prada aw26 | layered histories

Speed and luxury trunks are rarely seen in the same frame unless a billionaire is moving house in a hurry. However, as the 2026 Formula 1 season begins in Melbourne, Louis Vuitton has made this unlikely pairing its permanent residence. The house is now entering the second year of its global partnership with the sport, building on the foundations laid last year when it was first announced that Monaco would serve as the spiritual home for this collaboration. But for 2026, that ambition has expanded to cover every single stop on the racing calendar.

Louis Vuitton has maintained a link to the automotive world since the late nineteenth century, starting with the very first auto trunks designed by Georges Vuitton. This partnership is a continuation of that lineage, moving from the rallies of the nineties to the modern era of racing that attracts hundreds of millions of fans. 

This season introduces a total reboot for the grid, with regulations delivering cars that are smaller and more agile than those of previous years. These machines now run on hybrid engines fuelled by advanced sustainable liquids, putting the driver at the heart of the action more than ever before. Two new names, Audi Revolut and Cadillac, have finally joined the paddock to challenge the established order. In Bahrain, all 22 drivers stood together for a pre-season image that highlighted the ultimate prize of the sport: the World Champion trophy. It was presented in a custom monogrammed travel case, a piece of hardware that represents the end of a lifelong pursuit for the athletes.

A total of 24 bespoke trophy trunks will follow the championship to every Grand Prix ceremony this year. Each one is produced in the historic workshops of Asnières, designed to carry the most coveted awards in racing across the globe. The tagline ‘Victory Travels in Louis Vuitton’ is far more than a marketing slogan, referencing a heritage of protecting prizes for the FIFA World Cup and the America’s Cup. The brand is consolidating its presence by remaining the Title Partner for the Monaco Grand Prix in May, where the iconic red and white ‘V’ will be visible across the trackside banners of the most famous street circuit in the world.

From the upcoming debut of the Madrid Grand Prix in September to the final lap of the season, the house is ensuring that the pinnacle of motor racing is wrapped in its signature craftsmanship. It is a commitment to excellence that matches the innovation required to win a world title on the track.

Discover more here.

photography. courtesy of Louis Vuitton
words. Gennaro Costanzo

Nicolas Di Felice has spent five years at Courrèges and, to mark the occasion, he decided to track a single day in the life of his muse. The Autumn/Winter 2026 collection follows a Parisian woman from her first stretch in the morning to a late-night return home, set against a street scene designed by Rémy Brière. Every step was accompanied by a soundtrack of city noises mixed with electronic notes, complete with a narrow runway featuring manholes and road markings. 

The clothing moved through different stages of a day, starting with white satin pieces that looked like bedsheets wrapped around the body with a single gesture. These initial looks drew from the house archives of the sixties and eighties, using hybrid fabrics that appeared comfortable enough for an early start.

As the sun climbed higher, the wardrobe transitioned into more structured daytime pieces. Di Felice utilised the famous house codes like trapezoidal cuts and vinyl, but added urban details that felt very specific to Paris. You could find metro tickets embroidered in organza onto the garments, alongside caviar-weave denim that had a dark, tar-like finish. 

References to the films of Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman helped to frame these active, liberated silhouettes as they moved from lifts to taxis. The details remained the focus, with cloakroom tickets and glass beads appearing on evening wear to mimic the flickering neon lights of the city at night.

The new Shadow bag made its appearance as a minimalist highlight of the season. Available in several colours, it was made from flexible materials like jersey and synthetic leather. This flexibility meant that whatever was carried inside – perhaps a phone or a set of keys – left a temporary imprint on the outside of the bag. 

For the finale, every look from the show returned in a completely white version as a nod to the ultimate Courrèges signature, treating the colour as a blank canvas for future stories. By focusing on the small, everyday gestures of a woman in motion, Di Felice managed to celebrate the minimalism of the Maison while projecting it into its future path.

Discover the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection here.

photography. courtesy of Courrèges
words. Gennaro Costanzo

Parisian life has always functioned as a theatrical display and for the Dior Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, Jonathan Anderson decided to place the audience directly into the scene. Guests arrived at the Jardin des Tuileries to find a glass greenhouse erected around the Bassin Octogonal, its structure painted a soft laurel green to mimic the foliage of a garden in wait. 

Outside the windows, artificial water lilies floated upon the surface of the fountain, a nice visual reference (or recreation) to the Impressionist obsession of Claude Monet, whose masterpieces hang in the nearby Musée de l’Orangerie. This setting acted as a park within a park, blurring the boundaries between what is natural and what is manufactured. As Anderson put it before the show, there is something quite “miraculous” about water lilies, which explains why they became such an anchor for the season.

The concept of the promenade defined the collection, looking back to the era of Louis XIV and the strict habit décent codes where every walk was a performance. Anderson moved away from the weight of the archives, suggesting that Dior can get very heavy in history and simply has to release itself. 

This feeling of release manifested in ruffled tulle mini skirts that trailed into soft trains, mimicking the way petals fall or water ripples across a pond. They were paired with Donegal tweed Bar jackets that felt longer and looser than their predecessors, showing a shift towards a more relaxed type of dressing. Something similar appeared first at the January haute couture show, where nature was treated as a beating heart and the magical force driving the collection. There’s a return to that ‘fairy aesthetic’, but this time, there are sharper silhouettes enveloping the softer elements.

The colour palette drew heavily from a sunlit garden, featuring candied almond shades, butter yellows and a washed-out iridescence that made fabrics look as though they had been submerged in water. Peplum silhouettes and bustle skirts inspired by the figures in Georges Seurat’s paintings brought a historical depth to the lineup, yet the use of technical fabrics and sheer lace kept the energy contemporary. 

Accessories provided the most playful elements of the afternoon, starting with the invitations, which were tiny replicas of the iconic green metal chairs found throughout the Tuileries. On the runway, shoes were decorated with delicate porcelain flowers, water lilies, and bows that appeared to be becoming undone. This intentional imperfection appeared elsewhere in the form of asymmetrically fastened skirts and dresses that evoked the overlapping layers of a bloom. Anderson’s interest in the everyday meant that even ivory silk track pants were elevated with bridal buttons, while jeans featured crystal detailing that carried a botanical shimmer.

The bags for the season moved between the iconic and the completely surreal. A velvet frog bag with a vintage, charming look became an instant talking point, alongside a frog-shaped minaudière. More classic silhouettes like the Lady Dior were reworked with a lighter touch, featuring lace overlays and botanical references that appeared to bloom directly from the leather. One of the more unexpected additions was a bag shaped like a peanut, adding a splash of humour to the otherwise regal atmosphere. 

Anderson remains a self-described tourist in Paris and it is this outsider’s fascination that allows him to see the city’s institutions through such a fresh, uncomplicated lens.

Discover the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection here.

photography. courtesy of Dior, Adrien Dirand
words. Gennaro Costanzo