What is the real purpose of women’s fashion — to empower or to control?
This question echoed across Paris Fashion Week, where collections showed beauty wrapped in discomfort. Some looks concealed faces, trapped limbs, or turned women into alien figures, raising a troubling question: what is fashion really saying about women today?
Hidden Faces and Alien Silhouettes
At Courrèges, designer Nicolas Di Felice veiled models’ faces under sleek shades, framing it as protection from the sun. Yet the message — that women must hide — felt uneasy.
Then came Thom Browne, who imagined extraterrestrial beings and built sculptural, oversized suits with strange extensions. The result: women swallowed by design, less human than decorative.
At Alaïa, body-tight “cocoon” suits trapped arms; at Maison Margiela, mouth guards stretched faces into frozen grins. Even at Valentino, Alessandro Michele’s delicate velvet and silk was overshadowed by models so thin they seemed to vanish under the fabric.
The Disappearance of Diversity
Size inclusivity — once fashion’s proud talking point — nearly vanished this season. Only Matières Fécales continued to show varied bodies, yet even their statement was undermined by painful, ill-fitting shoes that reduced movement to struggle.
Fashion’s global reach makes these images powerful. When designers ignore what they communicate, the effect can turn from art to harm — beauty stripped of empathy.
The Political Nature of Clothing
Designer Duran Lantink said after his Jean Paul Gaultier collaboration, “I don’t want to get political.” Yet every piece of clothing is a political statement — especially when it defines identity.
Few understand that better than Miuccia Prada, whose Miu Miu collections have become essays on women’s roles. This time, she reimagined aprons — long symbols of women’s domestic labor — embellishing them with jewels and lingerie layers. Glamorous, yes, but still burdened with history.
Beyond Symbolism: Fashion That Frees
The most successful collections this season were those that gave women space to move, to act, to live. Designers like Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Dario Vitale at Versace, and Simone Bellotti at Jil Sander prioritized freedom over spectacle.
At Celine, Michael Rider’s second show captured real Parisian motion — short dresses, silk scarves, serious coats. “I wasn’t thinking about being the most fabulous person,” he said. “I was thinking about the person with the best coat.”
A simple idea — but one that might just redefine fashion’s future: not to restrain women, but to let them go wherever they want.
