Lightness, Layers & Witty Freedom

Meryll Rogge's Spring/Summer 2026 collection closed Paris Fashion Week with a bright wink rather than a roar—a show that feels like an invitation: to mix, to dare, to carry fragments of fantasy into everyday life. Rogge, now juggling her own label, a new knitwear line (B.B. Wallace), and her role as Creative Director at Marni, seems to have used this season to lean into freedom. The driving impulse? "Lightness" in mood, in silhouette, in spirit.

The collection delighted in contrast. An acid-lime boudoir slip layered beneath a slouchy trench opened the show—nightwear meets outerwear. Knits, lace, florals, leather belts, safety-pin punctured tweed coats: Rogge walked the line between delicacy and edge. Leather skirts belted low, hand-knit sweaters, flower/check collaged shirts—all of it felt wearable, but with moments of dramatic joy.

Men's pieces showed up more than ever in her runway story—oversized leather jackets, pieces with crossover from masculine cuts—but produced in the same witty, female-centric way. Not tokenism, but inclusion.

Textures were layered and often conflicting—in a good way. English tweed coats, safety-pin details, sharply coloured satin, kingfisher lace, and collage florals all vied for attention. The colour palette swung between vivid saturation (bright blues, acid lime) and the more grounded neutrals (beige trenches, creamy tones). Moments of lustrous satin or a boldly printed sky-photo dress provided exclamation points.

One of the subtlest but strongest moves: the running order. Rogge breaks from convention—not waiting until the end for a wedding dress but placing it mid-show. This gesture underlines her point: marriage is not an ending; life continues.

Rogge cites Cookie Mueller's Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black as a reference—Mueller’s mix of fragility, humour, survival, freedom. That emotional DNA shows: there's lightness even in windows of edge. The show oscillated between glamour and grit. Between romance and roughness. Between something worn and something made new.

The emotional moves from the intimate (slips, lace, soft layers) to declaration (print statements, outerwear, bold colour) then circles back—clothing for both self and spectacle. It doesn't feel preachy; it feels alive.

Rogge's signature mixes of texture and layering feel fresh without trying too hard. The slip under trench, the juxtaposition of tweed and safety pins—moments that feel witty and human. The inclusion of men’s looks with the same expressive language gives the show breadth and intelligence. Statements that connect to personal narrative—Cookie Mueller, lightness, "life goes on“— give depth beyond just surface; the show feels like it wants to comfort and provoke in equal measure.

With so many layers and mixed textures, there's a danger of visual overcrowding; some looks could blur in photos or be less legible from afar. The experimental moments (safety pins, photo prints, very bold colour) risk overpowering the subtler pieces if sequencing or styling doesn't allow breathing space. While many parts feel usable, some statement pieces may feel more for editorial or evening than daily life; their translation into wardrobes may depend on customer confidence and context.

Meryll Rogge SS26 doesn't reinvent the runway, but it refines the emotional runway—it dances around weight, it embraces contradiction, it insists that beauty doesn't have to be heavy. She asks: what if luxury were less about finish and more about feeling; less about exhibition and more about expression.

This show closes PFW not with a thunderclap, but with laughter, texture, and light. That in itself feels like something worth applauding.