giorgio armani aw26 | new horizons

The rain fell in sheets over the grass courts of Deauville back in July 1923, forcing a young René Lacoste to shelter under a heavy trench coat while waiting for the skies to clear. Historical accounts of that Davis Cup match against Spain’s Manuel de Gomar describe a crowd throwing newspapers onto the flooded grass to speed the drying process, a moment of collective determination that creative director Pelagia Kolotouros uses as the heart of the Lacoste Autumn/Winter 2026 collection. 

Staged upon the clay of the Philippe Chatrier court at Roland-Garros, the runway becomes a landscape defined by the dialogue between the body and the elements. Stadium seats were covered by large waterproof sheets that extended and wrapped all over the venue. Spectators in the front row, including brand ambassadors Taylor Zakhar Perez and KAI, sat alongside Amy Adams and Kieran Culkin to witness a wardrobe built for the storm. 

Technical innovation takes a lead role through a collaboration with the legendary Scottish house Mackintosh, bringing nineteenth-century rubberising techniques to the modern runway. Waterproofed cotton and bonded tech wool appear in silhouettes that act as a shield, such as the poncho-polo hybrid that reimagines the brand’s most famous icon as a weather-proof layer. 

Hand-glued and hand-taped seams ensure that the garments remain functional in the face of a downpour, echoing the resolve of René Lacoste a century ago. Layers of transparent nylon with reflective finishes provide a contrast to the plush velvet used for soft tailoring, particularly in the updated René blazer. A hybrid track jacket shirt and pleated trench skirts further emphasise the combination of archival sport and contemporary utility.

Colour stories draw directly from an overcast sky, relying on inky heathers and dark wet metals to anchor the heavier outerwear. Agave green provides a sudden splash of colour reminiscent of grass after a heavy rain, while rusty red pays tribute to the clay of the stadium itself. 

For accessories, weathered trophy pins and Grand Slam T-shirts extend the vocabulary of the collection, adding a sense of history to the more technical pieces. Lenglen bags return with new proportions and silicon grip handles, accompanied by racquet covers and tennis ball clutches crafted from Mackintosh fabrics. Crocodile emblems are reworked into intricate embroideries that respect the house archives while exploring fresh territory. Digital watches with stretch bracelets and iconic cable-knit sweaters maintain a link to the heritage of the house, ensuring the look remains timeless. 

Discover the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection here.

photography. courtesy of Lacoste, Stephane Aït Ouarab
words. Gennaro Costanzo

Centuries of art history within the Louvre walls provided the spiritual architecture for Marine Serre’s Autumn/Winter 2026 exploration. Named ‘The Grace of Time,’ the collection exists as a subtle rebellion against the frantic pace of the fashion industry by opting for photographic tableaux instead of a typical runway walk. Persistence defines the House identity through the crescent moon symbol that celebrates its ninth anniversary this year. Unlike other trends, the moon remains a permanent fixture on second-skin dresses and catsuits to anchor a wardrobe meant to gather soul with age. Regeneration stays at the forefront as upcycled silk scarves and reconstructed T-shirts form the bulk of the silhouettes.

Ready-to-wear offerings expand on this vocabulary with regenerated canvas and sculpted jersey that feels like a protective layer. Patterns move from the iconic all-over moon to delicate floral jacquards and silk polka-dots that float lightly against the skin. Bone white and deep black anchor the palette, though they are often interrupted by the multi-coloured depth of upcycled scarves and the earthy tones of the ‘La Joconde’ mosaics. Jupons created from recycled jerseys echo the voluminous bustled gowns of the Renaissance while corseted torsos mimic the curved waists of classical sculptures. Technical jersey and sportswear fabrics appear alongside embroidered jacquards to blend the athleticism of the street with the refinement of a museum gallery.

Accessories take on a historical yet modern character with faux fur elements and suspended details that evoke the ornate style of the Spanish painting galleries. Bags are crafted from regenerated materials, often featuring the signature moon print or repurposed hardware that mirrors the museum’s own souvenir medals. Transparent layers and flocked plumetis mesh create a dance between what is hidden and what is revealed to maintain a focus on the presence of the wearer. Private viewings of these living paintings attracted a small, discerning group of supporters, like longtime friend and collaborator Rosalía.

Collaborating with Louvre curators also birthed five specific couture creations that function as a direct dialogue with the past. Models Nyaluak Gatluak and Ambre Roumeau inhabit them like figures from a naturalist painting. Constructing the ‘La Joconde’ dress required 420 hours to complete and features a fragmented mosaic of the ‘Mona Lisa’ reconstructed across the body. Another look incorporates actual paintbrushes into an embroidered mesh dress, requiring 390 hours of meticulous work; a bustier piece utilises recycled paint tubes as raw material. Both the ‘Time Armour’ dress and the ‘Flemish Painters’ dress complete this quintet by transforming fragments of history into wearable objects. 

Looking ahead, a special three-piece capsule collection will launch in mid-April 2026 to further reinterpret the Mona Lisa through regenerated T-shirts. Marine Serre will take over a Louvre window to celebrate this release, ensuring that the dialogue between the atelier and the archive continues to evolve.

Discover the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection here.

photography. courtesy of Arash Khaksari, Alice Mann
words. Gennaro Costanzo

Who would have thought that in 2026 a Maison like Louis Vuitton would find its latest muse in the agricultural world? For the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, Nicolas Ghesquière proves that nature is, in fact, the ultimate designer. Inside the Cour Carrée of the Musée du Louvre, production designer Jeremy Hindle (of ‘Severance’ fame) created a shifting neo-landscape that felt entirely out of this world. Between a high-tech lab and the rolling hills of founder Louis Vuitton’s native Jura Mountains, this scenography transformed the runway into a living pastoral painting, framing a collection that explores how our surroundings dictate what we wear. 

While this focus on the agrarian feels like a modern departure, Louis Vuitton has actually flirted with the pastoral across its long history. One of the most famous instances occurred during the Spring/Summer 2010 season, when Marc Jacobs transformed the runway into a rustic scene scattered with hay to evoke a bohemian, rural utility. That collection featured clogs, tassels and a ‘New Age traveller’ spirit that successfully merged high fashion with a grounded, earthy aesthetic. Even further back, the Maison’s archives reveal a deep-seated respect for nature through specialised heritage pieces like the 1910 Flower Trunk.

The front row was equally legendary; amidst swirling wedding rumours, a radiant Zendaya made a triumphant return to the spotlight, joined by Hoyeon, Chase Infiniti and Lisa. Adding a fresh, high-energy spark to the historic courtyard was viral Olympic gold-medalist skater Alysa Liu.

The clothing acts as a twenty-first-century architecture, pulling heavy inspiration from agricultural garments and traditional costumes worn by those who work the land. Extreme silhouettes defined by wind, rain and sun are reimagined for a modern digital reality. The colour palette anchors the collection in the earth, relying on deep loam browns, mossy greens, stormy greys and sudden flashes of sky blue. Flora and fauna leave their marks on every piece, bridging the gap between historical agricultural utility and futuristic luxury. Animal prints are woven directly into sturdy canvas and denim, while leather is sculpted into protective flowers.

Ghesquière sent out structured jackets with exaggerated collars designed to shield the face against the elements, paired with heavy-duty trousers built for endurance. The magic of hyper-craft melds the timeless ingenuity of human artisanship with advanced technologies. Three-dimensional printing and resins are utilised to approximate natural materials with astonishing accuracy. We see buttons that look exactly like raw minerals and heels constructed to resemble deer antlers beneath sturdy, weather-ready boots. 

The brand even invented new textures, introducing vegetal furs that challenge our expectations of luxury materials. Models walked in hulking capes with gargantuan shoulders, paired with heavy-duty trousers built for endurance. Some wore panelled dresses that looked like soft armour made of thick felt and leather, while others donned sheep-motif knits and voluminous basket-style headwear.

Leather is grained, grooved and tanned to mirror the exact look and feel of wood, achieving a surreal impossibility on boxy, protective coats. This deep connection to the earth extends right down to the accessories, underscoring a nomadic curiosity. The iconic Noé bag returns to its original 1932 proportions and colours, offering a piece of history you can carry with you. Alongside the leather goods, a reinterpretation of Man Ray appears on modernist jewellery, featuring earrings and collars studded with the classic nail-heads of a Louis Vuitton trunk. 

Everything on this runway fuses the outside with the inside, presenting a sci-fi fable that honours our most fundamental roots. Fashion, like nature, evolves – not by escaping our reality, but by adapting to it. 

Discover the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection here.

photography. courtesy of Louis Vuitton, Arnold Jerocki
words. Gennaro Costanzo