Pierpaolo Piccioli presented his second ready-to-wear collection for Balenciaga, titled ClairObscur, on March 7, 2026, during Paris Fashion Week. Inspired by Caravaggio's tenebrism and themes of light through darkness, the co-ed show featured a collaboration with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson on set design and cinematography, incorporating previews from the series' third season, set to premiere April 12.
The show unfolded in a dark, cavernous venue on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées—previously an Adidas flagship store—transformed with black carpeting, concert lighting, and dozens of video screens displaying harlequinade nocturnal cityscapes, California landscapes, wolves, empty bars, and Euphoria season three previews, including new cast member Danielle Deadwyler in a screen still on a sweater. Soundtracked by cues from Rosalía, Labrinth, and Hans Zimmer, the electric atmosphere drew a chaotic outside crowd with waits over 40 minutes.
Piccioli collaborated closely with Levinson, who handled the installation. Backstage, Piccioli praised Levinson's human, emotional storytelling: “Sam is able to tell stories — not judging... but just giving a point of view that is very human and very emotional,” highlighting his 'sensitivity to find the light in the darkness.' This mood permeated the 81 looks blending menswear and womenswear: glossy blacks, harsh neons, cocoon-shaped coats, bulging backs, portrait collars, funnel necks, draped jersey dresses, high-waisted jeans, scrunched leather jackets, ab-revealing outfits, and inscrutable dark glasses. Menswear debuted on the runway with imposing outerwear, baggier pants, and Euphoria prints on coats, sweaters, and fleece. Highlights included a bubble-shaped leather bomber, sculptural peacoat, officer coat, hooded coats, furry parkas, checkered gradients, sleek gowns, graphic hoodies with leather opera gloves, burgundy velvet midi dresses, hot pink cocoon coats, and ombre fur. Accessories featured rumpled Hourglass and City Bags (Midnight City variant with luminous shadows), studded brogues from a J.M. Weston collaboration, chunky sneakers, and crystallized sunglasses.
Celebrities in attendance included Winona Ryder, Harris Dickinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Naomi Watts with daughter Kai Schreiber, Hudson Williams, Rachel Sennot, Josh Hutcherson, Anna Van Patten, Chloe Cherry, Priscilla Delgado, and Lori Harvey (in all-black Duchesse pumps, leather cape top, and loose trousers). Piccioli connected the moodboard to Caravaggio’s The Calling of Saint Matthew, signaling a shift to cinematic, couture-infused storytelling post-Demna era, targeting younger audiences in line with Balenciaga's disruptive heritage from Cristóbal Balenciaga's cocoon coats.
