The whirlwind that is September in Paris, intensified this year by Celine Dion’s residency and Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the capital, continues with a packed fashion week. With two designer debuts, returning brands, pivotal third shows and events aplenty, there’s much to watch out for.

The Spring/Summer 2027 women’s ready-to-wear calendar, running from September 28 to October 6, features a total of 68 shows and 34 presentations, compared to 74 shows and 37 presentations for SS26. That was a historic season, marked by an unprecedented wave of designer debuts.

This season will see just two: Courrèges’s new artistic director Drew Henry, whose first outing for the brand is on September 30 at 10.30am, and Carven’s new design director, Kai Nesselrath, showing on October 1 at 12.30pm.

Alaïa is hosting two intimate presentations on October 3 at 7pm and 8pm. The collection will be designed by the studio, following the departure of longtime creative director Pieter Mulier, who left for Versace early this year.

A number of brands are returning to the calendar after a season or more off: Valentino, which showed its fall 2026 collection in Rome, Maison Margiela (whose creative director Glenn Martens will focus solely on the house after stepping down from Diesel), Sacai, Ester Manas, Christopher Esber, and Casablanca.

Other highlights include the third women’s ready-to-wear shows of those heading up Dior (Jonathan Anderson), Chanel (Matthieu Blazy), Balenciaga (Pierpaolo Piccioli), Loewe (Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez), Jean Paul Gaultier (Duran Lantink), and Mugler (Miguel Castro Freitas). “A year after fashion’s major shake-up, it’s a season of asserting creative visions,” PR guru Lucien Pagès notes.

On the third shows of Blazy at Chanel and Anderson at Dior, Galeries Lafayette chief merchandising officer Alix Morabito, says: “There is always something particularly exciting — and intense — about witnessing two major talents define their visions within two of the world’s most powerful fashion houses.” Morabito went on to call Lantink’s Jean Paul Gaultier “one of the most compelling reboots of a designer brand”.

The first day will give a nice play to LVMH Prize alumni, with shows from Julie Kegels and Hodakova, winners of the prize in 2026 and 2024, respectively, as well as the presentation of 2024 semi-finalist Fidan Novruzova, who joins the official calendar this season. Meanwhile, 2023 LVMH Prize winner Satoshi Kuwata of Setchu will present his collaboration with French outdoors and lifestyle brand Aigle from 6pm in the garden of Musée Carnavalet.

Also on Monday, Maxhosa Africa, the South African label founded by designer Laduma Ngxokolo, will put on its first official PFW show. Ngxokolo’s colorful knitwear creations have been worn by Beyoncé and Michelle Obama.

Day two will feature the show of 2026 Andan Grand Prize winner Marie Adam-Leenaerdt, known for her conceptual and versatile designs. “She has earned it. Now, it’s time for her to fully unleash her strength, talent, and vision,” Morabito says of the Belgian designer.

Alexandra Golovanoff, the Parisian designer and journalist who launched her eponymous cashmere line in 2016, before expanding it into a complete wardrobe collection, will also present on September 29. This season, she is joining the official presentation calendar.

On October 1, Icicle, the Chinese fashion brand that recently tapped Sabato De Sarno as creative director, will present its latest collection. De Sarno’s first collection for the label will be presented in March during FW27.

Marking the end of the fashion month circuit, Louis Vuitton will close the curtain October 6 at 6.30pm.

Off-schedule, A$AP Rocky will stage a fashion show on September 30 at 6pm at Accor Arena, one of Paris’s biggest music venues, just a couple of hours before taking the stage for his sold-out concert. The star presented the first two seasons of his clothing line AWGE in Paris, and the third in New York for fall.

Other not-to-be-missed shows include that of Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz on October 4 at 5.30pm, this time at Maison de l’Amérique Latine following her visit to Madrid Fashion Week for FW26. There’s also Aje, the Australian brand founded by Edwina Forest and Adrian Norris, which is putting on its second show in the city on October 6, following its Paris debut a year ago.

Speaking of Australia, the Australian Fashion Council selected 12 designers for its showroom at Galerie Poggi on Rue Saint-Martin, from 30 September to October 4. And SIR will be in Paris with its first solo showroom space from September 30 to October 6.

French luxury childrenswear brand Bonpoint, which was acquired by Chinese conglomerate Youngor Group last year, is staging a show on October 3.

Events to note

As for what’s going down off the runway, mark your calendars.

L’Oréal Paris will stage its annual show in front of the Eiffel Tower on Place Joffre on September 28. Expect a flurry of L’Oréal Paris ambassadors including Simone Ashley, Viola Davis, Kendall Jenner, Eva Longoria, and the newly appointed Kristen Bell.

It’s a season of collaborations. Starting with the first collection from Spanish retailer Zara and John Galliano on October 1, as part of a two-year creative partnership, there will also be a party marking H&M x Elie Saab, which will launch on October 22, as well as that of Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Barbie. The prolific designer has put his touch on Barbie and Ken dolls.

Also worth noting, Just An Idea’s Sarah Andelman is curating “Just An Real Age”, an exhibition retracing 25 collections from Japanese label Anrealage, as well as a pop-up. Both will be open from October 2 to 5 at 76 rue de Turenne. The Karl Lagerfeld brand will host a party with Paris Hilton on October 1.

But if what you need is to unwind, Alo Oasis Paris, a private wellness space at Hôtel Plaza Athénée, will be open from September 29 to October 3, offering IV drips, vitamin shots, lymphatic drainage, and more. Clarins is hosting its Clarins Glam Club in a private apartment on September 30, allowing invitees to try new skincare, haircare and makeup from the brand.

Then, Celine Dion’s Parisian residency goes on. The Canadian singer has a few concert dates that coincide with fashion week: September 30, October 2, and October 3.

(If you are lucky enough to stay at the Royal Monceau, you may see her singing for fans outside the hotel when she returns from her concerts.) Given the sensation she has created with her on-stage looks from Dior, Schiaparelli, Alaïa, Givenchy, and Louis Vuitton, we might expect to see her on some of the upcoming front rows.

On September 30, the exhibition “Penn & Fashion”, retracing photographer Irving Penn’s career from 1947 to 2008, opens to the public at Maison Européenne de la Photographie. The same day, “Look: 40 Years of Fashion at the Museum” opens at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, offering a look at the expertise involved in documenting, preserving, restoring, and displaying fashion history.

Palais Galliera’s “A Wardrobe of One’s Own: Dissident Femininities in the 19th Century” exhibition opened on September 26. Curated by Emilie Hammen, it shines a light on the appropriation by 19th century women of male dress codes.

And if you can fit a little getaway to Versailles into your schedule, there’s the Marie Antoinette exhibition at the Petit Trianon, dedicated to the making and 20th anniversary of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, with the support of Cartier. The exhibition features behind-the-scenes photographs of Kirsten Dunst by Andrew Durham, costumes by Milena Canonero, and footage from the documentary Making Marie Antoinette.

It was directed by Coppola’s late mother, Eleanor Coppola, who accompanied her daughter on set.