The names of all of the team members who contributed to Demna’s vision over the past decade rang out in the haute couture salons of Balenciaga at 10 Avenue Georges V today. They said their names, one after the other, as the looks emerged. It was the Georgian designer’s couture swan song. He is off to Gucci now, debuting in September, where couture is not part of their offering.
Here, for Balenciaga’s Fall 2026 Haute Couture show, Demna made a point to focus deeply on savoir-faire. “La Bourgeoisie” acted as the starting point for the collection, studying the way the influential and the wealthy dress and shop. He looked back to 15th century silhouettes and codes from families like Medici, with tulip-like collars that took on modernity when rendered from turtleneck pullovers (one worn by Isabelle Huppert) and knit sweaters that unfurled at the jawline like vampirical capes.
Balenciaga
Balenciaga
The cast was naturally a talking point. Kim Kardashian returned to Demna’s couture runway in an Elizabeth Taylor embodiment, wearing a slip dress plucked from Richard Brooks’ “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof,” swathed in a faux mink jacket that was cleverly made of white feathers, and dripping in Lorraine Schwartz diamonds—the earrings of which were Taylor’s herself, from Lorraine Schwartz’s private collection. Other nods to Hollywood glamour—a forever obsession of Demna’s—were evident in a black sequin gown worn by Naomi Campbell, and a pink organza ball gown worn with a tiara.
Much of Demna’s work at Balenciaga has been defined by his corporate, streetwear sensibilities, which he leaned into for his final collection. A surplus of oversized suits came through the halls, all slouchy and “borrowed” looking with couture construction. There was a silk bomber that encapsulates who he is as a designer, and a sequin floral gown which reportedly was inspired by the memory of his grandmother’s tablecloth.
Balenciaga
Balenciaga
But it wasn’t all Demna-isms. He was sure to pay the greatest homage to Cristóbal Balenciaga, too. The first exit was a triangular two-piece skirt and top crafted from white gabardine; then, a houndstooth skirt and jacket with a nipped waist and an exaggerated collar, repurposed from a version Monsieur Balenciaga’s long-time muse Danielle Slavic once wore by the house. Finally, a sculptural guipure lace gown emerged as the finale dress, encapsulating so much of what Balenciaga has always been, and what Demna has made it today.
Balenciaga
Balenciaga
For Demna’s first couture show for Balenciaga, the first two models emerged in suits with subtle floral accents. One was carrying a carnation, which was also placed on the seats of the showgoers, and the other was fastened onto his lapel. Fast forward five years, and Demna revisits this subtle detail, this time through floral rose brooches piercing lapels, crafted of recycled paper, plastic, and brass.
As the looks turned to eveningwear, the show began to close out to Sade’s “No Ordinary Love,” the singular musical soundtrack of the entire show. The final flourish was a pair of fans recreated from the archives of Duvelleroy, sparing no details on the importance of couture and the role it has played in Demna’s life and career.
Balenciaga
Balenciaga
