Mark Thomas's Quiet Rebirth

Spring/Summer 2026 marks a turning point for Carven: this is Mark Thomas's first major moment as Creative Director (after Louise Trotter's exit). Rather than reinventing the wheel, he leans into the brand's heritage—its Parisian ease, its appreciation for wearable elegance—and infuses it with a softer sensuality, tempered restraint, and an eye toward what summer in the city really feels like.

Thomas frames this as a "second chapter" of the Trotter era, carrying forward Carven's codes but dialing up intimacy and subtle exposure. Instead of theatrical gestures, SS26 places emphasis on languid elegance, closeness, and a refined translation of sensuality.

The runway felt like a walk through summer, rather than a performance.

A recurring motif is the white orchid—specifically the one Madame Carven developed with botanist Marcel Lecoufle in 1993—with its pale shape and a delicate center of green. Thomas distills this into abstracted structuring, into soft folds, into skirts that petal and drape, slip dresses edged with lace, billowy panels. But he also tempers softness with structure: tailoring grazes closer to the body than in recent seasons, and outerwear like safari jackets and trench coats anchor the collection with utility.

Materiality is central. Fabrics like lace, voile, jacquards, silk, moiré, cotton voile all make appearances. There are pieces that feel like bedsheets reimagined as garments—those that reference linen or tablecloths—with layers, sheer overlays, base layers underneath slip dresses. Vinyl backed with satin shows up in places, giving sheen in contrast to matte textures. The interplay of fabric weight, transparency, opacity is a key tool.

The color story begins in white, cream, and écru—the "palette cleanser" to establish this new chapter. From there come smoky blacks, gentle greys, subtle ecrus that sit between white and beige. Occasionally, soft abstracted prints or muted tonal contrasts (e.g. in lace-print, or in light juxtaposition) surface—but nothing feels over-wrought. The overall mood is one of calm confidence, warm breath, elegance without flash.

Thomas chooses settings, movement, and accessories that reinforce this mood: flip-flops done up in satin as playful comfort, the feeling of skin revealed in unexpected places (unbuttoned backs, slip dresses) yet always in a tasteful way. The show's pacing, the staging (via Carven's Paris HQ, moving from courtyard into store) gives a sense of intimacy and being invited into a home rather than spectacle.

The lace-edged slip dresses layered over base garments—looks that balance reveal and reserve. Trench coats, safari-style jackets with ruffled trims or zipper accents— functional yet feminine, structured but not rigid. The drapes and curves that evoke petals, soft folds that catch the light. This thematic thread gives coherence without pushing florals as cliché. Pearls used as small cufflinks, or peeked through sweater cuffs; flip-flops made from higher-end materials; subtle sheen in evening pieces. These give texture to the collection.

Thomas does a commendable job carrying forward Carven's identity while making small but meaningful shifts. The house feels more personal, more immediate, less about show, more about wardrobe. Many pieces feel ready to be worn, not just looked at. Especially in city life: summer dresses, layering, outerwear that works for transit and dinner. The show is calming amid a season of many grand productions. The sensuality is less about exposure and more about gesture—flips, drapes, light, fabric movement.

Some of the transparency and layering risk being "pretty but impractical" in less curated lighting or day-to-day contexts; what looks lush on a runway might need adaptation for everyday wear. The muted palette is beautiful, but in an SS season where bold color often turns heads, there's a danger of some looks getting lost. Accent moments are strong, but if too few, the impact may wane. The soft sensuality demands precision in tailoring, fit, and finishing—small misalignments or uneven drape risk undermining the elegance that Thomas seems to aim for.

Carven SS26 under Mark Thomas isn't a radical reinvention; it's a re-centering. It reminds us what the house does best: refined Parisian wear, elegance that folds into daily life, sensuality that lingers in detail rather than shout. It's a collection that feels honest: of fabrics, silhouettes, and touch.

In a sea of fashion that often screams, this show offers a whispered promise: that what's lovely can be gentle, what's elegant can be comfortable, and what's new can still feel like coming home.