The Carven Spring-Summer 2026 collection was presented at the historic Carven home on the Champs-Élysées, where Mark Howard Thomas presented his second collection as Creative director. Shaping his vision around intimacy, domesticity, and Parisian ease, the designer created clothes that feel both grounded and refined.
The models began their walk in the courtyard and moved through the whitewashed interiors, echoing the idea of home that Thomas has woven into Carven’s recent direction. The mood was understated, but the details revealed a designer attentive to how women dress today.
A jacket with detachable ruffled trims, for example, recalled a pelmet and was humorously applied to sporty takes on Carven’s archival Esperanto silhouette. Outerwear had subtle sculptural qualities, and summer trenches and safari jackets were practical yet refined. Relaxed trousers with elastic waists and ankles shifted formality into something more approachable.
References to French interiors continued with dresses edged like heirloom linens and crisp blouses softened by touches of lingerie. Slip dresses trimmed with lace were layered over airy base pieces, suggesting an undone Parisian nonchalance. A touch of vinyl backed with satin added a sharper edge to the house’s romantic style.
Floral motifs appeared as well, inspired by the orchid developed by Madame Carven and botanist Marcel Lecoufle in the 1990s. Thomas translated the bloom into prints, jacquards, and cutwork while letting its curves inspire the silhouettes of trousers and dresses that opened upward like petals. The floral motif added freshness without overwhelming the clean Carven aesthetic.
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Accessories and details carried the same sensibility. Pearls appeared discreetly as cufflinks or trim on knitwear, and pillowy flip-flops grounded the looks with ease. The result was quietly sensual, with subtle hints such as unbuttoned shirts in the back or flowing trouser panels that revealed movement.
The soundtrack, curated with a female-forward playlist, underscored Thomas’s approach. Rather than spectacle, Thomas aimed to create clothes women could imagine wearing daily: welcoming, wearable, and elegant without fuss. This restraint made the presentation stand out against louder shows elsewhere this season.
Carven has long operated on a smaller scale than the Parisian giants, but this intimacy is now an advantage. With his body-hugging tailoring and keen sense of outerwear, Thomas is steering the house toward relevance without fanfare. The Carven Spring-Summer 2026 collection captured what modern wardrobes need: pieces that are chic, versatile, and deeply personal.