At Grand Palais, the opening pulse of ‘Just Dance’ by Lady Gaga signalled that something playful was afoot at Chanel. For his Fall/Winter 2026 show, artistic director Matthieu Blazy drew on a line from Gabrielle Chanel: fashion as both caterpillar and butterfly. The metaphor proved apt for a collection that evolved, quite literally, from grounded practicality to nocturnal flourish.

Blazy began with the House’s most reliable instrument: the Chanel suit. But here it was loosened, stretched, and reimagined in a language that felt both archival and futuristic. Ribbed knits replaced rigid tailoring; tweeds were threaded with lurex and even silicone; bouclé work shirts and masculine blousons suggested a wardrobe that could drift easily between settings and time. These silhouettes traced a loose path through the Maison’s history, with echoes of the twenties and thirties, then the mid-century decades, before circling back to the present.

Gradually, the collection gathered lift. Silk jerseys and featherlight beaded knits introduced movement, while the waistline dipped lower, creating elongated torsos and languid proportions. Long sweater vests paired with pleated skirts hinted at the ease Blazy seems keen to bring to the Chanel vocabulary. No more was this visible in the colour palette, though. While Coco’s black-and-white foundations will always be ever-present on the runway, Blazy’s joyous use of colour across his now three collections is so well considered and balanced that even the most purist Chanel customer could embrace its spectrum.

Casting underscored this evolving mood. Viral newcomer Bhavita Mandava appeared alongside the irrepressible Alex Consani, while the welcome presence of veteran models reappeared in a buck against the industry’s tireless obsession with the new! new! new!

By nightfall (at least sartorially), the butterfly had well indeed emerged. Streamlined coats, sinuous dresses and iridescent embellishments glimmered under the lights, while enamel jewellery, pastel second-skin boots and playful minaudières added a surreal, almost Impressionist sheen.

After a history-making SS26 debut, it’s clear that in Blazy’s hands, Chanel remains what it has always been: sensible and fantastical at once. Clothes to live through the day in, and come alive in the night, transforming as we do.

The post PFW: Matthieu Blazy Finds Wings For Chanel Fall/Winter 2026 appeared first on Grazia.

May has delivered the sort of news cycle that makes you want to impulsively book a European summer, reorganise your wardrobe, and perhaps start a Pilates membership while you’re at it. While rain is upon us, sun-drenched capsule collections, luxurious resort dressing and a wave of new retail openings landing on Australian shores keep us feeling particularly optimistic.

From Mediterranean-inspired collaborations to sleek new Sydney storefronts and holiday collections designed for escaping reality (or at least your inbox), these are the fashion and beauty headlines that defined the month.

Fashion & Beauty News For May 2026

Maje and Blanca Miró team up for a holiday-inspired collaboration 

While it may be a touch gloomy across the Southern Hemisphere, our moodboards are still packed with Slim Aarons photography, breezy beach throw-ons and snaps of European shores. If this speaks to you, then Maje’s latest collaboration is about to become dangerously relevant.

The French label has joined forces with Spanish fashion favourite Blanca Miró on a capsule collection inspired by “a summer on the Italian Coast”, created in collaboration with Maje founder Judith Milgrom. Satiating any cravings for warmer weather, the collection leans into bold Mediterranean colour palettes and clean ’90s-inspired silhouettes for a mood that lands somewhere between retro Italian cinema heroine and modern European minimalist. Consider it a persuasive argument for booking the holiday first and figuring out the rest later.

Discover more here.

Dior expands its retail presence with Chatswood Chase boutique

Sydney’s luxury retail landscape has received another polished addition with Dior unveiling its new boutique at Chatswood Chase. Naturally, the interiors are as meticulously considered as their other global locations, while fused with the ease of its coastal setting.

The space balances classic Parisian elegance with a softer contemporary feel, featuring luminous neutral tones, refined furnishings and Versailles-inspired parquet flooring that subtly nods to the house’s French heritage. There are plenty of Australian touches woven throughout, including a commissioned piece by local artist Gregory Hodge, whose layered abstract works bring warmth and texture to the boutique’s otherwise restrained glamour.

Discover more here.

Zero Meaning continues its brand evolution with EDIT 0.2

Carving out a defiant place within Australia’s contemporary fashion scene, Bondi-based label Zero Meaning has revealed its latest winter drop, EDIT 0.2, further sharpening its identity.

Founded by Oliver Little, the brand approaches minimalism through a distinctly Australian lens, one that’s less stark gallery uniform, more refined coastal pragmatism. Across the new 16-piece collection, relaxed tailoring, breathable silhouettes and tonal layering create a wardrobe designed to move seamlessly between city life and seaside living. These are clothes designed not to overwhelm the wearer but to support them however they choose to inhabit them.

Discover more here.

Loro Piana takes us to Palm Springs for Resort 2026

Loro Piana’s Resort 2026 collection debuts as a masterclass in elevated escapism. Shot against the serene desert backdrop of Palm Springs by photographer Annemarieke Van Drimmelen, the collection explores the idea of summer dressing at its most effortless: fluid silhouettes, weightless linens and sun-washed colour palettes that move between city sophistication and seaside leisure.

Across menswear and womenswear, the maison reimagines its signatures through relaxed tailoring, soft draping and playful marine-inspired details, from shell motifs to aquamarine hues and vibrant foulards. There’s an ease to the collection that feels luxurious, polished, without sacrificing comfort. In true Loro Piana fashion, there’s a luxurious ease to the collection that commands itself in any room (or poolside).

Discover more here

ALO lands Down Under

Australia’s wellness-fashion crossover era continues at full speed, with Los Angeles activewear giant ALO officially opening its first Australian location at Chatswood Chase this month. More “sanctuary” than standard retail store, the expansive new Sydney space has been designed around the brand’s Air, Land, Ocean philosophy, complete with limestone finishes, white-washed timber and calming natural textures that feel purpose-built for post-Pilates browsing.

The launch marks ALO’s first local outpost, with additional Australian locations—including Bondi Junction, naturally—already planned for this year. While activewear brands are prolific in Australia, ALO’s arrival signals a merging of fashion, wellness and community into a singular lifestyle proposition.

Discover more here.

The post All The Fashion & Beauty News That Dropped In May appeared first on Grazia.

When Gucci announced that Demna would take the creative helm, fresh from his era-defining tenure at Balenciaga, the industry braced for impact. Fall/Winter 2026 now marks the moment that anticipation truly crystallised, with Demna’s first physical runway for the Italian fashion house.

Set within a monumental, museum-like space lined with marble statuary, the show proposed Gucci as both brand and cultural artefact. This shared language, spoken across archetypes, identities and dress codes, has been the throughline of his previous debuts (SS26 and Pre-Fall), and for this season, the sense of Tom Ford-era Gucci and its bougie club kid fandom made for rich inspiration. From ultra-tight tops and bumbags to svelte mini dresses and voluminous faux furs, Y2K nightlife was revived with a modern elegance.

It opened with a palate cleanser: an ultimate seamless white turtleneck minidress in hosiery fabric that channelled the pure femme-fatale assurance of Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. From there, body-clinging silhouettes engineered with invisible heat-sealed edges and curved hems, cut close in a way that felt like a fusion of both Gucci and Demna’s greatest hits. Jackets were cropped and snug, paired with pencil skirts and ab-baring trousers.

Demna’s perennial fascination with hybrid garments surfaced in tracksuit dresses, leggings fused to trousers, and jackets merged with tops into ultra-fitted one-pieces. Feathered bombers framed the face, while butter-soft leathers relaxed bikers and circular stoles. Eveningwear then tipped into decadence with waist-high slits and a backless dress revealing a diamond-studded white-gold GG thong.

Accessories were pragmatic but grounded in a point of view. The Bamboo 1947 streamlined, minaudières stretched for modern life, and a new Manhattan sneaker blending basketball minimalism with moccasin ease stepped up.

And then of course, the runway closed with a bang: Kate Moss, the ultimate 2000s club queen in a slinky black sequined gown, reminiscent of Demna’s couture work. But beyond nostalgia and celebrity cameos, the inaugural runway cemented a new epoch for Gucci, where the past is celebrated with a fresh point of view.

“This collection, and my overall vision for Gucci, is built around a sense of pragmatism,” he wrote in his shownotes. “Products that can be enjoyed by a variety of people, that enrich their lives and make them feel great, that can stand on their own, without the need for pseudo-intellectual justifications.”

The post MFW: Demna’s First Runway Honours The Phenomenon Of Gucci appeared first on Grazia.

There are few debuts more scrutinised than a first full Fall/Winter ready-to-wear outing at Dior, and shortly, all eyes will turn to the Jardin des Tuileries as Jonathan Anderson presents his vision live in the House’s perennial show space.

Having already unveiled his inaugural ready-to-wear and Haute Couture collections, this season feels more like the moment of synthesis. While a hit debut Spring/Summer 2026 eases some of the pressure, there are still stakes for his second, mostly regarding where the designer’s cerebral romanticism, craft-led instincts, and penchant for subversion will coalesce within the codes of such a storied brand.

A teaser clip posted to Instagram offers a glimpse of the mood, with lily pads glimpsed beneath the water, their veined membranes lit by sunlight from above. Perhaps a suggestion of something stirring below the surface? All will be revealed.

Expect, too, a formidable front row. Ambassadors, including Mia Goth, Taylor Russell, Greta Lee, Josh O’Connor, LaKeith Stanfield and Anya Taylor-Joy, are likely to descend, ensuring a runway display of its own outside the demountable setting.

Watch the show live from Paris on March 3 at 2:30 pm (March 4 at 12:30 am AEST) as Anderson defines the next chapter.

(Feature image: Photography © Ben Pexton. Ceramics © Kazunori Hamana)

The post How To Watch The Dior Fall/Winter 2026 Show Live From Paris appeared first on Grazia.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Jardin des Tuileries became, once again, a theatre for society. Commissioned in the 16th century by Catherine de’ Medici and later reshaped under Louis XIV, the garden has long been a place to see and be seen, historically enforcing a strict dress code that delineated social ranking. While today it is enjoyed in a far more liberal fashion, for his first Fall/Winter ready-to-wear collection at Dior, Jonathan Anderson leaned into that history, treating the park’s purpose as inspiration.

The Grande Allée, that axial promenade that runs through the lush greenery, set the scene. Anderson’s notes invoked Charles Baudelaire and his flâneur, conjuring a Paris of charged glances and strictly coded dress. The collection distilled those references into two recurring silhouettes: one tracing the House’s floral femininity, the other nodding to tailored masculinity. Peplumed Bar jackets flared over abbreviated skirts, while oversized checked suiting and satin-lapel dinner jackets slouched with studied nonchalance.

Many looks concealed their wit at the back—a bustle here, an unexpected swell of volume there— details designed for the passing observer. Water lilies, which were teased as a theme before the show took place, surfaced as brooches and prints, a gentle reminder of Dior’s enduring love of flowers refracted through Anderson’s cerebral lens.

If the Tuileries has always functioned as a stage, Anderson suggested that clothing remains its most eloquent script: a means of self-invention, played out in public. Only with these clothes, we’re encouraged to look a little longer.

The post PFW: At Dior, A Walk In The Park Becomes A Fashion Thesis appeared first on Grazia.

Awards season has reached its grand finale. Today, the 98th Academy Awards unfolded at the Dolby Theatre, where Hollywood’s biggest stars gathered to celebrate the year’s most celebrated films. Hosted once again by Conan O’Brien, the ceremony promises the usual mix of cinematic triumph, emotional speeches—and, of course, exceptional fashion.

But before the academy reveals its choices, there’s the Oscars red carpet, which has long served as one of fashion’s most closely watched stages. And with this year’s guest list reading like a who’s who of modern Hollywood—nominees Teyana Taylor, Emma Stone, Jessie Buckley, Nicole Kidman, to name a few—you can bet there was plenty of style to rival the performances.

From dramatic silhouettes to impeccable tailoring, here are the best fashion moments from the 2026 Academy Awards red carpet.

The best looks from the 2026 Oscars red carpet

The post All The Best Looks From The 2026 Oscars Red Carpet appeared first on Grazia.

By this time of the year, most industries have found their footing, but across the worlds of fashion and beauty, there is little room for pause.

As the mood shifts from tentative beginnings to something more assured, particularly with fashion month and awards season behind us, it’s a time of movement that has us struggling to keep up.

So, to help keep you updated, consider this a snapshot of everything to have on your radar this month.

Fashion news and beauty launches

Weekend Max Mara celebrates expression with new collaborations

Weekend Max Mara’s latest Signature Capsule Collection, A Weekend with an Artist, takes a familiar wardrobe staple and gives it a painterly twist. At its centre is the Canasta trench, a longstanding house icon reimagined by five globally recognised artists: Victoria Kosheleva, Paola Pivi, Tschabalala Self, Tai Shani and Shafei Xia.

Selected by curator Francesco Bonami, each artist approaches the trench as a blank canvas. Kosheleva brings a kind of cyber-expressionist intensity, while Pivi’s rainbow stripes feel sun-soaked and playful. Self introduces her signature Infinity Flowers, Shani leans into glossy black vinyl with irreverent illustration, and Xia offers something more poetic, with watercolour motifs that explore femininity and strength. The silhouette remains unchanged, allowing the artistry to speak.

Shop here.

Adidas taps superstars for Superstar campaign

Few sneakers have managed to remain culturally relevant across decades quite like the Superstar, and Adidas Originals’ latest campaign leans confidently into that legacy. Titled “Superstars,” it stars Samuel L. Jackson alongside a cast spanning music, sport and fashion, including familiar faces such as JENNIE and Kendall Jenner, as well as James Harden and Lamine Yamal.

Set within the surreal “Hotel Superstar,” the campaign plays with the idea of time—or rather, the absence of it. As Jackson moves through its corridors, each room reveals a different cultural force, all united by the same shoe. Directed by Thibaut Grevet, it’s cinematic without being overly polished, allowing personality to take centre stage.

The collection itself follows suit, with classic black-and-white being sharpened with red accents, while apparel expands into looser tailoring, denim and even crochet.

Shop here.

Gucci unveils See-Now-Buy-Now edit for Primavera collection 

Gucci’s Fall/Winter 2026 Primavera collection arrives with disruption. Following Demna’s debut show in February, the House has introduced a see-now, buy-now edit—a curated selection available immediately, well ahead of the collection’s official July release.

Equally notable is the digital experience. Presented through a newly designed platform, the collection unfolds sequentially, inviting users to navigate it as they might a show, making it less a traditional window-shopping experience and more about discovery.

It’s a move that challenges the traditional cadence of the fashion calendar, which fits with Demna’s subversive MO. And perhaps it’s a glimpse into how fashion might be consumed moving forward…

Shop here.

Yu Mei rolls out renewed favourites with Leather ’26

Yu Mei continues to fulfil all our accessory needs with Leather ’26, a slow, considered rollout of foundational pieces delivered in monthly Editions.

Anchored in the brand’s supple New Zealand deer leather, alongside suede and lambskin, the collection builds on a modern “carrying wardrobe.” Edition 02 sees the return of the ‘Claudia’ tote in Molasses, a deep chocolate-brown, while cult favourites like the ‘Teresa’ and ‘Brooke’ reappear in soft Sand Stone, an elegant pale-camel hue.

Shot in Sydney, the campaign leans into gesture and movement, offering an elegant study in everyday utility.

Shop here.

Friends With Frank unveils its Autumn/Winter ’26 collection

Friends With Frank’s AW26 collection leans into what it does best: refining the essentials. Think softly structured shirting in versatile colourways, natural-fibre knitwear and denim, all layered with an ease that feels instinctive rather than styled.

This season, an elevated plaid and subtle injections of colour—the perfect poppy red and a deeply versatile chocolate brown, to name some—lend a fresh perspective, while on the accessories front, reworked signatures bring new depth.

It’s a wardrobe built on familiarity of tone and purpose, only sharper, more assured, and perfectly crafted for the upcoming season.

Shop here.

MECCA MAX launches a multitasking beauty hero

If you, too, have been attempting the ‘Nina Park lip’ without success, MECCA MAX’s new Multiplayer Mode Shaping Stick is here to provide some assistance. Intuitive, tonal, and unfussy, it encourages experimentation across eyes, cheeks, lips, and jawline, with eight versatile shades to play around with.

Its creamy, blendable formula offers a sheer, matte colour with a softly diffused finish, while the rounded tip makes precision feel effortless—Yes, even for the less steady-handed!

Shop here.

UNIQLO U fuses function and fashion with Future Layers

UNIQLO is a brand that has perfected the art of the collab, but its U collection is always a particular hit. For its latest Fall/Winter offering, designed by Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran in Paris, continues its cerebral approach to everyday dressing.

Drawing on the deep blues of the North Sea, this range is a study in calm, solitude and restraint. Titled “Future Layers,” it plays with contrast: merino wool against crisp nylon, soft lambswool alongside technical PUFFTECH. Silhouettes are functional yet polished, from water-repellent parkas to softly sculpted knits, all rendered in a palette of indigo, basil and plum—a perfect wardrobe addition for the season ahead.

Shop here.

Trudon marks a new chapter with a fresh scent

Renowned fragrance brand Trudon has quietly entered a new chapter under Creative Director Hugo Ferroux, whose debut scent, Figuerie, looks to the past to shape something entirely contemporary.

Inspired by the Royal Figuerie of Louis XIV’s Versailles gardens, the fragrance explores fig in duality—bright and green at first, before deepening into something earthier and more shadowed. Notes of patchouli, moss and sandalwood lend a grounding warmth, evoking wintered trees and wooden crates. Available across candles, diffusers and room sprays, it offers a refined, atmospheric take on a familiar note.

Shop here.

Antler expands on its premium Heritage collection

Luggage atelier Antler continues to refine its travel offering by introducing Forest Green, a rich evolution of its signature hue, across its Heritage Trunk and Cabin cases.

The new shade is rooted in luxury, lending depth to the brand’s clean and functional design ethos. Alongside it comes a new travel bag and a considered edit of tags and charms, designed to personalise the journey. It’s a subtle update, but it explores how even the most practical pieces can carry a sense of identity.

Shop here.

The post The Fashion & Beauty News Not To Miss This Month appeared first on Grazia.

At Palazzo Barberini, grandeur has transformed over the centuries. For Fall/Winter 2025, Valentino leaned into that instability, staging a collection that treated fashion as a live negotiation between order and impulse.

The Baroque palazzo, with its measured façade and aged interiors, set the tone. It is a building shaped as much by friction as by form, where the disciplined clarity of artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini meets the disorienting curves of architect Francesco Borromini, inspiring artistic director Alesandro Michele, per his show notes. That same push and pull played out on the runway, where garments oscillated between structure and release, control and abandon.

Tailoring arrived with a certain authority through clean lines, precise proportions, and an architectural sense of hierarchy. Dresses dissolved at the edges, volumes shifted unexpectedly, and surfaces seemed to catch movement mid-flight, as if resisting definition. Transparency and opacity were in constant dialogue, while embellishment flickered between restraint and excess.

These proffered a sense that the clothes were not simply worn but part of an ongoing negotiation. Silhouettes guided the body, then subtly destabilised it—curves interrupting straight lines, drapes softening rigidity, and gestures of lightness offsetting weight. Like the storied frescoed ceilings above, these pieces suggested that form is always on the brink of transformation.

And yet, for all its intellectual undercurrent, the collection never felt heavy-handed or compromised on aesthetic indulgence—it is Alesandro Michele, after all. Instead, it carried a lightness of spirit, as well as a willingness to let contradiction exist without over-explanation. In this season, Valentino proposed fashion not as a fixed statement, but as a field of interferences: a place where discipline and desire meet, collide, and, crucially, coexist.

The post MFW: Order In The Palazzo For Valentino Fall/Winter 2026 appeared first on Grazia.

By the time guests climbed the stairs to Elizabeth Bay House on Thursday evening, Nicol & Ford had already transformed one of Sydney’s most austere colonial homes into something brimming with an intimate glamour. For their fifth consecutive Australian Fashion Week runway show, the designers took Australian artist Adrian Feint as their starting point, building on a long-held admiration for his vibrant florals, and creating a beautifully coded love letter to fantasy, performance and queer survival.

“Feint’s colour and form brought a kind of openness and joy,” founders Katie-Louise and Lilian Nicol-Ford told GRAZIA before the show, and you could feel that exuberance ripple through the rooms. Making their way down an ornate staircase, models drifted through the historic house in sculptural pannier gowns, draped chiffon and hand-painted silks, weaving between floral installations by Date Night Studio while the scent of Tsu Lange Yor’s orchid-and-galbanum fragrance, designed especially for the show, lingered in the air.

The clothes themselves masterfully balanced grandeur with eccentricity, bringing together the designers’ passion for art history and forgotten figures of resistance. Natasha Walsh’s extraordinary oil-painted gowns, which were developed through research into Feint’s handwritten patron ledgers at the State Library of NSW, were an especially compelling element. “Bringing [Walsh] into the process introduced a material language that felt entirely new to us,” noted Nicol-Ford. “We learned a great deal through that collaboration, even as it pushed and challenged how we usually work.”

Within Feint, florals not only nodded to Feint’s surrealist botanical fantasies but also took symbols once used to mark persecution in queer history and transformed them into expressions of defiance. With each look circulating the salon, a character of epic poise offered guests a close-up of what could only have been achieved with painstaking artistry and a host of talented collaborators.

Gloriously styled by Miguel Urbina Tan, Murano-glass bags, Julian Dimase’s surreal prosthetics, Phoebe Hyles’ millinery and Tobias Sangkuhl’s metalwork pushed the collection into deliciously theatrical territory. And, as expected, the beauty proved as much a highlight as the clothes, with hair creations by John Pulitano for Original & Mineral, nails by Libby May, and Pinky (Nicole Thompson) for MAC.

In their trusted hands, beauty and camp became something more tender, made palpable by a cast that truly reflected the community Nicol & Ford has nurtured.

“It feels like a lighter chapter for us,” the designers explained, “one that makes space for humour, beauty and resilience alongside the histories that continue to shape the work.”

The post AFW DAY FOUR: Nicol & Ford Bring Down Elizabeth Bay House With ‘Feint’ appeared first on Grazia.

Australian Fashion Week 2026 has officially kicked off with an epic lineup of local talent.

Returning with a new address, there was a fresh sense of momentum in the air, and an idyllic vista to match. For the first time, the festivities unfolded at the Museum of Contemporary Art, where the harbour shimmered in the background and editors, buyers, creators and models darted between shows beneath increasingly ominous clouds.

The week began with a moving Welcome to Country ceremony, grounding the proceedings in reflection and community before the fashion crowd launched headfirst into a packed schedule of runway debuts and long-awaited returns. Inside venues across Circular Quay and the CBD, designers leaned into craft and storytelling, from Toni Maticevski’s sculptural salon presentation to Beare Park’s sensual tailoring.

By evening, some dramatic weather had finally arrived just in time for Carla Zampatti’s closing show, where Shanina Shaik strode through the drizzle with the kind of glamour that rain can’t dampen. If day one proved anything, it’s that Australian fashion is entering an exciting new era.

Read on and watch this space for GRAZIA‘s show dispatches throughout the week.

AFW 2026 DAY ONE

Maticevski

Ten years after his last on-schedule appearance at Australian Fashion Week, Toni Maticevski made an irreverent return on day one. Staged inside The Collider in Haymarket, and opened by Gemma Ward, the designer’s Winter 2026 presentation offered an intimate look at 23 ornate looks, with guests brought close enough to appreciate every sculptural fold, floating frill and feat of construction.

For Maticevski, inspiration didn’t begin with a singular reference point. Instead, the collection emerged from an ongoing exploration of silhouette, fabrication, and technique that has defined the house’s two-decade visual language. “The mood often begins with fabric and colour; they create a feeling and shape in my mind, which slowly takes form as the collection develops,” he told GRAZIA ahead of the show. “There is also an interplay of motifs and textures I’ve explored throughout the last twenty years, leaf motifs transformed into fringes, layered volumes and exaggerated proportions… Ultimately, it becomes a meeting point between the realities of modern wearability and a more fantastical, fairytale sense of dreaming.”

And there was certainly fantasy here, albeit the controlled kind. A layered all-white look with cascading organza evoked bridal ether without ever tipping into saccharine territory, while one of the closing looks appeared to hover around the body entirely untethered from gravity.

Yet beneath the theatricality was remarkable precision. With every drape, shimmer, and exaggerated proportion, there was purpose. Perhaps, after a long absence, that is what made the show feel so resonant. In returning to the AFW schedule, Maticevski wasn’t attempting to keep up, but rather, reintroduce us to his own world, trusting in its enduring originality.

Beare Park

Presented within the soaring curves of the Sydney Opera House, where the brand first debuted five years ago, Beare Park’s Pre-Fall 2026 collection channelled the aching romanticism of Sinéad O’Connor’s ‘In This Heart’, conjuring a wardrobe that felt intimate, intelligent and self-assured. Impeccably styled by Nicchia Wippell, the collection exuded a palpable sense of confidence in each look. Every detail was given thorough consideration, executed with the effortless polish we’ve come to expect from the designer.

For this season, founder Gabriella Pereira explored devotion as both a feeling and a discipline, translating personal transformation into elongated tailoring, liquid draping, and silhouettes that moved with sensual ease. Crisp cotton shirting was softened by translucent silk layers, while metallic ash dupion caught the light like smoke and outerwear made for the ultimate statement. A palette of burnt sienna, tobacco, ivory and near-black nightshade only heightened the mood.

What continues to distinguish Beare Park is its ability to make restraint feel seductive. Even the most dramatic proportions retained an ease to them, as though the wearer had simply thrown on an impeccably cut floor-length coat before slipping out the door.

In a sweet gesture, Pereira included a detailed directory of the local makers and suppliers behind the collection, spotlighting the Australian artisans and craftspeople integral to the brand’s process. At a time when fashion often speaks vaguely about “craft”, Beare Park chose specificity—and all the better for it.

The post AFW DAY ONE: MATICEVSKI & Beare Park Make Their Respective Returns appeared first on Grazia.

Spread across Sydney, day two of Australian Fashion Week saw designers explore contrasts of softness and structure, and nostalgia and futurism—sometimes within the same look. Beginning with some dramatic weather at COMMAS‘ early seaside presentation, the day was abuzz from sunrise to sunset.

If the opening day established a renewed sense of confidence in Australian fashion, Tuesday’s packed schedule proved that designers, both veteran and emerging, have so much more to offer.

From fluid tailoring and sculptural silhouettes at Bianca Spender that floated through an industrial warehouse installation to Aje’s powder-pink runway in the heart of the city, and Courtney Zheng’s triumphant solo debut, the day was a testament to the spectrum of creativity and craft of local labels.

Read on for the full runway reports from Day Two of Australian Fashion Week 2026.

AFW DAY TWO

Bianca Spender

For Resort 2027, Bianca Spender presented a collection steeped in subtle drama. Staged within a raw industrial warehouse softened by Lauren Brincat’s suspended parachute installation, the show explored the tension between structure and surrender.

Prior to the show, Spender described the collection as an exploration of “quiet rebellion”, and there was something deeply appealing about the restraint of it all, where movement, proportion and texture spoke for themselves. Tailored column silhouettes dissolved into liquid organza; crisp suiting softened against chiffon and parachute nylon; sculptural funnel necklines framed the body without ever restricting it. Clothes either delicately hugged the body or seemed to ethereally hover over it. But whether it floated, shifted or billowed, the intention behind it was palpable.

What made the collection particularly persuasive was its balance of conceptual intrigue and genuine wearability. Even the more architectural pieces, such as bubble hems, wrapped faux-leather necklines, and sheer dresses, retained an ease that felt entirely modern. Primed for real wardrobes and real lives.

In Spender’s hands, fluidity became less an aesthetic choice than a philosophy, one where vision and engineering converge with flawless execution.

Courtney Zheng

After last year’s turn within The Frontier, Courtney Zheng marked a milestone by staging her first standalone show during day two of AFW. Titled Beauty as Resistance, the Resort ’27 collection drew heavily from the Sydney designer’s memories of queer nightlife, live music and the creative communities that shaped her early twenties. Beyond its aesthetic allure, it’s a world, Zheng explained, defined by “carelessness and rebellion”.

That spirit ran through the collection with a cohesion that solidified Zheng as a force of Australian fashion. Kicking off with lace-up, club-ready minis plucked straight from Y2K moodboards, the runway demonstrated a bold evolution of her signature fluid tailoring. With sheer chiffon gowns disrupted by distressed denim, heavy silver hardware, and dramatic silhouettes that effortlessly jumped between decades, the result was a wardrobe that balanced romance with grit. There was a lived-in sensuality to the clothes, as though each look already carried stories from a long night out. Bridie Gilbert’s styling sharpened that mood further, layering moto references and vintage-inspired pieces with an instinctive looseness that made the collection feel inhabited rather than something overly constructed.

“I wanted the runway to feel like a cast of characters,” Zheng said prior to the show, and it did exactly that. Models included friends of the brand, and moved through the space with cinematic nonchalance, including an expanded unisex offering—a creative shift Zheng described as “refreshing”.

With her solo debut, Courtney Zheng offered a portrait of community, celebrating the people and places that inspire us.

Aje

Down the road from the MCA grounds, Aje transformed The Lands by Capella into a rose-tinted fever dream, where everything from the plush carpet to the walls was washed in soft pink hues. Apty named Siren, the brand’s Resort 2027 collection, was inspired by the shifting moods and textures of the Australian landscape and evoked the same awe.

Rather than leaning into the more obvious Australiana, founders Adrian Norris and Edwina Forest approached the idea with a lighter touch, exploring the interplay between ruggedness and romance through fabric and silhouette. Sculptural draping curved around the body in waves, sheer organza floated in airy volumes, while sequinned separates and tassel detailing brought a sense of whimsy with every step. Elsewhere, vegan leather and suede added weight and sharpness, grounding the collection’s softer moments with a subtle toughness.

After nearly two decades in business, what Aje continues to do particularly well is make occasionwear feel relaxed rather than contrived. Even the more dramatic dresses retained a sense of ease and play, styled with the kind of polished nonchalance and irreverent spirit that keeps global audiences flocking to Aussie brands.

Hansen & Gretel

At the Museum of Contemporary Art, Hansen & Gretel brought a slice of the South Coast to Sydney Harbour, sans the travel. For Resort ’26, titled TIDE, creative director Ainsley Hansen looked to the ocean rhythms and surf culture of her beachside upbringing, translating them into a collection that felt breezy, tactile and casually seductive.

The set quite literally leaned into the theme: ice sculptures embedded with shells and starfish lining the runway, while Gary Sinclair’s immersive soundscape ebbed and swelled like distant waves. But the collection avoided veering into costume territory thanks to its easy confidence. Ombré silk gowns shifted from shell-pink to deep mauve like the sky at dusk, washed denim came scattered with mother-of-pearl appliqué, and airy broderie pieces captured that specific feeling of throwing something on after a late-afternoon dip.

There was a softness running throughout, though not without edge. Hansen & Gretel’s signature “femininity with bite” appeared in slinky cuts, oversized accessories and crystal embellishments. The overall effect was less mermaid fantasy, more beachside nostalgia translated with a grown-up sensibility.

Alix Higgins

Celebrating six years of his namesake label—and his fifth season at AFW—the Sydney designer leaned further into the beautifully chaotic visual language that has made his work feel so singular within Australian fashion right now.

“I wanted to make something from the past,” Higgins told GRAZIA of his inspiration, though nothing here felt nostalgic in the traditional sense. Historical porcelain florals sourced from museum archives and eBay listings were digitally warped into hyper-saturated prints that appeared glitched, sampled and glowy. Working with longtime friend Daniel Faust, Higgins also created what he described as an “impossible beach”, a video-game-like print that turned paradise into something uncanny and surreal.

The clothes themselves moved between sincerity and irony with ease, as is Higgins’ gift. Colour-blocked jersey dresses, upcycled polo skirts and draped printed silks collided with Pandora charms, Nothing headphones, and smoky, teased Gibson Girl beauty looks. It shouldn’t have worked, but somehow it absolutely did.

There’s often a temptation to over-intellectualise Higgins’ work. In reality, its power lies in emotion, instinct and world-building. This season felt sharper, stranger and more self-assured than ever. In fashion, taste and skill will get you far, but it’s Higgins’ knack for world-building that pulls everyone in, and cemented him as a pillar of Australia’s new frontier of design.

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In the courtyard of the Cour Carrée, Louis Vuitton staged a landscape that felt both of this earth and something else entirely. Conceived by production designer Jeremy Hindle, the set transformed the historic square of the Musée du Louvre into a futuristic pastoral, part forest clearing, part sci-fi tableau, setting the scene for Nicolas Ghesquière’s Fall/Winter 2026 meditation on fashion and the natural world.

Ghesquière has long been a designer who looks forward by looking sideways, and here he turned his attention to nature, probing it not just for its beauty, but appreciating it as a design system in its own right. Mountains, plains and forests became metaphors for shape and structure, with silhouettes that appeared moulded by wind, rain and sun. The result was clothing that felt instinctive yet boldly futuristic, as though unearthed rather than constructed.

There was an intriguing sense of collage throughout, too. Animal-inspired motifs appeared on canvas and denim, while leather florals bloomed across coats and dresses, serving as sculptural appliqués. Some pieces evoked traditional dress, the kind shaped over generations by climate and labour, though translated through Vuitton’s crafted lens.

As we’ve come to expect from the Maison, craft and technology, past and future, walked hand in hand this season, with organic matter anchoring the vision. Buttons resembled polished stones; heels curved like antlers; surfaces were grooved and grained to mimic wood, but moved with surprising softness.

Accessories, naturally, bolstered the collection. The House’s heritage as a trunk maker came through in bags designed for movement and curiosity. A highlight was the return of the Louis Vuitton Noé bag, revived in its original proportions and colourway from 1932, cementing exploration as a part of Louis Vuitton’s DNA.

The post PFW: Natural Selection At Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2026 appeared first on Grazia.