During Fashion Week (28 September – 6 October 2026), the Paris museums stage their own fashion season: two exhibitions open mid-week, one major retrospective has been extended, and three addresses are entirely free. The window has its traps too — starting with the one that wastes the most time.
The YSL museum on avenue Marceau has been closed for renovation since May 2025 and stays closed until autumn 2027. Do not go — there is nothing to see, and its two stand-in exhibitions (ICP in New York, Musée Matisse in Nice) both end on 28 September. No YSL alternative exists in Paris during the week.
The week starts on a Monday and ends on a Tuesday. Yet the Palais Galliera and the Musée des Arts décoratifs close on Mondays (28 September, 5 October), while La Galerie Dior and the Louvre close on Tuesdays (29 September, 6 October). On the fashion list, only the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa and the Musée Maillol open every single day of the window.
The fashion museum runs two shows: "Tisser, broder, sublimer", 350-plus works on couture craftsmanship (until 18 October), and "Un vestiaire à soi. Féminités dissidentes au 19e siècle", opening 26 September — around 500 works, including painter Rosa Bonheur's complete wardrobe. Each show costs 14 EUR; the 17 EUR combined ticket's validity window matches Fashion Week almost exactly. Late opening Friday until 9pm. Note: Galliera charges year-round, with no free first Sunday.
The MAD opens "Look! 40 ans de mode au musée" on 30 September (40 silhouettes for its fashion department's 40th anniversary), then "Rafael Pavarotti, photographe" on 2 October. Already running: "La Mode en majesté", haute couture at the Thai court (until 1 November); "Une journée au XVIIIe siècle" ends 4 October, mid-window. Tickets 15 EUR, Thursday late opening to 9pm (exhibitions only) — and free for everyone under 26, whatever your nationality.
The Gianni Versace retrospective — around 450 pieces, more than 120 silhouettes staged runway-style — has been extended to 31 October. 19.90 EUR, open daily 10:30am–6:30pm, Thursday late opening to 10pm.
The Fondation Azzedine Alaïa (18 rue de la Verrerie, 4th) shows "Azzedine Alaïa et l'Afrique" until 1 April 2027 — open daily 11am–7pm, 11 EUR (reduced 3 EUR): your Monday option. La Galerie Dior (11 rue François-Ier, 8th) runs its permanent display on the history of the house: 16 EUR, closed Tuesdays, online booking strongly advised, suitcases not allowed.
The Galerie du 19M (2 place Skanderbeg, 19th), home of Chanel's artisan ateliers, opens "Métamorphoses, les chapeaux de Maison Michel" from 23 September to 13 December — free, workshops and demonstrations included. The Institut suédois (11 rue Payenne, 3rd) shows "Tout est en ordre", contemporary art meets clothing, free with no booking until 4 October. And the street-facing windows of the Sofitel Le Faubourg (15 rue Boissy d'Anglas, 8th) display On Aura Tout Vu couture pieces — including a gown worn by Lady Gaga — visible from the pavement until 6 October.
No fashion exhibition runs at the Louvre during the window — Zurbarán opens 7 October, the day after the close. But on Friday 2 October, entry is free for everyone from 6pm (open to 9pm). And on Sunday 4 October, the first Sunday of the month, the national museums (Picasso, Cluny, Guimet…) go free — not the fashion museums. The details are in our 10 free things during the week.
Finally, the MEP has announced "Penn & Fashion", a major Irving Penn exhibition: the published opening date differs between sources (30 September or 7 October) — check the museum's site before heading over.
To plan the rest: our Fashion Week guide, getting to Paris for the week and the real sample-sale calendar.
