Nicholas Oakwell Couture Spring/Summer 2026
With Goddess, Nicholas Oakwell returns to Paris Couture Week not simply with a collection, but with a cinematic vision of womanhood rendered in silk, metal, and myth. Presented at the intimate grandeur of Le Salon de Famille at Shangri-La Paris, the Spring/Summer 2026 couture offering reimagines the ancient worlds of Greece, Rome, and Egypt through the opulent lens of mid-century Hollywood — a time when costume, scale, and spectacle defined power on screen.
Rather than pursuing archaeological literalism, Oakwell looks to antiquity as it once lived in the collective imagination: monumental, romantic, and unapologetically theatrical. Films such as Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Land of the Pharaohs, and The Ten Commandments serve as visual touchstones — not for nostalgia, but for their enduring language of authority, glamour, and mythic femininity.
Couture as Character
Each of the 28 looks is conceived as a persona, named after the actresses and archetypes who once ruled the cinematic epic. These are not costumes, but characters translated into couture — women who command through intelligence, sensuality, and presence.
From the opening look, Cleopatra, a gold herringbone glass-beaded corseted gown paired with a sculptural high-neck bolero, Oakwell establishes the tone: imperial, controlled, and undeniably glamorous. Elsewhere, Grecian references surface in mosaic-like micro-beading (The Greek Vase), while Rome asserts itself through disciplined drapery and architectural silhouettes (Sophia, Julius, Kerr).
Egyptian influence — a recurring undercurrent — appears in sharply tailored moiré trousers, ceremonial crystal embellishment, molten gold sequins, and sculptural coats that evoke ritual and monumentality. Throughout, the designer balances weight and lightness, structure and release, with an assured hand that speaks to decades of couture practice.
The Hand of the Atelier
At the heart of Goddess is craft. Every garment is meticulously hand-constructed using traditional couture techniques: corsetry engineered to sculpt without restriction, internal architectures that shape volume invisibly, and embroidery that functions as both ornament and structure. Luxurious georgette, chiffon, taffeta, moiré, zibeline, and lace are treated with precision and restraint, allowing embellishment to enhance form rather than overwhelm it.
Several pieces demand extraordinary labour — most notably Light, a champagne gold micro-beaded dinner dress requiring over 800 hours of beadwork, paired with a porcelain taffeta coat that frames the body like a cinematic reveal. Elsewhere, hidden pockets, layered foundations, and disciplined draping quietly assert the intelligence behind the spectacle.
Power, Reframed
Despite its historical references, Goddess is resolutely modern. These clothes are designed for a woman who understands her authority — one who does not borrow power from the past, but recognises it within herself. Oakwell’s vision of femininity is neither nostalgic nor decorative; it is commanding, composed, and deeply intentional.
In an era increasingly defined by speed and excess, Goddess stands apart as a meditation on presence — on the enduring power of line, proportion, and craftsmanship. It is a reminder that couture, at its highest level, is not merely fashion, but myth-making.
With this collection, Nicholas Oakwell does not simply return to the Paris couture calendar. He reclaims it — with confidence, discipline, and a goddess’s sense of scale.
Nicholas Oakwell Couture Spring/Summer 2026 — Goddess
Presented at Le Salon de Famille, Shangri-La Paris
10 Avenue d’Iéna, 75116 Paris, France
Contacts
Couture Sales: cameron@nicholasoakwellcouture.com
Editorial: lois@evolve-studios.co
Global VIP Dressings: phillip.bodenham@spring-la.com