Wake up besties, September has ended! October marks the start of Paris Fashion Week, but while that might dominate the fashion calendar, it’s not the only thing worth knowing about in the sartorial world. Off the runway, the collabs, link-ups, and new drops never stop, with the must-know fashion news for October 2025 not just including Jonathan Anderson’s womenswear debut for Dior and Dario Vitale’s for Versace, but quieter fashion news that’s liable to slipping under the radar — like Cushla Whiting’s new Art Deco jewellery collection or Song for the Mute’s latest collaboration with Adidas.
So that you never find yourself staring blankly as your new acquaintances discuss Dario Vitale’s Versace debut or the latest team up between a fashion house and automotive marque, we’re back with On Thread, our monthly fashion news series with all the tidbits and industry news to know in a short and sweet format.
October 2025 fashion news
Welcome back to On Thread. Here, you’ll find all the fashion news worth knowing in October 2025. As always, we’ll continue to update On Thread daily in reverse chronological order, meaning you’ll always find the newest news on top.
Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Balenciaga SS26 debut pays homage and brings the house into the present
For his debut as creative director of Balenciaga, Pierpaolo Piccioli paid homage to those before him — namely, founder Cristóbal Balenciaga and Piccioli preceding creative directors Demna and Nicolas Ghesquière. The former’s commitment to sculptural silhouettes and voluminous forms, adroitly executed through the lightest touch is present throughout the collection, with Piccioli employing a new take on the house’s famous gazar fabric to make the traditionally rigid fabric softer and more comfortable while still holding its shape.
References to Cristóbal Balenciaga’s creations appear throughout—perhaps most evident in the reimagined sack dress—while nods to Demna’s streetwear era appear in oversized asymmetrical t-shirts worn over voluminous fringed skirts and Ghesquière’s love of dramatic shapes and cuts are showcased through ultra-cropped tees and a leather tunic with the back cut out.
Balenciaga is back.
Celine Eté sees the good times roll on
Michael Rider’s sophomore outing for Celine acts as a continuation of his debut show in July.
“The women and men kept walking and the seasons changed. We were thinking about what Celine is and what it isn’t,” wrote Rider in a pre-show letter. “We were thinking about good times, about lightness, and about summer heat. The tension between discretion and showing skin. About things that last, and things that are just a moment. And about how clothes, shoes, and all of it become a part of the memories we make wearing them.”
Matthieu Blazy makes Chanel his own in SS26 debut
Matthieu Blazy made his debut as creative director for Chanel last night at Paris Fashion Week. “For this first Chanel show, I wanted to do something quite universal, like a dream, something outside of time, and I was fascinated by the stars, a theme so dear to the House,” wrote Blazy on Instagram, explaining the set which sees models weave their way down a colourful solar system.
Chanel SS26 sees Blazy deconstruct house codes and reconstruct them to suit his own ‘cool girl’ aesthetic. Tweed blazers are cut in cropped and boxy silhouettes; low slung tweed trousers and midi skirts rest precariously on the hip bones of the insouciant models wearing them; Gabrielle Chanel’s famous boucle is rendered without lining, tapping into the sheer dress trend that refuses to die; and edges are left raw and encouraged to fray, while trompe-l’œil beaded suits and coats are caught mid-unravel, allowing the typically unseen to be seen.
“Chanel is about love. The birth of Modernity in fashion comes from a love story,” reflected Blazy of the maison. “This is what I find most beautiful. It has no time or space; this is an idea of freedom. The freedom worn and won by Gabrielle Chanel.” We wonder what ole Coco would think of Blazy’s debut…
Christian Louboutin’s Loubi Show trades the runway for the pitch
Dispensing with the status quo, Christian Louboutin has presented its latest collection in a wholly new way. The French maison teamed up with David LaChapelle and choreographer Blanca Li to stage a performance at the Dojo Arena in Paris. The presentation saw sport and fantasy collide, with the performance paying homage to the communal passion and vibrant energy of American town homecoming games. Naturally, the performance was executed in the maison’s covetable footwear; from cheerleaders in Cassia Annmac pumps to footballers in the ballet slipper-inspired Cassiasticina flats and the Ruben, the men’s counterpart.
Chanel announces Nicole Kidman as newest global brand ambassador
Ahead of Matthieu Blazy’s debut as creative director for Chanel, the luxury French fashion house has announced Nicole Kidman as its newest ambassador. The Australian actress’ relationship with the maison goes back to 2004, when she starred in the Chanel N°5 fragrance campaign directed by Baz Luhrmann.
“I am thrilled to be joining Chanel as it begins its new chapter with Matthieu at the helm,” said Kidman. “As someone who has such an appreciation for haute couture, I am so looking forward to witnessing Matthieu’s vision for the oldest haute couture house still in operation and having the opportunity to wear what I know will be gorgeous creations. Chanel has always been ahead of the curve, shining a smart and gracious light on women, and I am sure Matthieu will be no exception, just like Karl did in his time.”
Song for the Mute reimagines Adidas’ Taekwondo Mei and Adizero PR styles
Adidas and Song for the Mute have teamed up for the sixth time, with the American sportswear giant and the Australian streetwear brand turning their attention to the former’s Taekwondo Mei and Adizero PR footwear silhouettes. The Taekwondo Mei sees the style reinterpreted with an elasticated collar, laced closure, and asymmetric top-stitching, with the style available in khaki, sand, and black. Meanwhile, the track-ready Adizero PR receives new insoles, mismatched laces, and metal stud details, and is rendered in a throwback palette of black, oxidised white, and oxblood red. The collaborative collection also comprises seven pieces of apparel, as well as accessories.
Jonathan Anderson’s Dior SS26 debut sees silhouettes fight with themselves
Proving one can resurrect the past without being a slave to it, Jonathan Anderson’s Dior SS26 debut saw the creative director revisit the luxury French fashion house’s history, while writing a new story. Rather than completely revive archival looks, Dior SS26 draws elements from the past and reimagines them for a new world. Rendered in a soft colour palette of sky blue, dove grey, champagne, and cream, the collection sees the sculptural silhouette of the seminal 1947 New Look reinterpreted as a black-and-white layered mini dress finished with a bow—a Miss Dior signature—with the detail also exploding out of sleeveless dresses and anchoring bulbous plisse gowns. Design codes are constructed and deconstructed, resulting in hats that implode within themselves, covering models’ eyes and creating tension between ugly and pretty.
Acne Studios SS26 womenswear collection challenges sartorial gender archetypes
Acne Studios presented its Spring Summer 2026 womenswear collection in the Collège des Bernardins, erecting a moody cigar salon amidst the vaulted hall of the former Parisian university. The collection questions the interplay between menswear and womenswear, challenging archetypes and melding sartorial codes to create a fluid collection for a new type of female protagonist. Fabrics are fused together to create layered lace corsetry and slip dresses, transparent slip skirts and contrasted with sweater-shirt hybrids, and distressed denim flits in and out, underscored by the hints of western style the Swedish fashion house has been exploring of late — think cowboy boots, aviators, and plaid.
“I’ve always felt that creativity is perhaps about being able to see the world in a way you didn’t realise could be seen,” says Acne Studios creative director Jonny Johansson. “There are people who can do that to you, they make the world feel different, they stand out and tell you a new story.”
Cushla Whiting’s newest pendants draw inspiration from Italian Futurism
For its latest collection, Cushla Whiting takes its cues from the Italian Futurist movement that defined the early 20th century, coalescing this with the Australian jewellery brand’s Art Deco sensibilities. Defined by its embrace of movement, speed, technology, and industrialism, the Italian Futurist movement was notable for its modern outlook, with its motifs translated into spinning pendants; one crafted in 9K and 18K gold with polished malachite, and another featuring channel-set square black sapphires. The spinning elements speak to the kinetic motion emblematic of the time, while adding a tactile, sensory dimension to the pieces.
Louis Vuitton SS26 wants you to dress up to stay in
For Louis Vuitton SS26, womenswear creative director Nicolas Ghesquière put forward an inveiglement to get dressed up for the art of life. A proposition that one doesn’t need an occasion to dress up—life itself is an occasion—Louis Vuitton SS26 took place in the summer apartments of Anne d’Autriche, with the 17th-century Queen of France’s living quarters setting a positively domestic—albiet luxurious—tone.
In the show notes, Ghesquière described the collection as “a celebration of intimacy and the boundless freedom of the private sphere.” Pieces formerly reserved for the confines of one’s own home—sweatpants, cotton rompers, nightdresses—made their way onto the runway, however it’s the study of light and heavy that won our affection. Lightweight plisse fabric delicately sculpts the body, while heavyweight silks were shaped into bulbous caftans; sheer dresses revealed exposed bonding, while turban-like headwear reminiscent of towels after a hairwash wrapped around models’ heads.
Dario Vitale proves he knows how to make Versace Versace again
Succeeding Donatella Versace as creative director, Dario Vitale is the first person outside of the Versace family to helm the brand. For his debut collection for Versace SS26, Vitale brought back the sexually charged glamour of the ‘80s. There’s always been an undercurrent of sexiness running through Versace’s collections, but Vitale’s Versace marks a departure from the overt bombshell glamour of Donatella Versace’s tenure, instead opting for something a little grittier and more suggestive of hedonistic pleasure. Set within the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, a former residence that now serves as a gallery, the show took place amongst an intentionally disarrayed set laden with antiques and curios, with an unmade bed in the centre surrounded by empty glasses, discarded pills, and an ashtray.
Resurrecting the style of tasteful trashiness that defined founder Gianni Versace’s eponymous brand, Versace SS26 saw bold shades of purple, emerald green, royal blue, strawberry pink, and mustard yellow take centre stage, accompanied by the baroque printed shirts—and skirts—that formerly formed a key component of Versace’s design identity. Trousers and jeans were cut slim and worn high on the waist, while leather pieces spoke to the heft of the ‘80s rather than the ineffably light pieces lately posed by the likes of Bottega Veneta and Tod’s. Amidst the chainmail-inspired embroidery, short shorts, and sexy layering was a hint of sobriety, found in the positively demure leather footwear and traditional ladylike handbags, as well as styling cues like a sweater tied at the waist.
Demna pays homage to old Gucci for Gucci SS26
For his debut collection at Gucci, Demna resurrected a taste of old Gucci. Titled ‘La Famigla’, the collection dropped courtesy of a lookbook shot by Los Angeles-based fine-art photographer Catherine Opie. Something of a character study, the collection coalesced old and new; the first image was simply a Gucci trunk, the piece on which Guccio Gucci founded his eponymous brand. Elsewhere, there are hints of Gucci’s sexy sleezy era, with the ‘90s interlocking GG logo making a comeback on belts—just barely—holding up low-slung denim, while elsewhere voluminous fur-trimmed outerwear and shrunken biker jackets appear.
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Words by Arabella Johnson and Esmé Duggan
