Paris Haute Couture: The Romance of Resilience, Zuhair Murad’s Ode to Beauty Beyond Uncertainty

A darkly, diaphanous silk gown looked suitably dramatic beneath the soaring arches of Paris' Collège des Bernardin, during the Zuhair Murad AW26/27 couture show. Cover and photograph (above) by Rahul Rekapalli for DAM

Zuhair Murad's new Paris Haute Couture collection was presented at the historic Collège des Bernardins. Called Love and Dominion, the designer’s signature language of embroidery, dramatic silhouettes and romantic glamour introduced a darker, more contemplative mood. With Jennifer Lopez making her first front-row appearance at the designer's Autumn/Winter 2026-2027 show, the latest work reflected the continued global influence of a Lebanese couture house based between Beirut and Paris. Story by Jeanne-Marie Cilento. Photography by Rahul Rekapalli

Jennifer Lopez sits in the front row

of her first Zuhair Murad show. 

Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

ANCIENT, creamy limstone, filtered light and centuries of history set the stage as guests arrived at the Collège des Bernardins for Zuhair Murad's Autumn/Winter 2026–2027 Haute Couture show. 

Passing through the courtyard and into the vast 13th-century Cistercian college hall, the noise of contemporary Paris disappeared and gave way to the solemnity and quiet grandeur of soaring Gothic architecture. 

Towering columns stretch towards vaulted ceilings, their weathered surfaces carrying the weight of almost eight centuries, while the long medieval nave created a dramatic perspective for the runway.

Founded in 1248 as a residence for Cistercian monks studying at the University of Paris, the Collège des Bernardins remains one of Paris’s most remarkable historic buildings. 

Within this evocative place, Zuhair Murad unveiled Love and Dominion, a collection that explored his themes of resilience through romance, examining the relationship between vulnerability and strength. The contrast between the building’s austere architecture and the richness of couture created a vivid juxtaposition. The collection gained further resonance from Murad’s position as a Lebanese designer working between Beirut and Paris during a period of profound regional uncertainty.

Without becoming a political statement, the themes of protection, perseverance and hope carried an authenticity beyond the runway. The darkness and illumination felt less like a fictional narrative and more like a reflection of the determination required to sustain a couture maison across two cities and cultures.

The collection gained further resonance from Murad’s position as a Lebanese designer working between Beirut and Paris during a period of profound regional uncertainty

Exquisite embroidery, crystals

as well as feathers enhanced\

sartorial romance and drama.

As white smoke drifted through the colonnades at the beginning of the Paris show, the first models emerged in luminous ivory, wrapped in crystal embroidery and dramatic featherwork. The opening images established the emotional language of the collection described in the designer's show notes: a woman moving with composure, carrying both fragility and authority. 

The designer described his muse for this season as a heroine who refuses to surrender in a fractured world, powerful and self-possessed. Rather than presenting this idea through overt theatricality, Murad translated it into couture through silhouette, texture and meticulous craftsmanship. 

Embroidery continued to be the defining language of the maison. Crystal-encrusted rose brambles climbed across fitted jackets and gowns, their sculptural forms appearing almost frozen in time. 

Birds, butterflies and floral motifs emerged through dimensional appliqué and relief embroidery, transforming embellishment into narrative. The craftsmanship was particularly effective in its layering, allowing light to move across surfaces and revealing new details with every step.

The collection’s strongest moments came through the balance between structure and movement. Velvet, duchesse satin, crepe and radzimir brought architectural presence, balanced by chiffon and tulle that introduced fluidity and softness. Featherwork appeared as collars, stoles and delicate accents, adding movement without overwhelming the garments. Murad demonstrated a careful control of proportion, ensuring that the richness of the materials remained balanced by elegance.

The contrast between the Collège des Bernardins austere architecture and the richness of Zuhair Murad's haute couture created a vivid juxtaposition.

The colour palette moved from

pearly blushe tones to dramatic 

black, forest green and bugrundy.

The colour palette reinforced the emotional landscape of the collection. Deep black, forest green, wine and burgundy dominated, occasionally interrupted by ivory, pearl and pale blush tones that appeared like winter light emerging from darkness. The effect was atmospheric rather than sombre, suggesting transformation and endurance.

The collection reflected Murad’s established couture vocabulary: sweeping capes, corseted evening gowns and heavily embellished silhouettes that have long defined his work. They were executed with extraordinary precision, but the collection refined his existing language. For the clients and collectors who have made Murad a leading name in couture eveningwear, this consistency remains part of the appeal. 

That enduring connection between his designs and the women who wear them was reflected in the front row, where Jennifer Lopez attended a Zuhair Murad couture show for the first time after years of wearing his creations. From red carpets to global performances, Lopez has become one of the most recognisable ambassadors of the designer’s work. Her appearance in Paris, wearing an ivory crystal-embroidered jacket with an oversized black bow, paired with a fully beaded fringe skirt from Murad’s Spring 2025 Couture collection.

At the Collège des Bernardins, surrounded by centuries of history, Zuhair Murad launched a collection that reaffirmed the enduring strengths of his Maison. He did not attempt to reinvent his couture vocabulary but instead refined it through his ateliers' discipline and craftsmanship. Murad remains committed to the foundations that have defined his career: exceptional embroidery, dramatic silhouettes and an understanding of couture as a powerful expression of identity. 

See more highlights from the Zuhair Murad Haute Couture AW26/27 collection in Paris