By Jesse Scott
Set in the grand American Cathedral on Paris’ Avenue George V, Georges Hobeika’s Spring 2026 couture show was a spectacular tribute to the power of love. Father and son team, Georges and Jad Hobeika, began the show notes with a question, “Do you remember ever loving deeply? When you step beyond yourself, when your body and mind finally merge?” For them, love is an all-consuming force that human beings are mere entities of - we exist to seek it, and by giving ourselves to others, we find true freedom.
This is an ambitious statement to be sure, with an ambitious collection to match, but, as the haunting music of Nano de Clausel filled the American Cathedral and the first models descended down the aisle, I found myself swept away, as if caught in the unforgiving yet liberating tide of a Shakespeare-worthy romance. The Hobeikas once again captured the essence of timeless femininity from sweeping silhouettes down to the most minute details; a sparkling symphony of cascading jewels serenading guests with the promise of modern fairy tales.
Timeless Elegance with Exciting Structural Innovations
As always with the Hobeikas, the show unfolded as a sweeping yet cohesive narrative that could be delineated into several segments. The first model emerged in a voluminous yet structured bustle-style piece, with a semi-sheer lower half, recalling Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus.” This was followed by several elaborately bejeweled pieces in elegant neutral tones, carrying over themes from the past two couture and ready-to-wear seasons. The color palette continued its progression of restraint and refinement, as the delicate beiges and golds, with an occasional pop of periwinkle, gave way to various pinks and an exquisite Bordeaux that will likely be my favorite shade of the season. The show closed in black and white with two of the best looks. First came a strapless black mermaid-style dress with sheer cutouts, with inverted strap detailing and a long train. This was followed by an elaborately trained and spectacularly jewel-frosted gown, one of Couture Week’s best bridal offerings.
Georges Hobeika Haute Couture Spring 2026: Looks 55, 56 (Images courtesy of Georges Hobeika)
The Hobeikas’ synthesis of contrasting structures was masterful. Perfectly cinched jewel-frosted corsets, some with undulating ripples like those of a seashell, anchored semi-sheer mermaid dresses. The most striking silhouette contained dozens, if not hundreds, of coiling strips of delicate fabric gracefully ballooning around the lower part of a sumptuous Bordeaux piece. One rose dress inverted expectation with its jeweled bodice, sheer middle, and elaborate train that unfolded like a pleated accordion in the front before billowing out in the back. A white strapless number playfully made us question what the form of the dress should be; the straps were present in form but not function as they extended downwards from the bodice in a decorative inverted “U” layer.
What is a gilded cage? Metaphorical meanings are richly layered. However, the Hobeikas made the concept literal in this show with a strikingly structured black dress covered in gold bejeweled rococo-style embroidery and florally adorned with “bars” exposing the model’s legs. With me already considering the proposition that humans are mere “entities of love,” the dress inspired contemplation about surrendering to the pursuit of L’Amour as an escape of any number of gilded cages that encircle us in contemporary life. For Georges and Jad, “In this rush towards others, you discover what feels most like freedom.”
From the Hobeikas, “We gather you in this sacred space not to keep this truth within these walls, but to send you back into the world carrying it.” They sent guests back into the world carrying something else too, hope. Collections like this, true labors of love bound by meticulous craftsmanship, will be remembered by guests long after they filed out of the cathedral into the cold Parisian day. Their exquisite beauty, and more importantly the cherished beliefs that inspired the designers, can keep us going, and believing in love, “even when you are tired, even when you doubt, even when no one is watching.”
Georges Hobeika Haute Couture Spring 2026: Looks 8, 9, 18, 24, 21, 40, 42 (Images courtesy of Georges Hobeika)