It’s haute couture week at Paris Fashion Week and lovers of fine things are having the times of their lives.
Couture week is always exciting because designers go beyond to showcase their creative side since they are not showcasing your everyday looks.
Not every designer came blazing with creativity. Maria Grazia Chiuri, the creative director of Dior womenswear, didn’t even try this season. She just put together simple everyday looks and called it a day. Excuse us? It’s haute couture!
We want to see drama, avant-garde and boldness, and she didn’t give us any of that, just A-line skirts and dresses.
However, the coats were stunning, with the unique bouncy collars taking centre stage.
In her defence, Chiuri said couture was unique to every individual.
“Chiuri explored the idea that couture, by its very essence, creates clothes that become unique to their wearer and extensions of their identity.
“With the first look out on the runway, the creative director of Dior women’s collections also broadened the concept to encompass the aura of the garments themselves, riffing on the identity of the classic trench coat by transposing its form and cotton twill fabric into unexpected iterations,” read a statement from Dior.
Nonetheless, we are grateful for the designers who pulled out all the stops in creating jaw-dropping pieces that got everyone talking.
Breaking the ice was the people’s favourite, Schiaparelli, who used the home ground to its advantage.
The creative director of the French label, Daniel Roseberry, wowed once again with his creativity.
One of our favourite looks from the Schiaparelli Spring/Summer 2024 is the old technology dress called “The Mother”, which shows the devices and appliances used before new-age technology.
“The whole collection is sort of a dialogue between the past and the future. Hana’s look is all in old pre-iPhone technologies, which I grew up with. It’s old-world techniques with new-world technological elements.
“We even have a fan here that cools the computer down. We have the old flip phones, the calculator, a CD and all of the microchips, the motherboards from 20 years ago,” said Roseberry.
What stands out the most from that look is that it speaks to millennials. They can relate to it because they experienced both worlds – pre and post-advanced technology – their childhood was displayed, like that in a dress, reminding them of how much the world has evolved and that they got to witness it.
The detailing on every piece, including the “crystal-covered embroidery, the surreal anatomy, the silk satin dressage spikes, the thigh-high cowboy boots bristling with buckles, the bandana with hand-painted paillettes” proved that fashion is a wearable art.
Georges Hobeika
Co-creative directors Georges and Jad Hobeika paid tribute to the Arab world in their Couture Spring 2024 collection.
With bold patterns embroidered, succulent flower detailing, and bright colours like purple, blue and pink, featuring warm tones like tan, brown and nude, the collection created a beautiful contrast in offering a look for every occasion, including high tea.
The designers outdid themselves by accessorising with unique gloves that melt into the skin for a seamless look.
“Georges Hobeika Couture Spring 2024 portrays elements of childhood nostalgia melded with the spirit of the 50s, 60s and 70s to echo the joie de vivre of the eras’ parties while a sense of streamlined modernism brings a contemporary edge to the designs,” said the designers.
Rahul Mishra
The Indian designer, known for creating high-end garments with captivating detailing, unveiled a head-turner collection titled “Superheroes”.
Mishra went bold with insect detailing embroidery, featuring animals like dragonflies, butterflies, bees and lizards. His intention was to highlight the pivotal role played by insects in our biodiversity.
“Beyond my own comfort zone, I look back once more at those who’ve been here before me. I seek to not just appreciate the beauty of the vividness of the insect kingdom but also challenge our whole conditioning/education towards how we treat insects and feel the emotions otherwise coming from a primal notion of fear,” Mishra said.
Giambattista Valli
At first, I wondered about the idea behind all those bubble dresses until I learnt that the brand’s Haute Couture N°26 is an ode to the gestures of the “work in progress”, hence the experimentation with volumes.
The bold pinks, rich reds, dramatic bows and rose petal detailing add more enhancements to the collection.
“Inspired by the West Coast’s relaxed, bright and effortless glamour, the Giambattista Valli dresses are based on the Maison’s codes. Bows are either voluminous or discreet. Flowers that you can admire through the silhouettes.
Sometimes on the chest and the sleeves, flowers are worn without moderation. Feathers are also one of the strengths of this show, a touch of poetry. Dresses with a long train, as an extension of the female silhouette,” said the brand in a statement.
Tamara Ralph
The Australian designer slayed every look as she reminded us of the most precious gift one can never get back – time.
From the tailored luxe liquid gold pants with matching jacket and roses encrusted bustier to black and gold woven sequin tweed two-piece, a black velvet gown embellished with ornate gold crystal zip and ostrich feather sleeves on selected gowns, Ralph’s creative juices were flowing like a river when she created the collection.
Haute Couture Week Paris Fashion Week ran from Jan 22 to 25. Some of the designers were not included on this list because they had not showcased their collections by the time of publication.