I’ve always believed fashion has this curious dual power: it can astonish with spectacle, and it can comfort through simplicity. After the latest Milan and Paris fashion weeks, I find myself more excited than I have been in a long time, partly because of the changes in creative leadership, and partly because many collections seem to circle back not to trends per se, but to meaning, material, and elegance.
Passing the Torch: New Voices, Old Houses
First: the handovers. There’s something electric about watching a creative director leave a legacy and another step in, especially at houses with deep histories. Pierpaolo Piccioli’s debut at Balenciaga with “The Heartbeat” is exactly that kind of moment. He comes from Valentino, and his arrival at Balenciaga signals more than a change in name; it feels like a recalibration. Piccioli marries Balenciaga’s heritage with a softer, more poetic edge.
Then there’s Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta – the house’s first female creative director, a round of applause, please – who has introduced collections that feel like someone finally pausing to listen to what the brand already signified, rather than trying to reinvent everything overnight.
Simone Bellotti at Jil Sander similarly brings a quiet force: deeply tailored, clean, not desperate for shock. And Glenn Martens stepping into Maison Margiela, Jonathan Anderson at Dior, Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, this isn’t just “new blood,” it’s deliberate choice after deliberate choice, as if the industry is saying: we want novelty, yes, but we want roots.
These leadership changes give me hope because they bring contrast, between past extremes and future possibilities. They suggest that fashion needn’t be binary (flashy vs. functional; theatrical vs. restrained); that the thread of heritage and craft still holds weight. They allow identity, not just spectacle. And that matters.
Elegance & Craft: A Return to Things That Last
As the new hands took charge, many shows responded with a quieter voice. Collections that prioritized tailoring, silhouette, material, proportion, and nuance over shock value. Piccioli’s first collection at Balenciaga didn’t abandon the house’s history: there were strong references to the sack dress, cape jackets, but rendered in tones and cuts that felt lived in, not staged.
Louise Trotter’s Bottega rests on craftsmanship: Intrecciato weaving, mix of masculine and feminine tailoring, but all stitched together with a feeling of practical elegance. Even at houses known for boldness or spectacle, there’s been this pullback: towards clothes that I could imagine someone choosing on an ordinary morning: a tailored blazer, a leather jacket with just enough interest, finishes that matter. There’s emotional honesty there.
This return to craft feels like grounding, after years of fashion shows trying to outdo each other in extremes. When you see a garment made thoughtfully, you feel hope, that fashion still has artistry, still values labour, still respects seeing and being seen.
Why I’m Hopeful
So, what does this translate into, for me personally? First, a renewed faith that fashion can be sustainable in its not-just-ecological sense, but aesthetic: lasting forms, wearable beauty, emotional resonance. Second, a sense that fashion houses are finally embracing the idea that creative directors don’t have to erase everything that came before: they can honour legacy while bringing their own voice. Third, I feel that the industry is listening, to buyers, to wearers, to critics, even to older tradition, not just chasing novelty for novelty’s sake.
Watching these shows, I’m thrilled by possibility: possibility for elegant chaos, yes, but also for restraint; possibility for deep craft instead of shallow flash; possibility for fashion to still surprise, but to do so with heart.
In short: after this season, I don’t just want trends. I want clothes that matter. And these changes — in leadership, in tone, in material, have made me believe that maybe fashion, at least for a moment, is starting to matter again.
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