Paris Fashion Week is drawing to a close, and the spring/summer 2027 collections have given the industry plenty to talk about: two designer debuts at storied French houses, and a maximalist Valentino show staged among the bookshelves of one of the city’s grandest libraries.
Valentino reads the room
On Sunday 4 October, Alessandro Michele presented Valentino’s new collection in the reading room of the 19th-century Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, a show he called “Antibiblioteca”. According to Reuters, guests arrived carrying books and sat at long oak reading tables lit by green lamps, while models walked between the stacks in tight silk corset tops in bright blue, yellow and hot pink, worn with skirts in contrasting colours. Lace skirts and shirts were finished with ostrich-feather hems, and the final look was a floor-length Valentino red gown with a giant black bow.
For jewellery lovers, the accessories were the headline. Reuters described the jewellery as chunky and colourful, with elaborate baroque gold necklaces and oversized pearl earrings. The stakes are high: the report notes that Michele, who joined in March 2024, is under pressure to revive sales after the house swung to a €103 million loss last year as revenues fell 15%.
Two new names, two fresh starts
Earlier in the week, Paris welcomed two debuts. At Courrèges, Drew Henry showed his first collection at the Palais de Tokyo on Wednesday 30 September. WWD reported that the designer, best known for his work with Phoebe Philo at Celine and at her own label, took a freewheeling approach to the house’s codes, from ribbed knits and vinyl jackets to the A-line dress, which he flipped backwards and made unisex. Vogue noted that the palette was far more colourful than in recent seasons, and that early reactions were positive if mixed.
A day later, Kai Nesselrath made his debut at Carven at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers. Vogue reported that he drew on the house’s late-1950s and early-1960s archive for precise, sculptural lines, opening with mini skirt and short jacket ensembles and including green-and-white striped pyjamas, a nod to a historic brand code. WWD singled out the accessories, among them earrings shaped like pencil shavings.
Taking the mood home
The message from Paris is that colour and character are back. A pearl detail, such as our Natural Topaz Four Pearl Ring, nods to Valentino’s pearls, while a piece like the Natural Gemstone Chunky Filigree Ring or the Natural Citrine Colour Trio Ring brings in a touch of that bold, multicoloured spirit. You can also browse our earrings.
Sources: Reuters, “Valentino unveils corset tops and chunky jewellery at fashion show in 19th-century Paris library”, via FashionNetwork (5 October 2026); Joelle Diderich, “Courrèges Spring 2027 Ready-to-Wear” review, WWD (30 September 2026); “First Reactions to Drew Henry’s Courrèges”, Vogue; Lily Templeton, “Carven Spring 2027 Ready-to-Wear” review, WWD (1 October 2026); “First Reactions to Kai Nesselrath’s Carven Debut”, Vogue.
