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Coming of Age at Weinsanto

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By Paul McLauchlan

Five years since his debut, Victor Weinsanto continues to christen the opening day of Paris Fashion Week with some dramatic exuberance and spunky cabaret. For Spring-Summer 2026, the designer enlisted his friends, adult entertainer Allanah Starr and visual artist Angèle Micaux, to transform his catwalk into a scene borrowed from a 19th century French court. Weinsanto evoked the spirit of 18th and 19th century paramours of French kings: de Pompadour, du Barry, de Montespan and de La Vallière. Entitled Les Irrésistibles Favorites, the fifth anniversary collection encapsulates the witty and wonderful Weinsanto spirit.

There are signs Weinsanto is maturing. On a personal level, he married his husband Jan Robert-Allo this summer. His burgeoning business survived a global pandemic and a wider luxury downturn that has been unkind to emerging brands. Regarding design, Weinsanto has elevated his fabric offering to jacquard de soie and silk taffeta while riffing on epochal hallmarks like frills, lavallière collars, crinolines and bustiers. In true Weinsanto fashion, hemlines are slashed to ultra-minis; crinolines are exposed by transparent fabrics like organza; bustier skirts blossom like rose petals. Meanwhile, fanny packs and whimsical hats referencing 18th-century fontanges and tricorns are confident forays into the accessories category. He leaned into a haute sensibility with a dress, made entirely wood, designed in collaboration with woodworker Amaury Darras and artist Damien Moulierac. Entitled ‘Diamonds & Lace,’ Weinsanto introduces high jewellery, collaborating with the workshops of Van Der Baude in Geneva. But, at its core, there remains the winking wryness that is quintessentially Weinsanto.

“It’s something playful and dramatic. I want to bring back the energy that I love seeing on stage,” said the designer on a video call from his Paris studio.

What was your starting point for Spring-Summer 2026?

I recently got married at Château de Champ du Bataille, a castle owned by [French architect] Jacques Garcia. We had the ceremony inside an Ancient Greek theatre and a beautiful party afterwards. There were some details in the castle that inspired a chair owned by Madame du Barry. It made me think about les favorites [the French mistresses in the royal court]. They came from nothing and rose to have more power than the queen herself. I started thinking about them in terms of fashion. Madame de Pompadour introduced the belt bag; Madame de La Vallière introduced the way of tying the lavalier collar. I wanted to reintroduce these ideas with my vision. It’s a new kind of favorite.

 

How did you modernise your inspiration?

I wanted to take historical details and put my shapes and aesthetic on them. It was a total reinterpretation – if there’s crinoline, it’s almost transparent like she’s naked underneath. We used the same silk taffeta that’s at Versailles and Château de Champ du Bataille, where I got married; the jacquard de soie by Lelièvre. 

 

Was there anything that surprised you during the design process?

I want to bring so many things into this collection; I did a lot of research and looked at how my perspective would add to this. It was more learning about the personalities [of the different women from that time] that inspired me. [These women were smart and beautiful. It’s funny that in history, we’ve had the most outrageous stories and forgotten about them, but we just have the name. I thought it would be good to pay tribute to them.

 

Five years since launching your brand in Paris, how do you feel?

We bring some extravagant humour and dramatics. I don’t take myself seriously; this is the whole point of the brand. This is what we’ll continue to bring and not lose because it’s why people come to us. This started during COVID. It was a hard time for everyone in the world so, obviously, a little brand that brings some cabaret, extravagance and inclusive models was fun to bring to Paris. Now, as we become more established, and not just being the cool kid anymore, it’s about being understood completely by a larger audience. It’s a process because my style is becoming more feminine, and still extravagant, but less crazy.

 

This interview has been lightly edited. 

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