Paris: Catwalks dazzle with Marie Adam-Leenaerdt, Casablanca, Acne Studios, and Balmain Clutch Fire

On the third day of the women’s ready-to-wear fashion shows in Paris, trends are beginning to crystallise. The collections for spring-summer 2026 are both joyful and energetic, with a strong emphasis on neutral, practical daywear, while eveningwear oscillates between refinement and full-throttle glamour — as Marie Adam-Leenaerdt, Casablanca, Acne Studios and Balmain brilliantly demonstrate.

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The audience was ready to embark with Marie Adam-Leenaerdt. The catwalk was transformed into an airport, completed with its typical hubbub and a labyrinth of queuing barriers. A keen observer of everyday scenes and objects — which she delights in subverting and reinterpreting through her conceptual fashion — the Belgian designer drew inspiration for her new collection from her travels and the cast of characters encountered in these places of transit.

She offered the ideal wardrobe to slip into a suitcase, calibrated to the millimetre to tackle any destination. There were versatile basics in black, navy, beige and nude: classic trousers and jumpers, a straight skirt slit at the back, a little dress, a tailored suit, a trench coat and a cap.

Then there was room for more polished looks: maxi sheath dresses in warm sunset hues, sparkling slip dresses and draped lamé tops — all elevated with statement jewellery, from diamonds to large pearls, worn as rings, earrings or necklaces. The shimmer spilled over into other pieces too, like a rhinestone-studded market net bag.

In this imaginary airport, each look embodied an identity in motion. There was the supremely practical girl who travels light in her convertible raincoat, the cool ingénue in a satin tracksuit, the diva in black sunglasses in sophisticated ensembles, the stressed traveller weighed down by an enormous bag, and the canny one who layers two or more garments into one.

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Two hours later, Casablanca ignited the day with a supercharged show. The label staged it at the American Cathedral in Paris and brought in American DJ, author and producer Louie Vega, along with the gospel choir Les Cigognes, London’s The House Gospel Choir and the fantastic soul trio The Dames Brown, for a high-octane session. The music reverberated through the church, making the mirror wall installed behind the altar tremble.

Powered by the unbridled energy of the soundtrack and the singers’ vocal prowess, the models strode out in coloured-lens sunglasses and oversized flower-shaped earrings. Next summer promises to be pop, chic and cool. Hemlines went even shorter and midriffs were bared, with punchy, graphic pieces — be they sporty or luxe.

Everything shimmered with a cascade of glossy materials and rainbow gradients, while lightness prevailed in organza jackets and ultralight nylon trousers, short-sleeved shirts and blousons. Light radiated at every step, whether from rhinestone-encrusted looks or blindingly white ensembles. Micro shorts paired with a blouson; a sequin skirt teamed with a zip-up tracksuit jacket; the striped knit version met a rhinestone bralette; and low-rise indigo jeans were slipped over an ultra-high-cut swimsuit in the same denim.

Suits were kept to a minimum, sometimes rendered in coloured leather (mini skirt and blouson), or offered with a tiny skirt paired with a cropped jacket or a bandeau top with patch pockets. Come evening, the Casablanca girl slipped into an openwork crochet mermaid dress, illuminated with large silver sequins.

For his part, the man imagined by designer Charaf Tajer retained his sporty attitude, but with a sophisticated finish. His white trousers, with their shifting sheen, looked moiré. The jacket of a sky-blue suit was adorned with zips, while his track jacket morphed into a tailored blazer. A mesh T-shirt was layered over a crisp white shirt. The blousons were luxurious in colourful ostrich leather or crocodile.

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Lay down carpeting and faux-wood walls decorated with photographs by artist Pacifico Silano, and the transformation was complete. The magnificent 13th-century vaulted hall of the Collège des Bernardins became a smoking lounge, ready to host — in the perfectly pitched “sophisticated and subversive” ambience — the resolutely masculine Acne Studios woman for spring-summer 2026.

This season, designer Jonny Johansson explored the relationship between masculine and feminine. The theme, tackled countless times in fashion, was examined here by deconstructing archetypes and focusing on the androgynous woman. No Yves Saint Laurent tuxedos at the Swedish house, but bona fide bad-boy looks.

With closely cropped hair and rounded, roughneck shoulders, the models stormed the runway, fully transformed into men. They donned cowboy boots and aviator sunglasses, leather jackets worn open over tank tops, and time-worn trousers.

The metamorphosis was pitch-perfect — almost hallucinatory — with aged leather trousers, virile ribbed vests, lumberjack shirts and grandad jumpers, holed at the front to reveal, through porthole-like cut-outs, works by Pacifico Silano.

An incredible amount of work had gone into the fabrications for jackets and trousers: PVC-coated, glossy, fashioned from a kind of papier-mâché Kraft paper, or in cracked, distressed leather.

All of this was counterbalanced by hyper-feminine, boudoir-inflected looks, with corseted dresses in lace patchwork tracing rounded, sensual curves.

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The grand spectacles at Balmain are on hold. With the economic crisis biting, the house — which is celebrating its 80th anniversary — opted for a “more intimate” show at InterContinental Paris – Le Grand, the historic hotel on Boulevard des Capucines, not far from the Opéra, slightly old-fashioned with its glass roof, carpeting and gilded panelling, bought a decade ago by a branch of the Qatari sovereign wealth fund. The fund also owns the couture house, which is currently in financial difficulty.

“It’s not an anniversary collection,” said a spokesperson. Indeed, the wardrobe designed by Olivier Rousteing appeared strikingly “minimal” compared with his usual creations. Gone were the flamboyant, glamorous outfits, the precious embellishments and refined finishes. With the exception of a few pieces made entirely from shells or wooden beads, the wardrobe focuses on thoroughly everyday items.

The offering was very summery and functional, in a khaki and terracotta palette. Jumpsuits and balloon trousers were tucked into suede boots that scrunch around the calf, paired with XXL jackets or loose jumpers revealing one shoulder. Bags featured long leather fringing. With long shorts and macramé dresses, a bohemian touch ran through the ensemble, reminiscent of Isabel Marant’s laid-back style.