Closing the curtain on Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris, Whitewall shares with you the endless inspiration and infinite creativity of ArdAzAei, Elie Saab, Giambattista Valli, Germanier, Giorgo Armani Privé, Robert Wun, and Tamara Ralph.
ArdAzAei’s “The Folded Sea”
Courtesy of ArdAzAei.
Courtesy of ArdAzAei.
ArdAzAei’s fourth couture presentation, titled “The Folded Sea,” was made up of 26 profound creations. The grandeur and delicacy of our underwater universe was deeply honored in fizzy pastels, metallic jacquard, and billowing silk fantasies. “It’s a kind of light that feels sublime,” said Bahareh Ardakani, ArdAzAei’s founder and creative director. “The beauty of these shimmers on the water’s surface can be compared to the refractions of light emanating from a gemstone. Like a jewel, the secret of this spectacle’s radiance lies inside, in the mysteries of the sea below. It’s an understanding of beauty that guides ArdAzAei, as it is through the attention paid to a garment’s inner world that its outer radiance is revealed.”
“As it is through the attention paid to a garment’s inner world that its outer radiance is revealed,”
Bahareh Ardakani
Over-the-top pleating echoed the beguiling texture of a coral reef, and an evening gown embroidered with iridescent sequins, beads, and tubes reflected the natural phenomenon of bioluminescence.
Elie Saab’s Timeless Expression of Feminine Grace
Photo: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com, Courtesy of Elie Saab.
Photo: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com, Courtesy of Elie Saab.
“La Nouvelle Cour” underpinned Elie Saab’s Autumn/Winter 2025/26 Haute Couture collection, turning heads with plush silks, glossy pearls, and decadent feminine prowess. Uplifting the fearless Elie Saab heroine at every turn, a parade of come-hither details were spotted on the catwalk. Swirls of velvet, French corsetterie, metallic embroidery, and delicious hues of mint, rose pink, nude, and water blue cast a hallucinatory spell.
“Regal yet effortless, refined yet dynamic, Elie Saab Haute Couture AW26 is a timeless expression of feminine grace,” remarked the house’s show notes. “Beautifully hand-crafted and full of precious embellishment, this evocative collection summons an enchanting realm where pleasure, power and playfulness rule.”
Giambattista Valli’s Ode to Beauty
Courtesy of Giambattista Valli.
Courtesy of Giambattista Valli.
Roaming as a youthful muse through enchanting scenery, shadowy silhouettes, and fragrant groves sets the charming story for Giambattista Valli’s Haute Couture N°29. Invoking the pastel heavens of French Rococo masters Antoine Watteau and Jean-Honoré Fragonard, the maison reintroduces the world to the Valli Girls. Here, the sculptural, ephemeral quality of gowns are built gradually, like the world’s lightest, yet most decadent ice cream sundae.
Sans rigid structures, candy-colored fabric was free to rise and fall, curl up and unwind. Come, meet the matte mademoiselles, with no gleam of toil in sight. A floor-length coat, embroidered with silk gazar petals, topped off with silk organza bows, played like shivers of whipped cream. And a “red rose” bustier gown—the cherry on top—frothed with a bodice embroidered in silk organza roses and a silk faille skirt.
Germanier Brings the Light
Courtesy of Germanier.
Courtesy of Germanier.
“‘Les Joueuses’ is a collection born from play,” imparted Kévin Germanier for the house’s fall/winter 25 Couture collection. “I experimented with prints—polka dots, snake, painted leopard, stripe—with bold color combinations and exaggerated volumes. I wanted a collection that felt light-hearted, dynamic, and energetic, without ever losing the refinement that defines couture. It’s playful, but it doesn’t lack depth or precision.”
“I wanted a collection that felt light-hearted, dynamic, and energetic,”
Kévin Germanier
In this jubilant vein, we spotted out-of-this-world balloon dresses, fully embroidered masterworks, and raffia innovations created alongside Brazilian artist Gustavo Silvestre. Upcycled leather constructions donned for Eurovision led to a heart-stopping finale rising from the ashes in recycled Japanese paper. “Les Joueuses” is more than a collection,” continued Germanier. “It’s an invitation to play, to create, to bring joy—even when the world feels dark. Because fashion, at its core, is about light.”
Giorgio Armani Privé’s Evening Seduction
Courtesy of Giorgio Armani Privé.
Courtesy of Giorgo Armani Privé.
No one does Couture chic like Giorgio Armani Privé, as made crystal clear in the house’s latest autumn/winter 2025/26 collection: “Noir séduisant.” Black is most definitely back, seen in a dapper kaleidoscope of tones and textures.
In time-honored fashion, masculine and feminine elements walked hand in hand throughout undulating dresses, revitalized tuxedos, architectural jackets, and sleek blazers. Worn equally for business and pleasure, tailcoats clinked glasses with angelic white shirts, and bow ties raced dreamily around the neckline.
Robert Wun’s Journey into Human Desire
Courtesy of Robert Wun.
Courtesy of Robert Wun.
“Wun invites audiences on a journey through the depths of human desire and imagination,” signals the Robert Wun fall/winter couture collection show notes. “‘Becoming’ aims to translate the ritual of dressing into a storyline. From waking up on a big day to blurry memories from the night before. Getting a new hairstyle for the occasion, changing into a new outfit, adding a final touch of perfume, and taking one last look in the mirror before leaving.”
“Wun invites audiences on a journey through the depths of human desire and imagination,”
Robert Wun
We melted into the Robert Wun universe, with cream concoctions, metallic shards, organic headpieces, and dark-as-night showpieces. Invoking all the emotions, an otherworldly palette fused heaven and earth in sculptural gowns, mysterious veils, and “half-dressed” phantoms.
Tamara Ralph’s Unwavering Passion
Photo: Umberto Fratini / Gorunway.com, Courtesy of Tamara Ralph.
Photo: Umberto Fratini / Gorunway.com, Courtesy of Tamara Ralph.
With Art Deco airs and Haute Couture technical precision, the Tamara Ralph autumn/winter 2025/26 runway was utterly indulgent. Romantic shades of blush, white, rose, gold, and cream waltzed throughout mother-of-pearl bodices and geometric innovations. “I am delighted to be in Paris once again, presenting my Autumn/Winter 2025-2026 Couture collection,” shared Tamara Ralph, Founder & Creative Director. “Each collection carries tremendous meaning—and bears its own inherently unique story—however this season is particularly meaningful as I celebrate two years since the debut of my namesake brand. It has been a whirlwind, but I continue to design and create with endless inspiration, infinite creativity and an unwavering love for what I am so fortunate to do.” Unforgettable draped satin and silk crepe looks, enhanced by tear-drop pavé crystals, winter white ostrich leather, and onyx velvet revealed exquisite dedication, passion, and vision.
“It has been a whirlwind, but I continue to design and create with endless inspiration,”
Tamara Ralph
