Peet Dullaert Fall 2026 Couture: Art Class

by · WWD
Peet Dullaert Fall 2026 Couture Collection at Paris Couture WeekCourtesy of Peet Dullaert

Peet Dullaert may not do mood boards or sketch, preferring to build his silhouettes on the body, but that does not preclude art as a source of inspiration. His starting point this season was a pair of Rembrandt paintings under the shared ownership of the Louvre and the Rijksmuseum, which portray a society couple all in black with white lace adornments. “In a time when the color black was one of the most expensive things you could buy in the world…there was a care and dedication in how things were made,” he explained. This got him thinking about notions of luxury. “I wanted to do translations over the centuries of everything that was considered extraordinary or interesting,” said Dullaert, who recently won the inaugural New Crafts Awards backed by Accor and the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.

His interpretation of archetypes of opulence ran the gamut from tuxedo silhouettes shown on both men and women to a variety of full taffeta skirts, like giant versions of his signature puffs and rolls of fabric. In between, there were lacy options that directly referenced the portraits, his own take on leopard prints, glittering Art Nouveau embellishments and dramatic explorations of embroidered fringed scarves that were knotted and wrapped around the body or integrated into sleeves. Certain looks jumped between registers, like a tailored low-fronted waistcoat with a full draped silk back, for instance.

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As usual, sportswear — which Dullaert considers the ultimate contemporary luxury for the movement it allows — played a key role, with shiny spandex bodysuits as well as versions in stretch lace mesh that showed the skin underneath, underpinning his designs and making the collection unmistakably his.

Construction details were key, with breast cups inserted into the folds of the fabric, sharp-peaked shoulders atop tailored gowns and tucks and pleats that structured the silhouette in surprising ways. The designer also experimented with bonding different types of fabric together this season, with a fusion of cotton crêpe with a gauzy printed overlayer lending structure to his feline looks.