Every season, Paris Fashion Week means chaotic luxury, champagne galore, pure drama and mega collections. Forget Milan’s business chic or the try-hard wannabes from New York – real fashion still happens in Paris. Dinners start late, shows are usually on time – although bad habits are slowly being adopted from Milan as diva celebs like Naomi Campbell are deliberately late. The venues are palaces and baroque apartments with high ceilings, chandeliers and endless champagne. There are after-parties every night – not easy to get into, but doable. There are fewer paparazzi and street style photographers because the locations are kept secret until the last minute. Paris is in a completely different league: moments of pure opulence and the glamorous world of Parisian couture. Now that we’re slowly coming down from the fashion month high, here are our highlights from Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2025.
Devilish rumor mill
At the dimly lit dinner tables at Costes, between super skinny fries, cocktails and laid-back house music, the devil’s advocate plays and the hottest fashion gossip is unpacked. Maria Grazia Chiuri is reportedly leaving Dior – the official announcement will be made after the Cruise collection. Jonathan Anderson is apparently already ready. Nothing is fixed yet, but if it’s said over dinner at Costes, it’s usually true.
Old habits die hard: 90s supermodels cause new trouble
Is Naomi deliberately stinging Anna Wintour?
Anna Wintour hates it when shows start late – especially when celebrities are to blame. So she was visibly annoyed when the Chanel Fall/Winter 2025 show started unusually late. The reason? None other than the queen of attitude: Naomi Campbell. She was escorted to her front row throne with maximum drama and a lot of delay – and Anna, diagonally opposite, looked anything but thrilled. Coincidence? Please. It was only in September at the Fashion Row Awards that Anna criticized Naomi for her eternal unpunctuality. This here? Smells suspiciously like revenge.
What Kate bakes?
A viral clip of Kate Moss fidgeting at Isabel Marant has set the internet ablaze. Nervous or too much champagne? Social media speculated wildly. Check out the moment here.
The best collections and the WTFs
Oh yes!
Givenchy
Sarah Burton made her debut at Givenchy and did not disappoint. Her creative talent is so versatile that she adapted seamlessly to Givenchy and presented a collection that was both fresh and true to the house’s tradition. Absolutely couture worthy.
Valentino
Alessandro Michele has now designed three collections for Valentino. Initially opinions were divided, but the more Michele settles into his role as creative director, the more it feels like he is polishing a rough diamond to reveal its purest form. Looking at Valentino Garavani’s previous collections, it is clear that Michele is not reinventing the brand, but rather reinterpreting the archives in a refreshing way. An excellent collection.
Tom Ford
Haider Ackermann made his debut at Tom Ford with the fall/winter 2025 collection. Clear, sharply cut, tailored and pleasantly free of unnecessary frills – simply classic Tom Ford style. Fashion insiders seem satisfied and are excited to see how Ackermann will continue to develop his vision as the new head designer at Tom Ford.
Dries Van Noten
Julian Klausner’s first collection as Creative Director was one of the hottest events in the Fall/Winter 2025 womenswear calendar. The collection perfectly captured the signature Dries Van Noten vibe – elegant, masterfully layered and utterly avant-garde. Nothing was missing, and Klausner managed to subtly add something of his own – elusive, but definitely impressive.
Oh no!
Alexander McQueen
Sean McGirr made his debut as creative director, but the collection felt disjointed, chaotic and a little confused. It felt like a deliberate break from the classic McQueen aesthetic – or maybe he just wanted too much at once.
Duran Lantink
His fall/winter 2025 “Duranimal” collection left many wondering if he was as high as his extremely high necklines when designing the pieces. Although padded elements and dramatic silhouettes are typical of Duran Lantink’s style, this collection took things a little too far with its extreme execution. The use of prosthetics and attention-grabbing designs distracted heavily from the clothing and led to discussions about whether it was more about attention than artistic expression.
Best runway sets
Louis Vuitton: Voyage, Voyage
Coperni: Runway LAN party
Valentino: Turn left and you’ll find the restroom – right on the catwalk
Models: The Next-Gen It-Girls & Runway Comebacks
Kai Schreiber walks for Valentino – of course, what else? The 16-year-old daughter of Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber celebrated her catwalk debut. Another Nepo baby in couture – who’s surprised? Bella Hadid back and relaxed at Saint Laurent: After a short break, Bella strutted back onto the catwalk at Saint Laurent as if she had never been away. Meanwhile, Gigi held the fort at Miu Miu. Because Fashion Week isn’t Fashion Week without Hadid, is it?
Fashion Week, especially in Paris, means celebrity frontrows. Whether you like it or not, they just add drama.
Tyra Banks at Balenciaga: Caused a stir with bleached eyebrows and pink eyeshadow, some even speculated about plastic surgery
Gossip Girl reunion at Elie Saab: Kelly Rutherford and Leighton Meester met up again. (I wonder what they were gossiping about?)
Jared Leto at Valentino: Because he’s always there anyway, it’s somehow nothing special anymore.
Dakota Fanning, Jessica Alba & Naomi Campbell at Chanel: Chanel’s front row dripped with chic
YSL celebrity front row: Zoë Kravitz, Lola Abecassis & Kid Cudi and Charlotte Gainsbourg, turned the show into a real A-list event
Paris Fashion Week – the after-party of the fashion month. The collections were bold, innovative and thought-provoking. The gossip – pure gold. Open bars at the designer after-parties every night. Fall/Winter Fashion Week may be over, but the designers have delivered. Stay tuned – our trend forecast for fall/winter 2025/26 is coming soon. Until then, you can read all about the shows here.
Don’t miss the highlights of Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter2025/26 on faces.ch
Teaser photo & photos : © Launchmetrics Spotlight
