As Paris unfurled its gilded salons for Fall 2025 Couture, the runway became a stage for reverie and rebellion in equal measure. This season, the maisons dialled up the emotion — showing craftsmanship not just as spectacle, but as statement. From sculptural silhouettes to whisper-thin sheers, and embroideries so intricate they blurred the line between garment and art, the collections were a testament to the enduring power of couture in a world craving substance. Whether quietly poetic or unapologetically theatrical, this was high fashion with high intention — each stitch stitched with purpose.
Maison Margiela Fall 2025 Couture: Raw Precision
Glenn Martens’ couture debut at Maison Margiela was a masterclass in tension—between ruin and refinement, elegance and edge. Set in a shadowy, near-silent salon, the show unfolded like a whispered secret, with veiled models moving through the space as if haunted by history and haunted by beauty.
The silhouettes were deconstructed but deliberate: sharp shoulders softened by frayed hems, spliced coats that merged the codes of biker and bourgeois, organza layered over sculptural tailoring like a barely-there memory. Inside-out seams, visible linings, and distressed finishes weren’t flaws—they were the point.
This was couture with something to say, even if it didn’t shout. A darker, more introspective glamour—quietly radical, immaculately made. It was Margiela, through and through: raw, cerebral, and quietly unforgettable.
Schiaparelli Fall 2025 Couture: Surrealism Rewired
At Schiaparelli, Daniel Roseberry rewrote the rules — again. This season, the designer peeled back the theatrics (just slightly) to reveal a sharper, more refined surrealism, rooted in the house’s archival spirit but tailored for now. Think: reversed tailoring, sculptural silhouettes, and heartbeats — literally — worn at the throat.
Set against a noir-heavy palette, with flashes of blood red and optic white, the collection channelled pre-war Paris elegance through a modern, cerebral lens. Bias-cut gowns skimmed the body with precision, while contoured suiting, exposed back-closures, and trompe-l’œil details offered a wink to Elsa’s legacy. The pièce de résistance? A satin column with a fake torso draped backwards and a rhinestone heart pulsing like performance art.
The front row was equally head-turning — Cardi B cradling a (live) crow, Dua Lipa, Hunter Schafer — adding a charged energy to a show that felt intimate, clever, and quietly confrontational.
Schiaparelli reminded us: couture doesn’t need to scream to be unforgettable. Sometimes, it’s the whisper of fabric, the flip of a hem, or the thrum of a heartbeat that leaves the deepest mark.
Balenciaga Fall 2025 Couture: A Study in Extremes
Demna’s final couture collection for Balenciaga was less a send-off, more a cinematic epilogue—equal parts restrained and radical. Set against a shadowy backdrop, silhouettes swung between extremes: impossibly voluminous puffers, sculpted suiting worn by bodybuilders and featherweight waifs, and gowns so diaphanous they floated like smoke.
The codes were unmistakably Demna—hyper-tailoring, subversion, and a wink at nostalgia. Kim Kardashian’s headline moment in cream lace and 250 carats of diamonds channelled Elizabeth Taylor with a Balenciaga twist. Elsewhere, feathered opera coats and deconstructed corsetry hinted at Old Hollywood glamour, but warped just enough to keep you off balance.
The front row was equally high-wattage: Naomi Watts and daughter Kai, Lorde, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Yeoh, Cardi B and Katy Perry all in attendance, lending the show the mood of a final act worth witnessing.
This was couture not chasing beauty, but redefining it. Part satire, part sincerity, and all Demna—delivered with gravitas, humour, and an architect’s eye. A fitting farewell to a designer who never played it safe.
Giambattista Valli Fall 2025 Couture: Petals, Power & Parisian Poise
Giambattista Valli’s Fall 2025 Couture collection was a romantic whisper with real-world resonance. Shown in the intimacy of his Paris atelier — fresh from being honoured as Officier des Arts et des Lettres — it felt more like a love letter to the craft than a runway show.
Silhouettes floated, pleated and bloomed in his signature ultra-femininity: soft pastels, cloud-like tulle, sculptural bustiers and millefeuille skirts that looked like they might lift off the floor. Each piece was its own fragrant reverie, inspired by florals not just in print but in energy — Valli’s world smelled like roses, felt like silk, and moved like poetry.
But beneath the sugar-spun fantasy was a sharper statement: this wasn’t couture for decoration, but for the intelligent, self-assured woman who wears beauty like armour. No spectacle, no theatrics — just quiet drama, masterful craft, and a subtle celebration of strength.
Chanel Fall 2025 Couture: Elegance in Low Volume
For its final couture collection before Matthieu Blazy’s highly anticipated arrival, Chanel’s in-house studio delivered a quietly exquisite farewell — rooted in heritage, elevated in tone. Staged in a softly lit salon above the Grand Palais, the setting mirrored the original spirit of 31 rue Cambon: intimate, understated, impeccably Chanel.
The collection paid tribute to Coco’s love of the Scottish countryside — tweed coats in earthy tones, feathered capes, sheepskin bouclé, and mohair suiting all grounded with stompy boots and pastoral polish. But this was no costume drama. The palette was refined: cream, tobacco, forest green, plum. Every detail — an oversize bow, a gold wheat motif, a camellia appliqué — whispered craftsmanship over theatrics.
Eveningwear softened the mood, with frayed tulle skirts, gauzy chiffon blouses, and a finale bride cradling a wheat-sheaf bouquet in place of tradition.
The front row was a study in cool grace: Lorde, Naomi Campbell, Paris Opera étoile Hannah O’Neill, Jennie Kim, and Sofia Coppola each brought their distinct presence — effortless, thoughtful, and unmistakably Chanel.
This was Chanel doing what it does best: quiet confidence, with intention. A closing note, before a new era begins.
Iris van Herpen Fall 2025 Couture: Where Science Meets Surrealism
Iris van Herpen’s Fall 2025 Couture collection is a hypnotic fusion of art, technology, and craftsmanship—pure innovation woven into fabric. This season, the Dutch designer plunges into the interplay between the organic and the engineered, crafting garments that feel like wearable sculptures from another dimension.
Think shimmering 3D-printed textures layered with ethereal organza, delicate lace dissolving into unexpected architectural shapes, and a palette that oscillates between muted earth tones and flashes of electric cobalt. Each piece pulses with movement, as if caught mid-transformation.
Van Herpen’s mastery lies in her refusal to be bound by convention. Instead, she invites us into a future where fashion bends physics—where garments breathe, ripple, and respond. It’s couture reimagined for the curious and the bold.
For those who crave more than just clothes—who seek statements that push boundaries—this collection is a siren call.
Christian Dior Fall 2025 Couture: A Roman Reverie in White
Maria Grazia Chiuri returned to her roots for Dior’s Fall 2025 couture show, transforming the gardens of Rome’s Villa Albani Torlonia into an ethereal tableau. The guest list, dressed entirely in white, set the tone for a collection that felt more like a whispered memory than a fashion spectacle.
What followed was a procession of impossibly delicate looks—diaphanous silk gowns, openwork lace, gilded embroidery and trompe-l’œil florals—all in a palette of ivory, sand, and soft gold. Chiuri’s silhouettes held a quiet strength: structured coats softened by flowing hems, sheer layers grounded by precise tailoring.
This was couture as ceremony. A deeply personal ode to Roman elegance and feminine resilience, told through clothes that spoke in soft tones but left a lasting impression. It wasn’t about shock or scale—it was about the emotional weight of restraint, and the kind of craftsmanship that doesn’t shout for attention, but earns it.
And the front row? Just as captivating. Natalie Portman embodied quiet grace in sheer Dior organza, while Rosamund Pike, Alexandra Daddario, Ashley Park, and Han So-hee offered masterclasses in monochrome elegance.
