‘A fresh start’: Paul Costelloe house unveils first collection since designer’s death
By Lara Owen, PA
The Paul Costelloe autumn/winter 2026 show was a turning point for the Irish fashion house, which for more than four decades was synonymous with its founder.
Presented on the first day of London Fashion Week, the collection was the first since the death of Paul Costelloe, who died aged 80 on November 21st, 2025.
Leadership of the brand has now passed to his son, William Costelloe, who has stepped into the role of creative director and said this collection was “a fresh start” for the Paul Costelloe brand.
Costelloe was perhaps best known as the personal designer to Diana Princess of Wales, dressing her for more than a decade until her death in 1997.
His designs, defined by uplifting colours, bold florals and exaggerated silhouettes, became closely associated with the Princess’s Eighties wardrobe and remain part of his enduring legacy.
For his debut collection at the helm, William Costelloe drew directly on that triumphant era.
The 44-look show revisited the Eighties accents that made his father a staple in Diana’s wardrobe: broad, sculpted shoulders; pussy-bow blouses; and sharply tailored double-breasted jackets with peplum waists.
Grey, taupe, mocha and black made up the prevailing palette, lending a refined restraint to silhouettes that carried historical resonance.
Opera gloves and exaggerated shoulders – trends also seen this season at shows such as Carolina Herrera in New York – reinforced the collection’s structured yet ostentatious sentiment.
Ballgowns, which came out for the eveningwear section, were adorned with Paul Costelloe’s trademark illustrative drawings, weaving the founder’s hand quite literally into the fabric of the new chapter.
The opening look however was the one to set the tone. A tailored jacket in Irish tweed from Magee – a fabric chosen by Paul Costelloe last autumn – featured blooming florals at the shoulder.
According to William, the detail signalled “a beginning to the Paul Costelloe brand, a fresh start, but still in keeping to my father’s amazing legacy.”
Traditional Irish textiles have long underpinned the house’s identity, and this season was no exception.
Costelloe often used traditional Irish fabrics and textiles in his designs, and the use in this collection reinforced the label’s heritage while positioning it for renewal.
“My father had an incredibly strong vision, and that clarity is something I carry with me,” William Costelloe told TheIndustry.Fashion, underscoring the emotional weight behind the collection.
Paul Costelloe’s own career was defined by international ambition.
After studying at the Grafton Academy of Fashion Design in Dublin, he trained at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris, before working in Milan for La Rinascente and later in New York for Anne Fogarty.
He launched Paul Costelloe Collections in 1979 and, four years later, was appointed personal designer to Princess Diana – a role that would cement his place in fashion history.
As William Costelloe stepped onto the runway to take his bow, he was met with a standing ovation. The gesture suggested what he set out to achieve had been accomplished: a respectful homage to a founder whose name defined the house, paired with the assurance of continuity and new ideas.
The autumn/winter 2026 show did not attempt to distance itself from Paul Costelloe’s legacy but instead leaned into it – broad shoulders, bold detailing and Irish craftsmanship intact – signalling that while the name above the door remains the same, a new generation is now shaping its future.
