Haute Couture Week Highlights: Demna's swan song to Balenciaga, Glenn Martens debut at Margiela and Schiaparelli's new season offerings are some of our fave shows this season

Haute Couture week has ended and here is a round up of some of our favourite shows. The week kicked off with much excitement and anticipation as some of the newly appointed creative directors present their first collections.

Schiaparelli's Back to the Future F/W2025/26 runway show opened Haute Couture fashion week and celebrity guests flocked to his show in support. Cardi B who has been a regular attendee and Dua Lipa looking flawless in Schiaparelli attended the show for the first time. Longtime fan and supporter of the brand, Cardi B, brought all the drama with her sculpted ensemble and an unexpected guest, of the avian variety. Daniel's reference for this collection was to a time when the world was in turmoil as it was at the precipice of World War II in Paris according to the show notes. Replicating some of Elsa Schiaparelli's work during this period and injecting a modern aesthetic to it is what Daniel does best. Elsa's renown as the "queen of surrealist fashion" is what continues to set the Couture House apart under Roseberry's creative direction. Some of my favourite pieces from this collection were the grey trouser suit and the beautiful rich red pieces as well as the unexpectedness of the matador suits.

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Cardi B stuns with head-turning couture moments in Paris

Glenn Martens debuted his first collection at the helm of this illustrious design house, Maison Margiela. This we can assume was a daunting task considering the last creative director of the house was John Galliano, hailed as one of the most prolific haute couture designers of our time. Glenn's interpretation of the brand was deemed a success, tapping in to the codes that made the cult designer famous. References to the houses F/W92/93 collection was evidenced in the plastic garments Martens debuted as well as the masks which became a signature of the brand. This in no way can be described as a copy of the famed designers work, not at all, but simply a reintroduction on the designs that ensured that Maison Martin Margiela will forever be immortalised. The choice of location with decaying wallpaper and its basement chambers all in all offered us a statement of a new era and dawn of a most revered and respected fashion houseHis offering was a strong introduction as the new creative director and we look forward to his next collection.

Demna Gvasalia's swan song to Balenciaga was a pleasant surprise and a collection that was a fitting tribute to his exit. Even though his ready to wear collections left us feeling frustrated and disappointed, with his Haute Couture offering, there was much to be celebrated. Striking pieces that celebrated his time at Balenciaga and his "Demnafication" of it. We look forward with cautious optimism to what he brings and unveils in Milan for Gucci. I sincerely hope that he ushers in a new and exciting era of Gucci.