In Full Bloom

HAUTE COUTURE RETURNS TO NATURE

The spring/summer 2026 Paris Haute Couture Week saw designers drawing huge inspiration for from the earth and celebrating women blooming in harmony with nature whilst behind the scenes their fashion houses continue to explore and expand their paths of sustainability and eco-credibility.

According to the fashion Bible 'Vogue' scorpion tails emerged from the backs of corseted dresses and some silhouettes metamorphosed into birds in flight through feather-inspired jackets, from Schiaparelli's Daniel Roseberry, whilst Chanel's Matthieu Blazy, for his first haute couture show, transformed the nave of the Grand Palais 'into an enchanted glade, like something out of a fairy tale. Oversized mushrooms in shades of pink, yellow and red evoke a dreamlike universe.'

In his own shows notes, Dior's Jonathan Anderson wrote: "Nature offers no fixed conclusions, only systems in motion, evolving, adapting, enduring." Including shells, iron meteorites, swathes of grass and torn petals in his collection, he is said to have lined his set with thousands of cyclamen and other blooms in reference to the bouquet of wild flowers given to him by John Galliano who gathered them from his garden, when he invited him to preview his collection. They were a recurring motif. On the catwalk itself, women bloomed in dresses embroidered with flowers or moss, whilst lifelike brass and silk ear jewels in the form of orchids adorned their ears. Nature, and flowers, specifically, have endured as one of Dior's iconic house 'looks' since the very beginning when Monsieur Christian Dior said: "After women, flowers are the most beautiful thing God has given the world". With his very first collection in 1947, when he revolutionised fashion with the New Look silhouette his full, pleated skirt, called a corolla, was a nod to the part of the flower formed by all its petals.

Set to the hopeful and uplifting strings of Vivaldi's 'Spring' it will be interesting to see how Anderson's more fluid and drape-like shapes will translate to the high street whilst Dior and other fashion houses continue advancing sustainability in their Haute Couture and fashion lines. Whilst they recognise that reducing greenhouse gas emissions, using renewable energy, implementing sustainable packaging, and exploring more eco-friendly and 'natural' materials are all important the designers are also playing an important part in bringing nature's inspiration back into the world.

Photo credits: Dior