The hits - and misses - of the Spring Summer 2026 debuts

For months the fashion industry has been speculating, discussing, and looking for clues about what would become one of the most significant fashion weeks of the decade. After a wave of new creative director appointments, everyone was waiting for that a-ha moment — the one that signals a clear shift in direction. Would it be a full revolution? Would we see a seismic change in tone and style as fashion enters a new era? Well, not entirely. There was evolution, yes, but also a lot of revolving. Fashion remains a game of musical chairs, where a small circle of designers migrate between houses whenever contracts expire or sales plateau. That’s not pessimism, just reality. In today’s market, few creative directors become lifers. Dior, for example, will likely not be Jonathan Anderson’s last stop.

It’s a reminder that the customer base of many major houses is up for grabs this season. The Dior woman who loved elegant tailoring may not find herself in tune with Anderson’s vision, which feels more self-referential and less about clothes made for life’s daily rhythm. That same client might now look toward Balenciaga, where Pierpaolo Piccioli stripped away the streetwear codes introduced by Demna and reintroduced a new decree of elegance and ease, tailoring as a form of refinement rather than rebellion.

Gucci

At Gucci, where Demna himself arrived to revive a faltering vision, there was a clear sense of commercial pressure. The house needs hit items that move units, and Demna knows it. He cleaned the slate, leaned into archetypes of the modern Gucci customer, and, in his tongue-in-cheek way, reignited conversation around the brand, the kind of buzz that drives interest and, hopefully, sales. Whether it sticks long term is another story. Kering has been quick to deliver new product to stores, hopefully it will bring an uplift to sales by the end of the year.

Dior

At Dior, one of the most anticipated womenswear debuts of the season, the mood was mixed once the show glow wore off. Anderson had goodwill on his side, but the general consensus was that accessories were the strongest category. The hats, quickly meme-ified as “Pirates of the Caribbean” fare, dominated online chatter, while the clothes themselves split opinion. Tunics tucked into culottes, contrived bows on everything, a lot of charm for editorial, but perhaps less so for daily wear. The men’s debut had a cooler ease; the women’s felt fussier. Still, the shoes and bags showed commercial prowess, and in the current market, that counts for a strong bottom line.

Bottega Veneta

Over at Bottega Veneta, Louise Trotter, one of the few women leading a major luxury house, delivered a standout debut. Her focus on technique and craftsmanship brought the brand back to what it does best: leather, weaving, construction. Even if the outerwear felt more autumnal than spring, there was real beauty and strength in the pieces that reminded us just how much skill it takes to craft fine clothes and accessories.

Chanel

That same attention to craft and detail was visible at Chanel, where Matthieu Blazy, fresh from Bottega, made his debut to a standing ovation. After Virginie Viard’s departure in 2024, the collections had been led by the in-house design team, and Blazy managed to steer it into a new chapter without alienating its core customer. Everything felt lighter: wool checks turned into must-have suits, tweeds loosened their formality, and classic quilting gave way to unstructured, easy shapes. A collaboration with Charvet linked past to present, showing Blazy’s instinct for balance and evolution without erasure.

Jil Sander

At Jil Sander, Simone Bellotti reminded us why minimalism still matters. His collection was an exercise in refinement: removing noise, emphasizing silhouette, and keeping enough tension to avoid sterility. In a season full of “concept,” his directness felt refreshing and quietly powerful.

Versace

Also in Milan, Dario Vitale achieved something few expected: he made Versace cool again. That’s no small feat for a brand that up until this month was owned by a mid-market operator that hasn’t always understood luxury nuance. The new Versace was sexy, confident, and self-aware — a hit of nostalgia translated for now. It had energy, and in a market where energy equals conversion, that’s gold.

Jean Paul Gaultier

Less convincing was Duran Lantink’s first collection for Jean Paul Gaultier. Shock value, skin, spectacle, yes, he checked the boxes. But for all the provocation, there was little evidence of substance beneath it. Gaultier was once a master tailor who could merge irreverence with precision; here, the balance tipped too far toward the former. Attention, yes. Clothes, less so.

Looking ahead, the season feels more like a recalibration than a revolution. Accessories once again hold the commercial lifeline, they’re what will determine whether these collections succeed beyond the runway. Customer loyalties are more fluid than ever, and as designers shuffle between houses, so do their followings. The challenge now is not just to debut well but to sustain momentum, to translate applause into sell-through, and storytelling into long-term identity.

In an uncertain luxury market, where growth has slowed and the big groups face pressure to prove creative appointments can deliver financial return, that may be the real story of Spring/Summer 2026: not who changed fashion, but who managed to hold its attention.