Sun, Skin & Futurism in Tension

Courrèges' Spring/Summer 2026 collection, titled "Blinded by the Sun", feels like both a warning and an invitation. Under Nicolas Di Felice, the brand takes its space-age roots and subjects them to the heat of now: the glare of climate, the urgency of exposure, and the interplay of form, function, and skin. This isn't nostalgia for the 1960s; it's futurism that burns, that feels sunlit, that glows with both allure and threat.

One of the strongest threads in SS26 is how Courrèges reframes silhouettes around the sun, light, and heat. Early looks open with face-covering veils attached to peaked caps—part protectant, part aesthetic signature. These aren't mere accessories; they're statements about what climate demands, and how fashion responds.

Cut-byscisors emerge in asymmetry: shoulder lines slashed, bodysuits fused with tops, shorts trailing into skirts at the back, coats that partially unzip. The geometry is sharp, often graphic, yet always designed with skin in mind: where to reveal, where to shield. In effect, garments become devices of modulated exposure.

Notably, leather motorcycle jackets have sleeves that unzip vertically—a release point for air, but also a visual slit that plays with desire. Minis and coatdresses shift between structural rigidity and flowing.

Di Felice embraces fabrics and treatments that respond to heat. Some pieces become transparent, others cling like "protective skins." Multiple belts, narrow straps, loops—elements that feel like harnesses for both style and function. The use of narrow belts, shiny surfaces, even a wet-look sheen suggests perspiration, reflection, survival under the sun.

The VOICE of the show emphasizes temperature: voiceovers or announcements of rising heat ("She" in the 40°C range) as the runway progresses, and the lighting and staging mirror this: a progression from cool blues toward warmer sunset hues. The effect is a visual storytelling of climate change, of seasonal extremes.

Color is used sparingly but with impact: dark neutrals, blacks, and cool tones at the start, then warmer tones as the show climaxes. Metallics, perhaps reflective surfaces, glossy fabric—these amplify both heat and futurism.

The staging builds its own tension. The space—the Carreau du Temple—transforms, the venue shaping the experience: the square space becomes a circle in lighting and concept, a metaphor for sun, orbit, cyclical heat.

Sound and temperature are part of the narrative. As temperatures in the voice-overs rise, so does the heat in the visual environment; so do the garments open up. The energy builds: what begins protected, controlled, modest becomes exposed, daring, electric. This crescendo mirrors both the physical reality of extreme heat and the metaphorical exposure of bodies under societal gaze.

Courrèges SS26 isn't just about pretty shapes—it carries metaphor, urgency, and real engagement with climate and exposure. The face veils, unzippable sleeves, transparent panels are not gimmicks but functional gestures toward comfort and adaptability. Di Felice retains Courrèges's futuristic minimalism—geometric shapes, vinyl-like materials—but repurposes them for now, for heat, for skin, for rave. There is sex appeal here, but controlled; guts revealed via slit or unzipped element rather than full display. It's part shield, part flash.

Some of the more radical exposure-oriented looks may have limited wearability, especially outside runway or editorial contexts. Translating these into pieces people feel comfortable wearing in everyday, non-runway life might be challenging. The impact depends heavily on presentation: lighting, runway temperature, pacing. Were these pieces seen under daylight or videos/photos, some of the subtleties (e.g. transparency, sheen) might lose their full effect. Courrèges has long been about optimism in futurism; this collection adds a layer of darker concern. How that sits with the brand identity will define whether SS26 is remembered as growth, or as drift.

Courrèges SS26 under Nicolas Di Felice is a compelling statement: futurism that acknowledges its own shadows; minimalism made urgent; fashion as protection and exposure. It captures what it means to feel both dazzled and scorched by the sun.

In "Blinded by the Sun", we have a collection that looks outward—to climate, to exposure, to the body—and inward—to desire, to discomfort, to what fashion can do when light becomes too bright. It's not merely a runway show, but a visual weather report. And in that, it stands as one of the season's more powerful events.