Chappell Roan and Lola Young sit front row for Vivienne Westwood’s theatrical Paris Fashion Week show

Stockings, oversized headwear and 80s punk tailoring dominated the runway at the autumn/winter 2026 show for Vivienne Westwood during Paris Fashion Week, as creative director Andreas Kronthaler delivered a theatrical collection that continued the house’s legacy of deconstruction and norm-defying style.

Singer Chappell Roan joined fellow musicians Lola Young and Paris Jackson among the stars seated front row as Kronthaler unveiled the latest collection for the label founded by the late designer Vivienne Westwood.

Models emerged from dramatic lighting that cast long reflections across the runway floor, creating a stage-like atmosphere that suggested the show was as much performance as it was a fashion presentation, a hallmark of the Westwood house, long known for challenging conventions of class, gender and historical dress.

Since the death of founder Vivienne Westwood in 2022, Kronthaler, her longtime collaborator and husband, has continued to steer the brand while maintaining the rebellious elements that made Westwood one of fashion’s most influential designers.

For autumn/winter 2026, those motifs were evident in a collection that fused historical references with exaggerated and subverting tailoring.

Broad-shouldered silhouettes dominated the runway, with plaid (another trend also seen at Chloe) overcoats layered over ruched pencil skirts and pussy-bow blouses.

The boxy tailoring echoed the Eighties power silhouette currently resurfacing across fashion month, but filtered through Westwood’s irreverent lens.

One sharply cut check coat paired with a draped skirt showcased Kronthaler’s interest for balancing masculine tailoring with traditionally feminine shapes.

Elsewhere, peplum skirt suits reworked classic cuts into sculptural silhouettes that nipped dramatically at the waist before flaring outward.

The designer also leaned heavily into Westwood’s long-standing fascination with historical dress.

While incorporating the Westwood corsetry, Kronthaler layered sashes and strips of fabric twisted around the body in deliberately deconstructed arrangements.

Platform heels and slouchy knee-high boots gave a nod to Westwood’s punk era, while stockings, another trend seen widely across the autumn/winter runways, created a provocative edge.

Headwear was particularly dramatic.

One look featured an oversized coiled headpiece wrapped around the model’s head like a sculptural halo, highlighting the London label’s reputation for bold and eccentric styling.

As with many Westwood collections, the show also questioned traditional ideas of gender in clothing.

Male models appeared in suspenders, heels and short skirts, while tailoring was worn across genders in ways that blurred conventional masculine and feminine dress codes.

The approach echoed Westwood’s long-standing exploration of clothing as both political and cultural commentary.

Born from the punk movement of the late 70s, Westwood’s designs frequently challenged the conventions of establishment fashion.

Over the decades she drew inspiration from historical garments, including corsets, bustles and crinolines, often reinterpreting them with a rebellious twist.

Kronthaler’s latest collection continued that dialogue, combining heritage tailoring with avant-garde construction.

The show’s finale delivered one of the most striking looks of the evening: the Vivienne Westwood bride.

The model appeared wearing an enormous cylindrical headpiece accompanied by a bouquet made from radishes.

The outfit itself consisted of a precise and tightly tailored two-piece with a cinched waist and long column skirt.

The surreal flourish captured the spirit that has long defined the brand: theatrical, unconventional and always eccentric.

More than four decades after Westwood helped reshape British fashion, the house continues to explore the tension between history and rebellion.

And under Kronthaler’s direction, the label’s signature mix of historical references and theatrical flair remain firmly intact on the Paris runway.