All the viral moments you might have missed from fashion month

This fashion month will undoubtedly go down in the history books, with no fewer than 15 newly installed creative directors making their debuts for spring/summer 2026 – including Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Demna at Gucci and Pierpaolo Piccioli at Balenciaga, not to mention Jonathan Anderson’s hotly anticipated debut womenswear show for Dior.

The star power has been appropriately high given the anticipation around the collections – from Gwyneth Paltrow at Michael Kors, to EmRata at the H&M show in London, to the whole galaxy of stars that turned out to see Demna’s first Gucci designs in close-up in Milan. Also in Milan: a tribute to the maestro, the late Giorgio Armani. Richard Gere – whose breakout role in American Gigolo is so synonymous with the legendary designer’s deconstructed tailoring – was among the fans paying homage from the front row.

Related: All the stars on the front row at Paris Fashion Week

Now that the spring/summer 2026 collections have drawn to a close in Paris, we reflect on the most clickbaity and resonant moments from the past four weeks. Spanning spellbinding designer debuts, polarising designs, and award-winning actresses Laura Dern and Sandra Hüller making unanticipated appearances on the catwalk – check out all the viral moments you have may have missed from the spring/summer 2026 shows below.

The final domino in a historic season of creative-director switcheroos was, of course, the most anticipated: Matthieu Blazy at Chanel – the fourth designer in the house’s 115-year history. In the nine months since his departure from Bottega Veneta, speculation inspired every possible theory from those claiming to have intel direct from rue Cambon. Would the change be subtle? Radical? Well, inside the vast expanse of the Grand Palais – its floor transformed into a galaxy of sunken, glowing planets – it proved to be all of those things and more. The classic codes were there: calf-skimming tweed skirt sets – though boxier, slung low on the hip and sometimes reimagined in a sexier loose-knit crochet – and lithe black evening gowns embellished with wheat stalks or tied with silk lilies alongside “broken” Double Flaps and soon-to-be “It” top-handle bags. Then Blazy did what Blazy does best: pompom headpieces, vests shredded into hundreds of feather-like appliqués and enormous skirts erupting in fiery plumes. All this set to a trance remix of The Corrs? It was the debut we’d been waiting for.

Related: See Matthieu Blazy's first collection for Chanel

The Miu Miu show has become known for its buzzy casting, with the likes of Kristin Scott Thomas, Little Simz and Willem Dafoe all making appearances on Mrs Prada’s runway in recent years. This season, it was the turn of Oscar-nominated actor Sandra Hüller, who opened the show wearing a work apron over a barn jacket. Other cameos came from Richard E Grant and Milla Jovovich, as models took to the catwalk in an array of pinafores, crochet dresses and ditzy florals.

“You cannot begin to imagine,” wrote Vogue’s Mark Holgate of when Lee McQueen first unveiled the Bumpster some 30 years ago, “the deafening sound of jaws dropping to the floor when they appeared.” The silhouette resurfaced in Seán McGirr’s spring/summer 2026 collection for the house, cut in navy wool with pleated bands running down the sides of the legs, or with zippers that snaked from just below the backside all the way to the ankles. The moment felt right to revive them, given the collection’s inspiration: the strange, sexually propulsive 1973 film The Wicker Man. “The girls in the studio, the models who come in for fittings,” he said, “they love them. Honestly, they’re so London; it’s very much that London girl we all know and love. And I was connecting everything to how I and my friends feel in London – that there’s this sexual energy in the air in the city, especially in the summer – touching the grass, and rolling around with someone you’re obsessed with.”

Duran Lantink is a designer with a knack for going viral – whether for his eye-catching, sculptural creations that read as comical riffs on everyday garments or for his more directly stunt-y tricks (eg. sending a male model down the runway sporting a heaving pair of silicone breasts). He’s earned both criticism and acclaim for his outré approach: some deem him a forward-thinking provocateur, teasing and expanding the boundaries of fashion’s critical and creative capacities; others have dismissed his gestures as crass and lacking in conceptual rigour. Lantink’s debut for Jean Paul Gaultier has invoked similarly polar responses, with comment sections inflamed with impassioned debates around whether the collection he presented was a mark of genius or total sacrilege. Marrying his signature inflated proportions and knack for bawdy visual puns with Gaultier motifs like trompe l’œil prints, cone bras and marinière stripes, it was certainly a presentation that was tough not to feel strongly about. Regardless of what you think of the collection itself, though, it bears noting that Jean Paul Gaultier is a house founded by a designer renowned as fashion’s perennial enfant terrible – this, at the very least, was a proposal in line with that storied legacy.

Related: The trends we spotted at Paris Fashion Week SS26

There were all the bold, painterly bursts of colour we’ve come to expect from Pierpaolo Piccioli – at his debut for Balenciaga – realised in aubergine, blood orange and canary yellow across cocoon-sleeved coats, feathery skirts and ruffle-hemmed halter minidresses. They appeared alongside the bug-eyed shades and militaristic tailoring that recall the respective eras of Demna and Nicolas Ghesquière. Less expected? The arrival of Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, seated front row beside Anne Hathaway and Simone Ashley.

In a call back to Martin Margiela’s spring/summer '90 presentation, which was organised with the help of local school children, Glenn Martens’s debut ready-to-wear show featured an orchestra comprising 61 young musicians, dressed in tuxedos and bow ties. They played a discombobulating soundtrack that included Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”, “Dance of the Knights” from Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, and Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake”, as models stormed the runway wearing mouth pieces that resembled the French house’s four-stitch label, along with leather coats, deconstructed suiting and taped-bodice dresses.

Amid the oh-so-serious business of Paris Fashion Week, there’s one show in particular that never fails to lift spirits with a sense of levity, joy and a healthy dollop of camp. We are, of course, talking about the Loubi show, the all-out extravaganza by Louboutin, creative directed by David LaChapelle. Building on their previous collaboration for last year’s presentation, which took over a whole swimming pool – complete with synchronised swimmers! – the Thursday night show went one bigger, taking over a stadium on the south side of the Boulevard Périphérique, and transforming the whole thing into an American football pitch. Choreographed by Blanca Li, entire marching bands, cheer squads and referees jumped, twisted and twirled across the pitch – all in sparkly spandex outfits and red-bottomed ballet flats. And then, to round it all out, a guys vs girls – flat vs heels! – American football match, waged over a crystal encrusted ball. Heels won, obviously!

Kylie Jenner knows what works for her: namely, any kind of scoop-neck, spaghetti-strap, figure-hugging dress. At the spring/summer 2026 shows in Paris, the mogul doubled down on this formula, appearing on the front row in a slinky Tom Ford number courtesy of Haider Ackermann. Paired with the slickest of slicked-back buns and barely-there stilettos, this was a classically Kylie take on clean-girl minimalism, with just a dash of after-dark glamour. Fashion aside, it’s worth remembering the central role the designer played in hard-launching Gen Z’s answer to Brangelina: when he shared a FaceTime snap of Kylie Jenner, lint roller in hand, as Timothée Chalamet was being kitted out in Tom Ford tailoring ahead of the David di Donatello Awards earlier this year.

Whether clad in Renata Klein’s venture capitalist couture, or perched on the front row at Calvin Klein, Laura Dern has put in the work on the fashion front, and can by now comfortably add “chic cultural icon” to her CV. In Paris, the star took a break from spectacting and stepped onto the runway herself at Gabriela Hearst. Opening the designer’s spring/summer 2026 show, the actress wore a floral appliquéd scoop-neck gown that would leave affluent Monterey mums green with envy. Now that season three of the cult series is finally in the works, surely some Gabriela Hearst flip-flops would be an ideal option for all those early morning beach walks?

Stella McCartney has always been one to turn her Paris Fashion Week shows into a stage-worthy spectacle, and this season was no exception. Her eponymous brand’s spring/summer 2026 show – “Come Together”, named after one of her dad’s greatest hits from his Beatles days – was opened by no less than Dame Helen Mirren, who stood before a front row that included Ice Spice and Cara Delevingne and gave a spoken word reading of the song’s canonical opening verse. This wasn’t the first time that she and Stella have collaborated in the context of one of the latter’s shows, though – the iconic British actress previously recited a manifesto at the designer’s spring/summer 25 show in Paris. When will they come together next? We’re waiting with bated breath!

After a period of retreat following a recent Lyme disease flare-up, Bella Hadid returned to the Saint Laurent catwalk as part of the spring/summer 2026 edition of Paris Fashion Week. You wouldn’t necessarily have noticed at first: her face was obscured by oversized sunglasses, and she appeared midway through the line-up, the 31st of 50 models to vamp through the Hydrangea-walled gardens of the Eiffel Tower. It’s sort of chic that the brand has the world’s most famous model on an exclusive contract, and still sends her out without fanfare.

Following Giorgio Armani’s death at the age of 91 earlier this month, long-standing collaborators and friends including Cate Blanchett, Glenn Close and Richard Gere turned out in Milan to pay their respects. Held in the candlelit courtyard of the Pinacoteca di Brera, the gallery currently hosting a 50-year retrospective of the designer’s work, the Giorgio Armani spring/summer 2026 show began with the designer’s trademark suiting in white, grey and beige, before transitioning to a series of glitzy gowns in navy, purple and black. The final look? A purple beaded gown featuring the designer’s face on the bodice.

Dolce & Gabbana’s spring/summer 2026 presentation ran late. Not because of Naomi Campbell, who was punctual for once, but Meryl Streep in full Miranda Priestly mode. The actress swept into the auditorium with Stanley Tucci’s Nigel close behind, and claimed prime seat beside the supermodel, while Simone Ashley – newly cast as Priestly’s assistant in the Devil Wears Prada sequel – was bumped to the second row. The collection itself offered up lots of florals for spring. Groundbreaking.

At last, the circuit of big debuts has well and truly begun, with one of the most hotly anticipated taking place this season: Dario Vitale’s first collection for Versace. The first collection from the house not designed by one of its founding family, to say that the stakes were high would be an understatement. On Friday night, though, Vitale met the moment, delivering a confident proposal that contemplated the human complexities and contradictions of Gianni Versace, taking cues from his wardrobe and the characters that populated his renownedly rich life. A confluence of Apollonian, bourgeois restraint, Miami Beach pop, smouldering sex appeal and a welcome hint of sleaze, it was Versace distilled; pared back to its foundations.

After 10 years helming one of Milan’s most irreverent, conceptually driven brands, Sunnei’s founders, Simone Rizzo and Loris Messina, have decided to exit the label. Rather than announce that by way of a post-show press release, or some other par-for-the-course means, the pair decided to auction off the brand – and even themselves! – in a performance-cum-fashion show staged in collaboration with Christie’s. The gavel banged at bids of 112.000.000 fashion dollars, a currency invented for the show, for the brand, and 95.000.000 for the creative duo. Talk about knowing what you’re worth!

The stars turned out to toast Demna’s debut collection for Gucci – which was unveiled in a surprise lookbook – in Milan. For the premiere of short film The Tiger, directed by Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn, the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Lila Moss and Alex Consani arrived on the red carpet sporting new-season designs (naturally, Moss and Consani both dressed as their characters – La Bomba and Ragazza –from the lookbook). It’s safe to say that Demna’s reign at Gucci has got off to a glittering start.

Diesel’s Glenn Martens continued on his campaign to democratise fashion with an interactive, Milan-wide game. 55 models – in floral dresses layered with distressed chiffon, bleach-stencilled double-neoprene tailoring, bi-material jumpsuits pieced together with web-knit panels, and iridescent biker jackets made from denim interlaced with recycled poly satin – were sealed inside 34 oval-shaped vitrines, and became the centrepieces of the “egg hunt” that drew 3,000 participants. Prizes included full looks for the first five winners, tailored to them, accessories for the next ten, and a party for just about everybody else in Piazza Beccaria. “Every single fashion week I’m trying to figure out a way to bring that moment to the street,” Martens said backstage. “We are a brand for everyone.”

As the biggest brand on the London Fashion Week schedule, it’s no surprise that the best of the British turned out for Burberry’s spring/summer 2026 show at Kensington Gardens. Among the headliners? Sir Elton John, who was joined on the front row by Vanessa Williams – star of The Devil Wears Prada musical that was scored by the singer. Meanwhile, there was also an Ab Fab reunion, as Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders gave Patsy and Edina at a fashion show.

Related: The trends we spotted at London Fashion Week SS26

Dilara Findikoğlu shows are famously late – but that didn’t stop the large crowds gathered outside in anticipation of her spring/summer 2026 presentation, joining the likes of Lara Stone, Julia Fox and Cora Corre, who all sat front row. More than an hour after the scheduled start-time, models – including Naomi Campbell, Amelia Gray and Tish Weinstock – stalked the runway in corsetry, latex and a rotten cherry dress, representing – in Dilara’s words – women coming out of “cages of innocence and purity”.

The H&M runway was awash with fashion’s new faces (Angelina Kendall, Alex Consani, Amelia Gray and the like), but at Richard Quinn on Saturday night, Naomi Campbell returned to the runway to remind everyone how an OG supermodel does it. These days Naomi concentrates on motherhood over modelling, but Quinn’s spring/summer 2026 collection – and specifically a slinky black column gown with white flower detail – persuaded her to break out that unmistakable walk.

New York may have had Conrad Fisher, but London had Romeo Beckham, who joined a whole host of new-gen supermodels (and Lola Young) to help kick off LFW on a vast red runway at 180 Strand. The 23-year-old has stepped back from football to concentrate on fashion, but he and his dad will still be able to bond over work stuff: after all, David has never been a stranger to a billboard.

Related: The covetable contrasts of H&M Studio AW25 are captured by Hanna MW and Rami Hanna

It’s not usual for a jewellery brand to be on the show schedule at fashion week, but Completedworks has made a mark on London with its tongue-in-cheek performances, featuring the likes of Joanna Lumley, Dianna Agron and Debi Mazar. This time around, Jerry Hall played a “diva psychic” who can read people via their personal possessions – with the audience getting involved, too.

In recent seasons, we’ve seen designers upcycling various paraphernalia, from compact mirrors at Sarah Burton’s Givenchy to Dilara Findikoglu’s knife dress. The latest to add to the list? Calvin Klein’s underwear waistbands, which were woven into an off-shoulder evening dress for spring/summer 2026. One to try at home, if you’ve got any old briefs gathering dust.

Even the upper echelons of the fashion industry are not immune to the phenomenon that is The Summer I Turned Pretty – as seen by the reaction to various sightings of Chris Briney, who plays Conrad Fisher in the teen drama, during New York Fashion Week. Spotted on the front row of Calvin Klein and the Cos autumn/winter 2025 show, the actor confirmed to Vogue that he’s “Team Conrad”, adding that he’s been “rooting for him for three seasons”. As have we.

Related: COS AW25: Minimalism made monumental in Brooklyn

After appearing on the cover of Teen Vogue in March, it’s no surprise that Vivian Wilson – the outspoken daughter of Elon Musk – has been embraced by the fashion world this season. The 21-year-old made her catwalk debut at the Alexis Bittar presentation, where she wore a glittery pink dress and Miss South Carolina sash, in keeping with the Miss USA theme, before taking to the runway for Prabal Gurung.