Since joining the house of Balenciaga in 2025, following his nearly 10-year run as Valentino’s creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli has proven himself to be a true fan of and ideal successor to the label’s founder, regularly blending the lines of an homage to the original couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga and appealing to the modern masses with his maximalist yet non-excessive approach to bold designs. (In the past, dramatic leather capes were punctuated only by the weight of the material and a simple gold choker neckline; bright tangerine peacoats looked out of a fun fashion cartoon — thanks to their structured wool tricotine fabrics — but remained grounded by clean lines and sharp edges.)
That tension between Piccioli’s playfulness and practicality is especially present in his Spring/Summer 2027 collection for Balenciaga, which he showed on Thursday, Oct. 1, during Paris Fashion Week. Inside the Stade Pierre de Coubertin, a historic indoor sports arena built in 1937, the designer hosted press, buyers, friends, and VIP guests like Sarah Pidegeon, Shailene Woodley, Lola Tung, and Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz Beckham to take in the collection, which they immediately got a sneak peek of via the underwater-inspired, ceiling-high coral sculpture at the venue’s center.
Once everyone settled in their seats, the vocal track of the Fugees’ “Ready Or Not” mixed over an intense orchestral arrangement kicked off the actual show — fitting given Ms. Lauryn Hill’s front row attendance. A stark white button-up dress shirt was made all the more exciting by a corseted peplum detail with a flowing cape attached at the back, followed closely by another dramatic-yet-simple cape coat featuring a minimal gold hardware closure at the neck. Next up was a sheer tank covered in white laser-cut three-dimensional floral motifs that cascaded into a cluster of feather-like shapes at the hem, creating a sea urchin effect (remember that underwater theme?). Each extravagant and meticulously crafted top design, however, was pared back by relaxed, straight-leg trousers.
“[This collection] is a personal exploration and investigation of couture as a working methodology but also an ideology; a mindset for modern creation that can infiltrate the culture of a fashion house,” read the show notes. “Within, techniques originating in the 55th Balenciaga Couture Collection are applied to a spectrum of ready-to-wear clothing for both women and men. Through this, a trace of humanity can be found in every garment — a quality that defines them, as Balenciaga.”
That couture-level attention to detail and craftsmanship came back via sea anemone-like three-tier fringe tops, non-budging, stiffly pointed ultra-high collars with matching sleeve cuffs, and bright, solid-color belt-meets-mini-skirt wraps with a train following behind. Each piece was certainly statement-making, drawing smiles from onlookers (such as Hill) as they walked the runway, but still maintained an effortlessness and approachability.
“Couture is treated as a laboratory of possibilities. Rather than something unobtainable, it functions as a dynamic engine to drive the House, a systematic manner to reshape everyday garments,” the notes continue. “Every facet of the wardrobe comes to reflect Cristóbal Balenciaga’s primary philosophy, of the body as the basis, expressed in a new manner…a lightness and softness are present throughout, a modern sensibility. In a focus on how garments move and feel, a priority is inherently afforded to comfort and ease — as if in your own skin.”
Balenciaga
The vivid oranges and pinks of the aforementioned coral sculpture bled into the collection as well, finding their way into airy tunics comprised of tightly sewn organza flowers, funnel-neck jackets, sheer silk chiffon gowns, and, of course, plenty of eye-catching bags.
Beloved silhouettes like the City bag and the Rodeo made plentiful appearances in vibrant shades of royal blue, vermilion, and chartreuse, sustaining their stronghold as the house’s it bags. But in a nostalgic turn of events, the more popular purse on the runway wasn’t carried by hand, but rather by hip. Yes, I’m talking about fanny packs — or as the fashion set prefers to call them, belt bags.
Threaded through the belt loops of trousers were rectangular, soft leather satchels that felt especially reminiscent of a past Balenciaga (Demna’s Fall 2018 collection, anyone?). The controversial bags were quieted by color-coordinated car coats layered beneath contrasting trenches, making the case for the convenient accessory’s mainstream return.
“Decoration is never in service of artifice. It functions,” the show notes read.
In a personal note included on each showgoer’s seat, Piccioli summed up the collection with an explanation behind his use of coral symbolism: “No one shines alone. Much like corals…we, and the ideas we carry, require two fundamental elements to flourish: protection and reciprocal exchange.”
He continues, “To offer a safe space is to allow one another to speak and be heard. To embrace mutual nourishment is to transform what is fragile into something resilient and enduring. Joy and light are never solitary achievements. They are, and will always be, the result of sustained, shared commitment.”
Below, see more highlights from the Balenciaga Spring/Summer 2027 show.
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