Yanki Chu, Sona Fong and Chloe Wong tell you what happened in the Autumn/Winter 2025 runway
Giorgio Armani
The designer’s AW25 collection marked a return to his roots, reaffirming an authentic style that evolves while remaining firmly anchored in reality. The colour palette featured natural and earthy tones, with touches of silver that reflected the glow of rare stones. Daytime looks were characterised by impeccably structured jackets, deconstructed coats and fluid silk suits crafted from fine fabrics, ensuring a soft and tactile feel that maintains comfort and simplicity. In contrast, nighttime looks focused on light, ethereal dresses enriched with shimmering embroidery, evoking sophisticated and delicate luxury.
Gucci
Set in Milan, Gucci’s in-house design team delivered a collection titled Continuum that blended the past, present and future, echoing the house’s longstanding ethos of reinvention. Ladylike dressing took on a subversive edge, as lacy slips peeked from beneath boxy wool coats, and twin sets in unexpected shades of acid green and deep purple played into a good taste/bad taste dichotomy. Elsewhere, tweeds juxtaposed against fluid crepe de chine, brushed mohair shirting layered with mother-of-pearl leathers, and coated wools seamlessly bonded with bouclés.
Hermès
The focal point of Nadège Vanhée’s new collection at Hermès was leather. There were garments for every occasion, from a chic fur-trimmed brown leather pea coat worn with matching trousers and cowboy boots, to a snug black biker jacket subtly embellished with silver studs and complemented by tight leather pants. A key silhouette included a riding jacket cut with laser-like precision, anchored to the waist with a wide leather belt hidden inside and no other exterior fastenings.
Isabel Marant
This season, creative director Kim Bekker found inspiration in women – and men – who had their own fearless style. Joan Jett, Siouxsie Sioux and Johnny Rotten were on the mood board, as were fresh-faced photos of Kate Moss and Drew Barrymore. They all filtered through the ’80s and ’90s rock-n-roll mash-up of punk, grunge and a bit of new romantic. The runway was overrun with snatched tailoring and leathers in many forms, including buckled micro-minis, a great pullover and a cool trench coat with silver grommet and hardware details.
Jil Sander
The final collection by husband-wife creative director duo Lucie and Luke Meier was a bright metaphor for love. The setting was minimal: a pitch-black stage where the only separation between the audience and the catwalk was a thin veil of curtains. This darkness set the stage for a collection that played with the concepts of shadow and light, both literally and metaphorically. Floral prints slowly emerged from the depths of black fabrics, appearing on lean, long dresses, trenches and shirts while raw cuts and textured additions, like ribbons, feathers and leaves, elevated everyday elegance.
Loewe
Foregoing a traditional runway show, Jonathan Anderson opted to present his pieces at Karl Lagerfeld’s former historic home on Rue de l’Université. The collection included vibrant colours and elongated silhouettes that create Anderson’s signature dreamlike effect. From long, billowy dresses to clean, classic coats, it featured sophisticated tailoring that looks simple but carries with it technique and craftsmanship.
Louis Vuitton
Staged next to the iconic Gare du Nord train station inside the L’Étoile du Nord – the former headquarters of a train company that predates the national railway of France – creative director Nicolas Ghesquière’s AW25 collection was at once romantic, cinematic and eclectic. There was a little bit of everything in this collection, nodding to the mishmash of fashion choices you’ll come face-to-face with hanging out at a train platform, including structured jumpsuits, tailored jackets and fluid dresses.
Loro Piana
Paying homage to land and nature, the Italian brand’s latest collection a global array of materials, starting in Argentina then passing through the Scottish Highlands before landing in New Zealand and Australia, the home of its merino wool. The equestrian looks signified timeless elegance and gave a nod to the British countryside, from the Maremma jacket made with wool inserts to quilted hunting jackets. The collection extended to suits and artfully layered coats tweaked into quilted silk versions or featuring cashmere lapels, blending both polished tailoring and attention to natural, high-quality materials.
Max Mara
Inspired by protagonists of the Brontë sisters, creative director Ian Griffiths channelled the heroines’ tempestuous lives through heroically chic silhouettes. The designs included full skirts, flared out and billowing in the wind, with the waist cinched with polished but commanding leather belts. As night fell, black velvets, hooded outerwear and boned bodices appeared, giving the models a sleek, chic appearance.
Also see: Paris Fashion Week 2025: Six designers, six debuts, the Spring/Summer 2026 collections
