Paris (TDI): At Paris Couture Week Spring/Summer 2026, British Pakistani Designer Omar Mansoor delivered a collection that stood apart—not by shouting, but by whispering in silk.
Titled Lapis Lazuli, the collection was a refined homage to heritage, sustainability, and the enduring power of elegance.
Inspired by the prized gemstone treasured from the Indus Valley to Renaissance ateliers, Mansoor used the deep, celestial blue not just as a color, but as a central motif—imbuing each piece with a sense of quiet strength and poise.
Lapis Lazuli: A Modern Ode to Mid-Century Elegance
A Parisian Mood, Reimagined
The atmosphere was unmistakably Parisian: dusky light, subtle scent, and a soft-spoken confidence. These were gowns destined for the golden hour—tailored not for spectacle, but for the kind of soirée where conversation flows as freely as champagne.
The silhouettes paid tribute to the golden decades of couture—the 1950s and ’60s—where femininity was sculpted, not exaggerated.
Think cinched waists, A-line skirts, bateau necklines, and structured shoulders softened by fluid fabrics. Mansoor’s cuts felt like a subtle bow to Dior’s New Look and the clean-lined glamour of Givenchy-era Audrey.
Crafted to Endure
Every garment was cut from sustainable silk and hand-embroidered with lapis lazuli stones—a tactile bridge between East and West.
A tea-length gown with cap sleeves shimmered with gemstone detailing along the neckline, while a sleeveless column dress, minimalist in shape, glowed with understated grace.
“There’s a timelessness to lapis,” Mansoor remarked backstage. “That’s what I want from my clothes—to endure.”
And endure they will. This wasn’t fashion chasing the moment—it was couture made for women who own theirs. Designed to carry her from gallery openings to twilight dinners, the collection was an invitation to live beautifully, consciously, and with intent.
The New Quiet Luxury
In a week defined by theatrical excess, Lapis Lazuli was a welcome exhale. Rooted in history but utterly of the moment, the collection reminded us that elegance doesn’t have to compete for attention.
Sometimes, the most powerful thing a woman can wear is something timeless and this is exactly what Omar Mansoor’s Lapis Lazuli was all about.
From contributing to a report on sustainable fashion in 2019, Mansoor quickly became the most influential South Asian name in the fashion world.
At London Fashion Week, he took the work of Pakistani artisans on the global stage and has kept the spark of nativity alive in his fashion lines.
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