Irish creative director Seán McGirr makes his mark at McQueen

Paranoia, perfectionism and performance unfurled with Hitchcockian flair at McQueen’s autumn/winter 2026 show during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday night. The Irish creative director Seán McGirr described a narrative of inner psychological turmoil framing his latest offering for the brand. He anchored proceedings in 1960s silhouettes, reminiscent of The Birds, with an homage to Mary Quant. There were floral wallpaper prints in crushed jacquards, wild hand-embroidered flowers with pearlescent finishes, and rose-quilted bombers rendered in icy blue hues. There were sterling examples of craftsmanship with hand-embroidered evening gowns with lace trapped in layers of organza, layered with a bowler of hand-embroidered pailettes reminiscent of feathers (McQueen doesn’t use real feathers).

There were echoes of the founder’s Savile Row training in tailoring, like the herringbone coat with waterfall neckline that opened the show to skinny suiting. Everything was crafted by draping directly onto the body, rather than sketched, an instinctual method preferred by McQueen and erstwhile creative director Sarah Burton. It was fitting too, then, that McGirr trusts his own instincts, pervading the collection with a more youthful energy, as his tenure begins to take shape.

“It’s a new take on glamour,’ McGirr asserted backstage, after the show.

The skull is back
When Charli XCX stepped on stage at Glastonbury in 2025 with a skull-print scarf, it was clear: the skull print is back. First introduced by the namesake founder in the famous ‘Black’ show in 2004, when Kate Moss wore a billowing skull-print dress, the skull has become shorthand for the brand. Popularised in a commercial offering in the late aughts, when McGirr was in his formative years, he reimagined them for 2026 in skinny wool, adorning military jackets laden with embroidery of bucolic scenes.

The archive gets an update
Though it felt distinctly McGirr, the Irish designer recalled signatures from memorable collections in the archive. From ‘The Widows of Culloden’ (autumn/winter 2006), he mirrored lacework in evening gowns: here, they were trapped between gossamer layers of organza and chiffon. He looked at ‘Dante’ (autumn/winter 1996) for Savile Row tailoring, referencing one of the military-inspired trenches, and the ‘Highland Rape’ (autumn/winter 1995) for the bumster, here in leather and denim, with a sweetheart hemline.

The set brought us inside
The show, staged at the Tennis Club de Paris, featured concentric curtained corridors designed by Tom Scutt, the Tony award-winning artist working across theatre, live music and fashion, to evoke the claustrophobia of interior worlds. Guests, including Chappell Roan, Industry star Myha’la, Anna Wintour beside Kering CEO Luca de Meo and early McQueen acolyte Daphne Guinness, lined the front row. The space was brought to life by XCX’s frequent collaborator A. G. Cook, who mixed the soundtrack. As the models took their final walk, the curtains finally lifted.

Next season’s It bags are here
Autumn/winter 2026’s It bags are here. The sculptural ‘Manta’ is decorated with all-over metallic flower embroidery and shimmering crystal bag charms. The ‘Locke’ contrasts softly sculpted leather with a metal padlock. The ‘Soft Knuckle’ clutch is softened, given a slouchy, tactile update.

McGirr makes his mark
Born in Dublin in 1988, McGirr affirmed his Irishness backstage, proudly declaring himself an ‘Irish designer.’ Having graduated from Central Saint Martins, the creative director earned his stripes at Dries van Noten, Uniqlo, Burberry, and fellow Irish designer Jonathan Anderson, where he served as head of ready-to-wear. Since his arrival at McQueen, McGirr hasn’t shied away from his heritage. Thus far, nods to Celtic mythology like the Banshee and Celtic Pagan rituals have permeated his work. Last season, he collaborated with the Armagh Rhymers, an Irish folk group dedicated to preserving the heritage of Irish mumming and storytelling, who designed the maypole crown centrepiece of the set. This season marks a shift in his aesthetic, with the output feeling decidedly his own.

Photography by Catwalkpix.