In pictures: Pierpaolo Piccioli's haute couture debut for Balenciaga

Madrid – In one of the most anticipated shows of this Paris Haute Couture Week, Balenciaga presented its annual Haute Couture collection mid-morning on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. This is the first collection under this label by the Rome-born designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, following his confirmation as the new creative director of the historic fashion house at the end of May 2025.

This show took place almost exactly one year after the designer's effective start as the new head of the design department at the Kering group's fashion house on July 10 of last year. Piccioli showcased his first haute couture creations for Balenciaga under the scorching sun of a particularly hot Paris. For this presentation, the acclaimed designer decided to move away from the traditional salons of Balenciaga's historic headquarters at 10 Avenue George V in Paris.

He instead chose the elegant courtyard of the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris campus, located in the southern part of the French capital. The university's historic buildings are reminiscent of and inspired by French heritage architecture, particularly the monumental Château de Fontainebleau, which Napoleon claimed as emperor of the French. This venue hosted what is believed to be the first and only outdoor Balenciaga Haute Couture show.

To place it in the historical context of the fashion house founded by the great Spanish master Cristóbal Balenciaga, today's presentation in Paris is the sixth Haute Couture collection since the line was revived. The revival began with the presentation of its 50th Haute Couture collection on July 7, 2021, following the couturier's retirement and the closure of his fashion house in 1967. This repositioning towards its “natural space” was then led by the Georgian designer Demna Gvasalia.

Before passing the baton to Piccioli and taking on the significant challenge of relaunching Gucci, he designed up to five Haute Couture collections for Balenciaga. The Rome-born designer made his debut in this role on Wednesday, a task he was already familiar with from his previous position as creative director of Valentino.

For Valentino, he presented a final Haute Couture collection for the spring/summer 2024 season during the January 2024 Haute Couture Week. This followed his autumn/winter 2023/2024 Haute Couture collection in July 2023, where we noted the palpable and visible inspirations from Balenciaga's work in his designs. Indeed, Wednesday's show, from its atmosphere to its designs, seemed to be a continuation of that Valentino show. In hindsight, it appears to have paved the way for the Rome-born designer's appointment to the creative direction of Balenciaga.

Between (new) sack, balloon and “peacock tail” dresses

Following on from this, today's show saw Pierpaolo Piccioli present Balenciaga's 55th Haute Couture collection. The collection demonstrated his deep understanding of the extraordinary craftsmanship that the master from Getaria displayed in every stitch and every fold of fabric. He presented a vibrant succession of looks inspired by the Spanish designer's work, yet adapted to modern times and reflecting his own creative sensibilities.

The result, starting with the colour palette, is a collection based on a vibrant, stimulating and colourful symphony. Neutral tones of muted sand brown; pure white; stone grey and jet black are contrasted by the Rome-born designer with electric coral oranges; refreshing aquamarine greens and calm sky blues; sumptuous purples; captivating pastel yellows; cheerful forest greens; autumnal aubergines, clarets and burgundies; and a wide and vivid family of pinks, from pastel accents to Schiaparelli's signature “shocking” pink. The presence of pinks inevitably brings to mind the “Barbiecore” trend that Piccioli helped to popularise during his time at Valentino. Here, however, it is secondary to the clear references to Balenciaga's imagery and methods that the Rome-born designer has pursued for this collection.

The collection draws inspiration from the works of Zurbarán, El Greco and Goya, artists who greatly influenced Balenciaga during his lifetime. It features a series of designs marked by the same colour palettes that characterise the paintings of these and other great Spanish masters. These colours are used in blocks, with an almost total absence of prints. This rule is broken only for textured finishes or for floral prints, which are incorporated more as a flat decorative pattern than as motifs with their own weight and identity within the collection.

As for the silhouettes, enveloping, fluid, shell-like lines and animal influences predominate, in keeping with the finest legacy of Cristóbal Balenciaga's craftsmanship and his sack, “peacock tail”, balloon or trapeze designs. These were constructions with which the master from Getaria gave the language of fashion a timeless alphabet that is still constantly revisited today. Piccioli's particular task is to build the present moment for the fashion house that bears Balenciaga's name.

The Rome-born designer shows that he draws from the heritage, archive and history of the Balenciaga house. He also demonstrates his talent for subverting this legacy, renewing and updating it for the current fashion landscape. The result? Archetypes clearly rooted in the golden age of Haute Couture, but with their branches taking the attractive form of fluid funnel-neck blouses, cape-like gilets, coat dresses, or transparent blouses with a “peacock tail” cut.

This dual language, fusing the Haute Couture of yesterday with the streetwear of today, makes Piccioli's intentions clear. Firstly, he wants to help position Balenciaga as a benchmark for today's fashion lovers. Secondly, he aims to create a Haute Couture that is as intoxicating to the senses as it is wearable, just as Balenciaga's creations were in his time.

During a show attended by figures such as Demi Moore, Isabelle Huppert and Naomi Watts, the Spanish-heritage house presented a collection that stands as “a tribute to the principles of Balenciaga as a Haute Couture house, rooted in its axioms, its singularities, its truths,” the brand stated in the text accompanying the show. The collection is built on the same fundamental principle that Cristóbal Balenciaga attributed to fabric as the beginning and end of his designs.

Piccioli has adopted this methodology to shape the different pieces in this collection. They are crafted from tulle, muslin, feather details or the same silk gazar fabric that the Spanish designer invented, which allowed him to give volume to his astonishing creations. The Spanish couturier's “obsession” with “three-dimensionality, with sewing as true sculpture” at the service of the female body is what this first Haute Couture collection by Pierpaolo Piccioli for Balenciaga particularly aims to honour.