Ann Demeulemeester is possibly one of the most romantic houses showing in Paris. Known for a dark elegance, the brand speaks of love that is mysterious, even cavernous. For Spring/Summer 2026, Stefano Gallici shines a light on an otherwise dark narrative.
Even if pushing the legacy along, Gallici speaks in the language of the maison. Regiment coats, flouncy shirts, combat boots: the house staples ground the collection. Crochet dresses and feather crowns signal a change, a predilection for a cinematic complexity that is new to the Antwerp-specific brand of minimalism. It’s not that the Italian designer is distancing himself from Demeulemeester’s codes; it’s that he’s expanding them, reinterpreting them.
With a declared obsession for the American West Coast and its music scene, his vision is sun-faded. Muted brocade pink coats and pants have a baroque flair. Sheer dresses with an empire silhouette are sweet but sterile. BTB19’s cover star, Jamie Campbell Bower, walks the show in a striped suit covered by a satin robe as if he’s parading in an abandoned palace. Backstage, the designer cites Jane Austen as inspiration. As soon as he says it, the collection is immediately dropped in its context. This is a dark reinterpretation of a classic romance, a story of love and misery.
Words by Pedro Vasconcelos
