8 March 2026 |
For AW26 at Balenciaga, Pierpaolo Piccioli titled the collection ClairObscur, referencing the Renaissance technique of using light and shadow to define volume. The concept translated into a line-up built around contrast – dark palettes, sculptural shapes and flashes of luminosity through fabric, surface and cut.
Staged in a vast darkened space on the Champs-Élysées, the show environment was developed with Sam Levinson, creator of Euphoria. Video monitors surrounding the runway played fragments from the show’s upcoming season alongside landscapes and portrait-like close-ups of cast members, creating a continuous visual backdrop.
Eighty-one looks walked beneath a narrow strip of light. Outerwear anchored the collection – leather bombers with rounded cocoon backs, structured pea coats and imposing officer coats with collars lifted away from the shoulders, echoing silhouettes associated with Cristóbal Balenciaga. Face-framing portrait collars and funnel necks appeared repeatedly.
Between the coats came draped jersey dresses cut with minimal seams, high-waisted denim and streamlined tailoring. Accessories included softened versions of the Hourglass bag and slightly off-kilter brogues developed with J.M. Weston. Taken together, it read as a study in controlled silhouettes and house codes – outerwear, volume and portrait-like framing at the centre of Piccioli’s second outing.
Photography courtesy of Balenciaga.
