Celine Dion kicks off Paris Fashion Week with surprise performance

Celine Dion has opened Paris Fashion Week with a surprise performance of her 2002 hit I’m Alive, underneath the city’s famous Eiffel Tower.

The Canadian star, who was diagnosed with a rare neurological disease called stiff person syndrome in 2022, took to the runway at the end of L’Oreal’s annual show.

The singer, who wore a ruched full-length velvet black gown, was later joined by famous ambassadors for the French brand, including Viola Davis, Simone Ashley, Aja Naomi King and Eva Longoria.

Dion recently performed a comeback show in the city earlier this month, her first since her 2020 concert in New Jersey – the last before the Covid pandemic cut her tour short.

Paris Fashion Week, showcasing women’s spring/summer collections, runs until October 6.

Actress Viola Davis was feeling the love from the crowd as she joined Dion under the stars in the French capital.

Kendall Jenner also modelled at the show, wearing a sheer black halterneck dress with thigh split and an ivory corset underneath.

Supermodel Cara Delavingne, meanwhile, walked the runway in a sparkling red sheer dress with train.

Pop star Rihanna brought her usual fashion credentials to Paris on day one, with a shimmering, glamorous copper two-piece worn over sheer black lingerie.

She was on the front row of the Matières Fécales fashion show – the label behind Zendaya’s angel wings dress at The Odyssey premiere in New York this summer.

Wicked star Cynthia Erivo was also in the French capital at a Tiffany and M.A.D – Musée des Arts Décoratifs – event.

Other labels showing in Paris over the next week include Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford, Schiaparelli, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Balenciaga and Loewe.

The fashion world is keeping a particularly close eye on Dior and Chanel, after both signed up new artistic directors last year.

Matthieu Blazy took over as Chanel’s creative director in early 2025, while Jonathan Anderson began the same role at Dior last summer.

This week should see the pair continue to solidify their strategies for the two brands. Expect some serious aesthetic rivalry on the runways.