Letter from Paris: October 15, 2025 News Digest

France’s political crisis continues to wreak havoc, damaging the economy and baffling bystanders, with The New York Times declaring that “France’s domestic instability has weakened its diplomatic clout.” A fractioned National Assembly. Five prime ministers in under two years. A spiraling deficit… Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu dramatically resigned on Monday, October 6 just 14 hours after the creation of his government. Resisting pressure to call snap parliamentary elections, President Emmanuel Macron reappointed Lecornu as prime minister last Friday. The objective is to pass a budget by the end of the year, despite the political paralysis that has made it thus far impossible. This was a risky wager by Macron, especially considering that president’s approval ratings have plummeted to a historic low.

Former French Justice Minister Robert Badinter was inducted into the Panthéon, the monument-mausoleum where France’s great citizens are buried, in a moving ceremony last Thursday. Celebrated for having abolished the death penalty in 1981, Badinter spent his life fighting for justice. He lost his father in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. During the ceremony, a symbolic cenotaph was carried along the Rue Soufflot lined with spectators. Inside the coffin were Badinter’s lawyer’s robe, a copy of his speech against capital punishment and books. His grave remains in the cemetery of Bagneux where he was buried in 2024. In shocking news, this grave was tagged with graffiti on the same day as the ceremony.

A sensational Paris Fashion Week recently wrapped in the City of Light, with Women’s Wear Daily declaring, “It was a week for the history books — and one buyers believe will resonate with customers, despite economic headwinds.” Some 111 fashion brands appeared on the nine-day schedule, attracting celebrities and influencers from all over the world. A burst of creativity with major debuts at the big fashion houses, a new focus on design and craftsmanship… This PFW “will be remembered as a game-changer,” says WWD. A few examples:

Matthieu Blazy showed off his first collection for Chanel, a show decorated with dramatic, illuminated planets. Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez unveiled their first collection for Loewe- a colorful and vibrant look for Spring/Summer 2026. Pierpaolo Piccioli debuted as Balenciaga’s creative director. A$AP Rocky teamed up with PUMA on a jazz-inspired line.

The New York Times review focused on PFW’s otherworldly moments: “Paris Fashion Week always manages to take ideas and trends to new levels. This season, several designers demonstrated that in shows that took familiar clothing and concepts a step beyond the ordinary and, occasionally, out of this world.” Some models even wore alien masks at the Thom Browne show.

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In other fashion news, there’s been quite the brouhaha over the expected arrival of Shein, the cheap Chinese online brand, in its first brick-and-mortar location inside the BHV department store in Paris. The scheduled November 1 opening for the fast-fashion retailer “has unified politicians and fashionistas in anger and given steam to an effort by French lawmakers to halt its continued online expansion as well,” to quote The New York Times.

We’re counting down the days until the opening of the Fondation Cartier in new digs next to the Louvre. A beloved local institution, the museum staged stellar contemporary art exhibits in its former locale on Boulevard Raspail in the 14th. Architect Jean Nouvel was once again tasked to design the museum, which is located inside a former department store on the Place du Palais-Royal. Mark your calendars for the free opening weekend October 25-26; this could be the biggest cultural event of the year.