show, the influencer took a bow rather than the designer. I’m so glad to see people finding voices in fashion; I also think there’s room for everyone to exist.
Still, l loved the geometric colorful nose-pieces at Zomer. The next stop was Marie Adam-Leenaerdt, where they had numbered stools that they told us to grab and sit anywhere. We were told we could keep the stool but that wasn’t going to happen with my already-overpacked suitcase. This designer previously worked under Demna and you could see some of his influence in her collection. With Demna now at Gucci, it really feels like there’s now an entire new generation of designers who now exhibit some of the core codes associated with him. Not a bad thing. After all, Demna is one of the biggest followers of Martin Margiela’s rule book, retrofitted for his own aesthetic, (he began his career at the company). I love seeing the references and artifacts of designers’s resumes woven throughout their work. Most importantly, I loved the silky pink coat with fur lining, and red python boots.
I had a break and went vintage shopping at two of the best secondhand boutiques I’ve ever been to in my life. (I’ll share more soon.) I watched the Dior livestream. Very pretty and it reminded me of one of my favorite Karl Lagerfeld collections; Chanel Resort 2013. I visited the Roger Vivier archives later in the week and saw the original 1950s rose shoes for Dior by Roger Vivier, that Jonathan Anderson pretty much recreated. Anderson is such a strong accessories designer, it’s so interesting to see him interpreting ready-to-wear on such a large scale at Dior.
Next was Matières Fécales; absolutely the most thought-provoking, intense, interesting and technically impressive collection of PFW. It’s totally amazing how they get better every single season. The designer duo juxtaposed their upbringings (poor versus rich) to concoct their own take on the idea of the “one percent” and the thesis of power through clothing, full with symbolism (blinded by money!) but also incredibly groundbreakingly beautiful clothes, with all kinds of unconventional models with really prolific makeup and body modifications.
Matières Fécales’s collection included a few looks designed as a sort of redux of Dior’s New Look, tailored to perfection, which was the ultimate contrast to Dior’s show earlier that day. Daphne Guinness, McQueen icon, wore a silverly mermaid dress and reverse carved platforms, stumbling down the runway; for the final walk I think everyone thought she’d take them off but she didn’t. She fell right in front of me, withering down to the floor like a collapsing building in the middle of the worst kind of natural disaster. I was shocked; it was the most intense model fall I’ve ever seen. But she’s such an icon and the collection was so strong, I don’t think it added any negative feelings to the overall presentation and her recovery was smooth. Matières Fécales really feels like it’s in a class of its own in terms of creativity and craft right now.
I stopped by the showroom for The Vintage Project, based in Beverly Hills, and saw one of the Prada bags from 2003 that I’ve also been stalking on Poshmark. I was wearing a matching bangle from the same collection. Do you think it was a sign?! In an act for fate, the seller accepted my offer when I got back from Paris!
The last show of the day for me was Alainpaul, which had some really cool Victorian references and unusual styling; very understated with a strong point of view.
All images © Sudden Chic.
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