Going somewhere fancy? This season, designers suggested breaking out your party skirts—but not your “going out” tops.
Over the past weeks, Milan and Paris’s spring 2026 runways were rife with a dimphoric formula of festive, cascading skirts and relatively mundane tops. Think that plain office button-down with a New Year’s Eve-esque sparkle skirt placed at the bottom. A fitted black coat with a maxi fit for a princess. It’s very Carrie Bradshaw, and a bit like Sharon Stone’s infamous 1998 Oscars outfit taken to extremes. Let’s refer to this as the “statement skirt, plain shirt” phenomenon.
On the final eve of Paris Fashion Week, Chanel’s new designer Matthieu Blazy seemed especially drawn to the idea. He presented a sequence of skirt-forward silhouettes, including a cropped pinstripe Charvet shirt worn with a 3D floral skirt in bold orange. One skirt, a low-waisted piece inspired by the camellia flower, was shown with a silk blouse with a bateau neckline. A similar shirt defined the finale look, which featured a floor-length design lined with flowers in every color of the rainbow. Model Awar Odhiang couldn’t help but smile with joy as she wore it.
Loewe’s new designers Jack Mccollough and Lazaro Hernandez reflected that essence. They created a beaded bright blue number with a high-low hemline, worn with a bomber coat featuring pockets so big, no handbag was required for a night out. Even Alaïa’s off-the-shoulder body con tops looked simple in comparison to the lime green skirt with fringe tassels Pieter Mulier sent down the runway.
So, it’s time to rethink how you wear that polka-dotted or sequined skirt of yours. A t-shirt might be its new companion.
