Spring 2026's It Sneakers Just Debuted in Paris at Dries Van Noten

On the second day of Paris Fashion Week, Julian Klausner presented his sophomore womenswear collection for Dries Van Noten, the Belgian label he inherited from designer Dries Van Noten in December 2024, at the Palais de Tokyo. While the designer is new to the helm, he isn't a fresh face at the company. Rather, Klausner has worked under the leadership of Van Noten for six years, so it hasn't been all that surprising seeing how easily he's transitioned into his new role as creative director. He kicked things off with lauded womenswear and menswear debuts, and now, he's following up with another well-received ready-to-wear curation for the season ahead.

For spring/summer 2026, Klausner continued the house's streak of designing opulent, craft-focused pieces for fashion people who get it, but instead of the dark, moody colors he chose for fall/winter 2025, he opted for a far more vibrant and in-your-face palette. Think hot pink, cerulean, orange, red, and chartreuse—all of which were paired in unexpected, almost shocking ways. Colors weren't the only clashing aspect of the collection, either. Mismatching patterns were also combined in mysterious ways that somehow worked despite what fashion's oldest (and most outdated) rules would have you think. Intricate jacquard patterns were combined with bright, beaded skirts, and psychedelic polka dots were worn alongside jackets adorned with hand-beaded collages.

A sense of lightheartedness was present throughout, and it was like the clothes were designed for a wild party scene in The Great. Everything was grand and gorgeous as well as fun, a welcome reminder after years of minimalism dominating the trend landscape. "My first idea for this collection ... was to convey a sense of ease and optimism," Klausner said in the show notes. It resonated.

For more on the designer's sophomore womenswear collection for Dries Van Noten, keep scrolling. Trust me—it's an unforgettable one.

2026's It Sneakers

For spring/summer 2026, Klausner kept up Dries Van Noten's current run of form in the sneaker department, where the brand is leading the charge in the low-profile movement. (Say goodbye to chunky runners.) Alongside grand apparel, most of the models at the show donned slim sneaker styles that will, no doubt, become the season's It buys. Some were more pared back in shades of red and blue leather, and others felt more like a continuation of their models' exuberant ensembles, such as pairs made of turquoise-and-purple printed satin and styles featuring hand-placed baubles. We'll have to wait to see what they look like once they're put into production, but given the brand's legacy of selling fun and experimental fashions, I can't imagine they'll end up being anything short of playful perfection.

Clashing Is Cool

"The energy, while working, was playful as we experimented with scale, color, and shapes, balancing hard and soft, still and fluid, casual and refined, simple and complex—bringing things together into a joyful mix of unfiltered intuitiveness," Klausner said about his Dries Van Noten S/S 26 collection titled Wavelength. The result? A bevy of looks that clashed in a cool way, from colors that aren't supposed to go together to patterns that don't match. It wasn't tame or designed for the faint of heart. Instead, the collection was an explosion of positive energy. Two wrongs make a right, and everything about what Klausner combined at the Palais de Tokyo on Tuesday was right.

Modern Opulence

Last season's Dries Van Noten show was all very grandiose and old-world, from the clothes to the location (the Palais Garnier, an opera house that opened in 1875 in the 9th arrondissement in Paris). This season, Klausner maintained the same level of lavishness while adding modernity throughout the collection. "The regal attitude of surfers on the board is translated into a hint of historical grandeur, offset by the organic everydayness of grey jersey." he wrote in the press release. Whereas true clothing of the past would be uncomfortable and impractical, the pieces that debuted on the runway felt wearable with all the grandeur embellishments and art-like shape of a genuine vintage design. "A dialogue of opposites: bold but easy, stiff and floaty," the release stated.

Return of the Statement Necklace

I, for one, never expected the statement necklace (I'm talking about the thick, collar-like kind that was popular in the mid-2010s) to make any sort of serious comeback in fashion, but I'll admit that I was wrong. If anyone could do it, it's Klausner, who added the once-dated neck accoutrements to many of the models walking in this season's Dries Van Noten show. From anyone else, I probably would have hated it, but from him, it was a stylish addition, one that will surely inspire other brands to follow suit. Goodbye, tennis necklaces and barely-there jewelry. Things will soon be chunkier and bolder than ever.

Fashion-Person Reunion

Some shows during Paris Fashion Week are stocked full of celebrity guests, but at Dries Van Noten, it was all classic fashion people from every stylish city on the map. In the front row were Blanca Miro, Monica de La Villardière, Jeanne Damas, and Courtney Trop, all of whom have had massive and very loyal followings for years now. These are It girls who rose up before the age of TikTok, and they all reunited in the heart of Paris to see what Klausner had to unveil for Dries Van Noten—dressed in Dries Van Noten, of course.