Dear Shaded Viewers,
Last night in Paris, Rick Owens redefined the boundaries of runway performance with his Spring/Summer 2026 show, staging a visceral, baptismal procession that left the fashion world in awe. Staged at the Palais de Tokyo, the event served as a living prelude to his monumental “Temple of Love” retrospective, which opens today for the general public at the Palais Galliera. Please check my previous post on the exhibition.
Owens broke with tradition by transforming the central fountain of the Palais de Tokyo into the show’s focal point. Instead of a conventional runway, he constructed an elevated catwalk suspended above the water. As the show began, models emerged and strode across this dramatic platform, their movements reflected in the rippling surface below. The true climax arrived when the models, in a choreographed act of collective ritual, descended directly into the fountain itself. Some paused, letting the water drench their garments, before continuing their walk—soaked, reborn, and defiant.
This audacious act was more than theatrical spectacle; it was a deliberate invocation of baptism, cleansing, and rebirth. The water-soaked fabrics clung to the models’ bodies, emphasizing the sculptural, primal quality of Owens’ designs. The effect was both raw and transcendent, merging vulnerability with strength and echoing the spiritual undertones of the “Temple of Love” exhibition.
Owens’ signature aesthetic—what he calls “European sophistication through American bluntness”—was on full display. The collection featured exposed flesh framed by black leather, studded straps reminiscent of neoclassical nymphs, slashed Tuscan leathers, and voluminous flight jackets in sustainable materials. The “Burrito Sneaks” and collaborations with New York punk icons added a personal, subcultural edge.
The show’s atmosphere was heightened by the all-standing audience, gathered closely around the fountain, creating a sense of collective anticipation and intimacy. The models’ passage through water became a powerful metaphor for resilience and transformation—central themes in Owens’ work.
This show was not merely a fashion presentation but a living extension of Owens’ retrospective at the Palais Galliera. The exhibition itself is described as a “meditation on love, beauty, and diversity,” featuring over 100 silhouettes from Owens’ archives, personal documents, and installations, with a garden adorned by brutalist cement sculptures and sequined fabrics. The spiritual and performative elements of the runway previewed the exhibition’s ambition: to transform fashion into a sacred, communal experience.
By inviting his models to walk on water and undergo a symbolic baptism, Rick Owens offered Paris not just a show, but an initiation. The “Temple” event reaffirmed his status as fashion’s high priest of radical beauty, merging performance art, ritual, and clothing into a singular, unforgettable event.
As a final aside—perhaps a testament to Rick Owens’ singular magic—the garden, three years in the making and grown from seeds gathered in a Hollywood back alley where Rick and Michèle once lived, somehow endured the fierce Parisian storms that battered the city on Wednesday. Against all odds, it stood resilient and untouched, a living symbol of perseverance and grace. Blessed, indeed.
