The spring/summer 2027 womenswear season closed in Paris on 6 October, after four weeks of shows that began in New York on 10 September. It was a season of new names. Christopher Kane made his debut at Mulberry, Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo took over Moschino, Drew Henry showed his first collection for Courrèges, Kai Nesselrath his first for Carven and Henry Zankov his first for Diane von Furstenberg. At the same time, the designers appointed in the 2025 round of changes, among them Jonathan Anderson at Dior, Matthieu Blazy at Chanel and Demna at Gucci, settled into their houses with visible confidence.
For clients in the Gulf, whose wardrobes and wish lists lean heavily on these names, this was the season that showed where each house now stands, and what will reach boutiques from early 2027.
Four cities, one long month
The calendar ran from 10 to 15 September in New York, 17 to 21 September in London, 22 to 28 September in Milan and 28 September to 6 October in Paris. Paris was the largest stage. Its official calendar listed 68 shows and 33 presentations, opening on 28 September with Julie Kegels and Maxhosa Africa and closing on 6 October with Louis Vuitton.
New York opened with a debut. Henry Zankov showed his first collection for Diane von Furstenberg, which began New York Fashion Week, according to L’Officiel USA. Coverage of that show was thin, so the more detailed stories of the season began in London.
London: Mulberry returns to ready-to-wear
Christopher Kane’s first Mulberry show was held on 20 September at the QEII Centre in Westminster. It included a vinyl checked overcoat with a trompe l’oeil tartan and a mock-croc version of the Piccadilly bag. Kane became creative director of women’s ready-to-wear in March and works with his sister Tammy Kane.
The collection treats the house’s bags as a source of shape. According to Retail Gazette, the silhouette of the Bayswater bag carries into dresses, tailoring and knitwear, while Postman’s Lock hardware appears on belts and shoes. The clothes are due in stores in January 2027.
The return matters because Mulberry had stopped making ready-to-wear in 2020, when its licensing deal with Onward Luxury Group ended. The new line supports chief executive Andrea Baldo’s strategy, which the company calls Back to the Mulberry Spirit. Kane told Wallpaper that heritage was a foundation for him and not a limitation, and that he wanted to write his own codes. Laura Weir, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, said Mulberry’s return strengthened London Fashion Week creatively, culturally and commercially.
Milan: a new Moschino and a Gucci store inside a hall
Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo, appointed by the Aeffe group in June 2026, made their Moschino debut on 25 September. According to Hypebae, more than 400 guests walked the runway alongside the models, under a manifesto to reignite Moschino without imitating it.
Gucci took a different route. Demna built a full-scale Gucci store inside Milan’s Allianz MiCo, with four rooms, a spiral staircase and velvet banquettes. It previews a new store concept that is due to open on Avenue Montaigne in Paris on 30 October 2026. Wallpaper named the Horsebit as the season’s defining motif. For Gulf readers the store is worth watching, because Gucci is an anchor tenant in the region’s malls and a new concept usually shapes the boutiques that follow.
At Bottega Veneta, Louise Trotter showed her third collection in a white space with a sound installation by Florian Hecker, built from 20 ceiling speakers, and resin-coated cardboard stools by Illya Goldman Gubin, each with a leather flower. Trotter described summer as a proposition to wear less but feel more. Fendi, under Maria Grazia Chiuri, showed in a house of mirrors with Raffaella Carrà as its muse, and Wallpaper called the result highly wearable. Prada sent out 63 looks, each built around a skirt, and Miuccia Prada said the skirt served as a framework.
Versace was not on the Milan calendar. Pieter Mulier, who has led the house since 1 July 2026, is expected to debut next season. Dario Vitale has moved from Versace to Emporio Armani.
Paris: Dior and Saint Laurent set the tone
Jonathan Anderson showed Dior at the Bassin Octogonal in the Tuileries gardens, with camphor trees wrapped in mist, according to The Zoe Report. There were more than 65 looks. The starting points were varied: the Chinese practice of rolling wénwán walnuts in the hand, a reworked 1952 La Cigale dress in pink pleated tulle, and houndstooth, which Dior first used in 1938. Anderson said the walnuts reminded him how knowledge and preciousness can be found in nature.
Saint Laurent showed on Tuesday 29 September at the Trocadéro, with the Eiffel Tower lit in gold, according to Asharq Al-Awsat. The collection was entirely gold, ten years after Anthony Vaccarello’s first show for the house. Fabrics included liquid lamé, burnished satin, metallic leather, brocade and gold jacquard. Who What Wear found the result oddly wistful. Some outlets speculated that the show might be a finale for Vaccarello, but the house has announced no change, and nothing about his future has been confirmed.
Paris: the new names
Drew Henry’s Courrèges debut was among the most discussed. Henry, 38 and born in South Africa, was named artistic director in March after periods at Céline, JW Anderson and Burberry. He replaced the house’s recent black-and-white vinyl with an explosion of colour, and Hypebae noted tall hats, neon belts and A-line dresses. It called the debut one with a real sense of humour.
At Carven, Kai Nesselrath presented his first collection as creative director on 1 October. He drew on the founder, Madame Carven, and put pencils in pockets as a motif. Nesselrath said what spoke to him most was the founder herself, an idea of a doer and a woman who works with her hands. At Maison Margiela, this was Glenn Martens’s first Paris season focused solely on the house after leaving Diesel.
Chanel: the second act
Matthieu Blazy’s second Chanel collection was shown on Monday 5 October at the Grand Palais, under a giant moon and luminescent seagulls. His first collection had come a year earlier, for SS26. This time tweed was opened into a wide windowpane and recut in a red-and-white tiger print, and the shoes included two-tone pumps with a cream toe. Quilted bags appeared in black, burgundy and white. The collection keeps the house codes in plain view while changing how they are cut, which is the balance a house with this much history has to strike.
Reuters wrote that Chanel is riding a wave of enthusiasm while other brands struggle. Angélique Liautaud, womenswear buying and merchandising director at Printemps, said Chanel felt as alive as ever. For a house of Chanel’s size, with a loyal client base across the Gulf, a second collection that confirms the first is the result that matters most.
Lightness, craft and colour
Beyond the debuts, three ideas ran through the month. The first was lightness. Dior’s show notes described a collection that anticipates a warm breeze, with movement arriving alongside lightness, and the house made its pinstripe, tartan and Prince of Wales checks as light as air. Sportmax built what it called heat-responsive dressing in organza and nappa leather, and Max Mara showed an organza trench and a belted safari jacket, which Wallpaper described as chic utilitarianism. Giorgio Armani blended day and evening wear and brought cotton into its reflective fabrics. These are practical ideas for a climate where the warm season is long.
The second idea was craft that could be seen. Tod’s had its artisans build T Signature bags and Gommino loafers on site during the show. Gabriela Hearst, showing in Paris on 5 October, drew on the craft of Afghan women, with traditional prints and small mirrors.
The third was a shift in neutrals. Rick Owens moved from black to stone, and Lacoste built a collection called Dress Code: No White Required around clay tones. After a season dominated by gold at Saint Laurent, the quieter palette offers a counterpoint.
What the season means for the Gulf
Spring and summer collections shown in September usually reach boutiques from about January to February, so the first SS27 pieces will arrive in the cooler months. Mulberry has already set its date, January 2027.
Tailoring is the thread that runs through many of these shows, from ties at Gucci and Loewe to the short, precise suits at Saint Laurent and Chanel’s reworked tweed. Gucci put ties under polo shirts, and Loewe, according to FashionUnited, brought the tie back, while Saint Laurent showed short, precise suits. These are ideas that translate easily to the working day in Dubai, Riyadh or Doha. It is the subject of a separate story in this issue, as is the practical question of how to wear the season in the Gulf. Harper’s Bazaar Arabia has already sorted the Paris looks into edits for the region, from the working day to weddings, and Elie Saab’s own SS27 collection in Paris supplied its wedding-season choices.
The larger lesson is about confidence. The newcomers arrived with clear ideas, such as Kane’s bag-shaped silhouettes and Henry’s colour. The established names, Dior, Chanel and Gucci, spent the month showing that last year’s appointments have found their direction. Gulf clients, who buy these houses in depth, will see the results in the shops within a few months.
Sources: Wallpaper, Retail Gazette, Hypebae, Who What Wear, Asharq Al-Awsat, Reuters via WHTC