PARIS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 16, 2026--
As fashion elite gathered in Paris, France to close out a month of exclusive fashion shows, the most talked about runway of the season was surprisingly happening nearly 5,000 miles away… in Paris... Texas. Guests were shocked to find no velvet ropes, no seating chart and no “if you have to ask” price tags. The show did, however, have an Eiffel Tower, stunning fashion, and a new standard for VIP access. It was The Other Paris Runway, and it was all unapologetically JCPenney. Yes, JCPenney.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260316680596/en/
The Front Row Was Everyone
The setting: an open-air field at sunset.
The guest list: local residents. No assigned seats, no hierarchy, no front-rowers angling for camera time.
When the models emerged, they weren’t flown in from Milan but many were Parisian - locals from Paris, Texas strutted the runway styled head-to-toe in JCPenney as familiar faces cheered them on.
The crowd did double-takes at the fashion-forward looks.
The Fashion? Wear It Now
Unlike the shows happening in Paris, France where what you see won't hit stores until fall, in a few sizes, if you are lucky to get on a waitlist for items that would make your wallet run for the hills, every look on The Other Paris Runway is available NOW. Not in six months. Not several seasons later. Now.
Behind each model, the actual price of the outfit was displayed. Can you imagine!? The price. Yes, the price!
The collective gasp wasn’t about extravagance. It was about value. In fact, the entire show – every look combined – cost less than a single haute couture gown shown on other runways. The only sticker shock was that these looks were so high on style, yet so low in price.
Every Body, Every Budget
JCPenney's Spring 2026 presentation was a fashion spectacle outside the norm, bringing together shockingly affordable fashion, made for everyone and spotlighting the power of JCPenney exclusive brands delivering on-trend, quality and confidence-boosting style for every moment of real life.
Signature private brands like Worthington, a.n.a, and J. Ferrar anchored the assortment with effortless polish and everyday versatility, from tailored workwear and elevated separates to relaxed lifestyle staples made for life on the move. Feminine silhouettes from Belle Vie introduced dresses that make brunch feel cinematic, while St. John’s Bay and Arizona delivered easygoing essentials with timeless appeal.
Runway looks also featured the ASHLEY GRAHAM for JCPenney collection, designed specifically for curvy figures and created to celebrate all shapes and sizes – because real fashion isn’t one size fits all as well as pieces from RM by Rebecca Minkoff showing designer driven style without the luxury markup including handbags and shoes.
Even the hair and makeup was courtesy of JCPenney Salon and Beauty’s expert artists, featuring partners like Shades by Shan and TOUS, proof that runway worthy glamour doesn't require a passport.
All Access
After the finale walk, there wasn’t an exclusive industry-only afterparty. In Paris, Texas with JCPenney, after our show, everyone got a backstage pass. Models, families, friends, guests. DJ spinning. Photo moments. Beauty touch-ups. Gourmet bites from local restaurants and bakeries. Hands-on time with the fashion. The VIP experience isn't reserved; it should be universal.
The Statement of the Season
"At JCPenney, we see things differently," said Marisa Thalberg, Executive Vice President, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Catalyst Brands. "You don't have to be in the front row, wait seasons before a look makes its way to market, or choose between style and affordability. The Other Paris Runway proves that anyone can be a fashion VIP, and that head-turning fashion can be fun, wearable and affordable at Yes, JCPenney."
The runway moment flows directly into JCPenney’s new spring campaign, declaring: “ Exactly What You Are (and Aren’t) Looking For ” Because the real thrill of fashion isn’t just finding the dress you came in for. It’s discovering everything else you can get with it, all while beating your original budget vs. breaking it. The kind of finds that make you check your receipt twice — not in fear, but in disbelief.
About JCPenney
JCPenney, part of Catalyst Brands, is the shopping destination for America’s diverse, working families. With inclusivity at its core, the Company’s product assortment meets customers’ everyday needs and helps them commemorate every special occasion with style, quality and value. JCPenney offers a broad portfolio of fashion, apparel, home, beauty and jewelry from national and private brands and provides personal services including salon, portrait and optical. The Company and its 50,000 associates worldwide serve customers where, when and how they want to shop – from jcp.com to more than 650 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
In 2022, JCPenney celebrated 120 years as an iconic American brand by continuing its legacy of connecting with customers through shopping and community engagement. Please visit JCPenney’s Newsroom to learn more and follow JCPenney on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
JCPenney's Spring 2026 presentation was a fashion spectacle outside the norm, bringing together shockingly affordable fashion, made for everyone and spotlighting the power of JCPenney exclusive brands.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chaotic weather coast to coast in the U.S. — from unusual heat in California to damaging winds around Washington, D.C. — put over 100 million people in the path of extreme conditions on Monday.
Storms across the nation's eastern half forced airlines to cancel more than 3,000 flights nationwide Monday, and many schools closed early in the mid-Atlantic states where high winds and tornadoes were in the forecast.
Blizzards buried parts of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota while torrential rains flooded homes and washed out roads in Hawaii.
In Washington, the House of Representatives postponed votes because of difficulty traveling with inclement weather.
Airport delays and cancellations piled up Monday in some of the nation’s largest airports — including those in New York, Chicago and Atlanta.
“This is what happens in March and April,” said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “It’s a clash in the air masses. Winter, not wanting to let go from the North, and then obviously the sun’s getting a little stronger, it’s warming up in the South.”
The storm system that dropped snow by the foot in the Midwest is barreling toward the East Coast with dangerously high winds and potential for “producing strong and long track tornadoes,” the weather service warned Monday.
“Today, it’s the wind that’s really the threat,” said Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini.
A stretch from parts of South Carolina to Maryland appeared most likely to experience the greatest damaging winds Monday afternoon, the weather service said. That could include Raleigh, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; and the nation’s capital.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein urged residents to enable emergency alerts on their phones ahead of expected wind gusts topping 70 mph (112 kph).
Beyond the threat to lives and property, “whether it’s wind gusts from a squall line, blizzard or snow, or just wind because of the storm, you’re looking at several major airports being impacted,“ said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tyler Roys.
Blizzard conditions persisted Monday in parts of Wisconsin and Michigan, where the storm brought as much as 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow by morning.
Another round of snow and gusty winds on Monday could come close to doubling those totals in upper Michigan.
Jim Allen, 45, who lives in the Upper Peninsula, said his family stocked up on necessities. “We’re basically prepared to just kind of hunker down for a few days if we need to,” he said.
The thousands of flights canceled nationwide Monday included more than 400 in and out of Chicago O’Hare International and another 300 at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight disruptions.
Kelly Price, who was trying to get home to Colorado after a family vacation in Orlando, Florida, said their Sunday night flight wasn’t canceled until the early Monday morning.
“By that time the only place for us to sleep was the airport floor. So we’re all tired and frustrated,” she said, adding that the soonest flight they could book doesn’t leave until Tuesday afternoon.
A heat dome over the Southwest will push temperatures well into the triple digits in Arizona most of the week, much earlier than the region usually sees.
Much of California is starting to feel like summer too. The San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento will see temperatures pushing toward 90 F (32 C) by midweek.
Unrelenting rains triggered landslides and flooded homes and farmland in Hawaii over the weekend.
Some areas of Maui received more than 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said in a social media post.
Resident and real estate broker Jesse Wald, who recorded video of a coastal road’s collapse, said parts of the road were flooded by mud and sediment.
“In the 20 years I’ve been here I’ve never seen this much rain,” he said.
Forecasters said the East Coast storms were expected leave sharply colder weather in its wake.
By Tuesday morning, wind chills below freezing were expected to reach the Gulf Coast and the Florida Panhandle with warnings in effect across the Southeast and in part of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas, forecasters warned.
To the north, rain was expected to change over to snow behind the cold front with heavy snow possible in the central Appalachians of West Virginia.
__
Brumfield reported from Cockeysville, Maryland, and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; Julie Walker in New York; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Gary Fields in Washington; and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed.
A man shovels snow after a snowstorm Monday, March 16, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Snow is plowed after a snowstorm Monday, March 16, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Victor Alomoto who is from Ecuador cleared the sidewalk for the River Valley Church in the North Loop Pedestrians during the snow storm in Minneapolis, Minn., on Sunday, March 15, 2026.(Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP)
Ogo Akpati and his son Brycson Akpati, 3, braved the strong winds and had fun sliding down a hill in Central Park Sunday, March 15,2026 in Brooklyn Park, MN. (Jerry Holt/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP)
Fans walk through snowy streets before an NHL hockey game between the Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in St. Paul. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
People drive on a snow-covered freeway during a snow storm Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP)
Workers clear snow off the ground Sunday, March 15, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
