In Paris, women designers make their voices heard with Sacai, Marine Serre, and Gabriela Hearst

At Paris Fashion Week, femininity was revealed in all its force and splendor. The Fall-Winter 2025/26 womenswear collections embody a spirit that is both liberated and commanding, expressed through looks that are at once striking and refined. This was particularly evident in Monday’s shows by Chitose Abe for Sacai, Marine Serre, and Gabriela Hearst—three visionary designers crafting fashion for women who are as powerful as they are captivating. 

Sacai delivered a breathtaking collection, where commanding, sculptural silhouettes seamlessly blended disparate materials into a cohesive and natural harmony.  

Fringed tweed shawls spiraled around the body, morphing fluidly from cape to tailored jacket, waistcoat, or paneled skirt—sometimes juxtaposed with bold embellishments such as oversized black or ruby sequins (adorning strappy tops and layered trousers) or flashes of sheer red tulle emerging from a dark suit.  

This spiral motif flowed throughout the collection, particularly in wool poncho dresses, where layers of knit fabric twirled around the body, their fringed edges cascading like garlands. The same principle applied to quilted jackets, with diagonal layering creating depth, or to shearling pieces reinvented as capes, bomber jackets, and sculptural coats. Ribbed knit dresses fused with chunky sweaters, wrapping the upper body in dramatic scarf-like formations. 
 
Fur played a dominant role, amplifying volume and warmth—grafting itself onto leather jackets, enveloping mini dresses, extending into refined muff-like gloves, or transforming ballet flats into fuzzy, floating statements. Notable details included double-layered jacket panels and scarf-like suits featuring prints reminiscent of a midnight sky. A collection brimming with ingenious, singular creations. 

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Marine Serre made an equally bold statement with a collection fusing power and sensuality, staged at the Monnaie de Paris. The venue’s black-and-white tiled floors, grand staircases, and deep red velvet curtains evoked the eerie allure of Twin Peaks’ ‘Red Room’, setting the tone for a cinematic homage to mysterious, femme-fatale icons—from David Lynch heroines to Irma Vep, the legendary masked thief from Louis Feuillade’s silent films.  

The show opened with a striking series of head-to-toe leather ensembles: a second-skin catsuit, sculptural jackets, and dresses meticulously cut from repurposed biker gear. Reinforced shoulders, padded flanks, and pronounced cone-shaped busts heightened the armor-like aesthetic. 

“At 33, I’ve reached a new chapter as a designer and for my brand. There’s a sense of maturity, and that’s reflected in the collection. I wanted to redefine the architecture of clothing and the Marine Serre silhouette, drawing inspiration from the powerful lines of the 1950s and 1980s,” she explained.  

This season, she moved away from her signature crescent moon patchworks, elevating her designs with a more sophisticated and streamlined approach. The brand’s emblematic reversed crescent remains, but in subtle, refined touches—engraved on gold-rimmed buttons, reimagined as delicate jewelry, or securing the collar of a form-fitting jersey siren gown. 
 
The new Marine Serre wardrobe introduces sharply tailored business suits, structured jackets, and oversized black coats. Nautical-inspired mini dresses and crisp poplin designs featured draped sleeves cinched around the neck or waist, while slinky satin and nylon slip dresses, some edged in lace, exuded a sultry elegance. “The idea is to sell dreams—ones that feel realistic, with dresses that people can actually buy and, most importantly, wear,” Serre emphasized.

The show closed with a series of spectacular one-of-a-kind creations crafted from upcycled materials: a dramatic coat assembled from reclaimed fox pelts, trench coats reinvented as layered doubles, and an astonishing metallic mini dress fashioned from hundreds of vintage watch bracelets. A stunning final look featured a voluminous ballgown that appeared to be sculpted from a quilted bedspread—an embodiment of Serre’s transformative design ethos. 

See catwalk

Gabriela Hearst also championed strong, empowered femininity with designs that were bold yet eminently wearable. Back on the Paris runways since last September, the Uruguayan-born designer—renowned for her commitment to sustainable luxury—drew a full house for a collection that radiated quiet confidence.

Once again, she looked to mythology for inspiration, channeling neolithic goddesses and incorporating their symbols and motifs into select pieces.  

Hearst’s fashion is designed with real women in mind, celebrating their individuality while instilling a sense of poise and assurance. Her winter collection centered around monochromatic ensembles and tactile materials—wool, fur, and leather taking the spotlight.  

Plush coats and cocooning ensembles were crafted from silk-blend fibers, while a long-haired cashmere skirt exuded opulence. Elsewhere, she repurposed strips of mink, reworking them into striking intarsia patterns across coats and jackets. A series of supple nappa leather pieces, meticulously cut and constructed, added an edge of modern sophistication.