Spring 2026 Haute Couture: Zuhair Murad’s Chiaroscuro

Paris Couture Week

30 Jan

For Spring/Summer 2026, Zuhair Murad presents a couture collection shaped by the idea of renewal after rupture, drawing on historical moments when fashion reasserted itself as an act of optimism. References move between Renaissance Italy and the post-war 1950s, not as quotation but as structural language—periods when the body was reshaped through craft as a gesture of confidence in the future.

The silhouettes are overtly sculptural. Conical corsets define the torso, cinching the waist and pushing volume outward toward the hips in a pronounced hourglass line. Full skirts, overskirts and deep draping create a sense of controlled grandeur, while airy layers soften the construction. Necklines are often low and sensual, offsetting the authority of the silhouette. The overall effect recalls classical painting as much as mid-century couture: figures that feel anchored, frontal and assured.

Fabric choice reinforces this sense of permanence and tactility. Duchess satin and mikado provide architectural structure, while faille reflects light across broader surfaces. Chiffon appears in lighter layers that skim the body, and jersey is used to introduce elasticity and closeness to the skin. Weight is carefully calibrated, allowing volume without rigidity and movement without collapse.

Embroidery plays a central role, though it is restrained in palette and scale. Executed in silk thread and punctuated with fine metallic strands and discreet cabochons, the motifs draw on Renaissance frescoes and aged gilding rather than overt ornament. Chains are incorporated as decorative elements, draped across bodices or integrated into the silhouette, reading as symbolic as well as structural accents.

The colour story unfolds in chiaroscuro. Deep, shadowed tones anchor the collection, from which pale pastels and softened hues gradually emerge. Rather than contrast, Murad favours gradation: colours appear filtered, muted, as if layered over time, reinforcing the idea of figures stepping from darkness into light.

Across its 45 looks, the collection forms a coherent procession rather than a series of statements. It is couture that prioritises construction, proportion and surface over spectacle, using historical reference to articulate a vision of femininity defined by strength, patience and continuity. Spring/Summer 2026 positions craftsmanship not as nostalgia, but as a stabilising force—fashion as structure, protection and renewal.