Parisian Designers Are Putting a Fresh Twist on the Opera House Trend

Touching back down from Paris, I've been reflecting on some of my favorite moments from the season. Tuxedo jackets, cummerbunds, tassels, intricate beading, capes, and shawls continued to appear throughout the collections. But this season, the familiar codes of opera house spring took on a softer expression, with more feminine fabrics, delicate textures, and a sense of romance.

At Lanvin, Peter Copping drew from a “constellation of artistic influences,” including Anjelica Huston, Pina Bausch, Thelma Golden, Tina Chow, and the house’s own Jeanne Lanvin. You could feel the archives throughout the collection, particularly in the striking black-and-white tailoring and the fluid 1920s-inspired dresses.

This show was especially personal for me. I had the immense honor of attending in my grandmother’s archival Jeanne Lanvin feather-and-velvet shawl, a treasured piece I hand-carried from New York to Paris.

The Issey Miyake show felt as though we had been transported to the theater. The show explored ma—a Japanese concept of the space between things—expressed here through the relationship between fabric and the body. It began with an almost meditative performance, as dancers created tension and sculptural shapes using long lengths of fabric, leading seamlessly into models emerging from the waves to begin the runway show. The cocoon-like evening silhouettes that swept the runway have stayed with me ever since.

Air and movement were also central to Jonathan Anderson's spring collection for Dior, where he explored the idea of air as a material in itself—woven into lace, silk mousseline, and organza.

“The collection is about lightness and motion—what happens when a garment is worn? How does it operate in the breeze?” Anderson explained. I was particularly mesmerized by the interplay of menswear-inspired tailoring and ethereal, feminine fabrics. There was a beautiful softness within the masculine lines.

It’s hard to believe it was only a year ago that Matthieu Blazy debuted his first collection for Chanel. This season, he seemed to delve further into Gabrielle Chanel’s world, exploring her more playful, joyous side. That spirit was reflected in the ease of the tailoring and the recurring motifs of birds and the sky.

Some Ways to Style Opera House Spring Now:

The Opera Shawl, Cape, and Coat

The Evening Jacket

The Finishing Touch

The Evening Dress