By Seth Khouri
It is a rare thing for a designer to return to the site of their first infatuation. For Simon Porte Jacquemus, the Musée Picasso holds such significance. The last time he showed within its walls was in 2017, when Jacquemus existed as a fledgling label—curious, promising, and only just beginning to attract industry attention. Nine years on, he returns to the same address to present his Fall/Winter 2026 collection, now armed with unmistakable house codes, commercial confidence, and a distinctly sharpened Parisian sensibility. The setting remains the same; yet his stature could not be more different.
In a deliberate act of mirroring, Jacquemus once again turned to Paloma Picasso—his enduring touchstone. “I wanted to have this strong woman, the spirit of the ‘80s, the cut of the ‘50s, and the sensuality of the ‘90s,” shared Simon. His moodboard boasted of Helmut Newtown’s black-and-white photograph of Paloma herself. Wearing a black dress, with a single strap slipping down the shoulder, her exposed skin distorted by a glass in hand—a living touchstone executed in the collection’s final moment.
As ever, the collection unfolded as a cast of characters inhabiting Jacquemus’ perpetual fantasy of leisure. Though officially labelled Fall/Winter, his seasons operate more like chapters in an endless resort narrative, designed for those who dress in pursuit of sun rather than climate. The opening look set the tone: a white blouse and skirt ensemble, the long-sleeved shirt cut with a hemline resembling tulip petals, paired with a pencil skirt that bloomed into a mermaid silhouette just below the knee.
Elsewhere, hourglass dresses with ballooned sleeves were topped with exaggerated wide-brim hats; leopard print collided playfully with polka dots; feathers flirted with ruffles in moments of studied excess. Soft yellows, champagne golds, and flashes of cyan disrupted an otherwise restrained palette, injecting warmth and levity. Look 17 stood out in particular: a tailored, almost scholastic leopard-print blazer and skirt set, bristling with feathered tendrils that erupted from the surface, blurring the garment’s edges and sense of control. Styled with a severe off-centred ponytail—the hairstyle of the season—black pointed-toe heels, and the new Valérie bag, here, Simon showcases a woman who occupies refinement and wildness simultaneously, uncontained by either.
For menswear Jacquemus remained flirty. Short shorts were paired polka-dotted cumberbunds and party-hats adorned with singular pom-poms. Accessories as always remained heavy; large turismos engulfed with fur, accentuated by a leather sheep’s head and slim leather satchels became the go-to for men’s while the Valerié in a range of sizes held firm for womenswear.
This season’s offering illustrates Simon Porte Jacquemus’ rare ability to honour the past without becoming beholden to it. Returning to the Musée Picasso was not an exercise in nostalgia, but a measured assertion of growth—proof that what once felt aspirational has since become assured.
