This year was no different. The show, titled ‘Schiaparalien’, mused on the coming (and current) use of AI and technology in fashion, with model Maggie Maurer carrying a foam baby down the runway. The baby was embellished with Swarovski crystals and a riot of tech waste from outdated gadgets like calculators and old phones. Another model wore a dress embellished similarly, and the effect was mesmerising: that this tech we once depended on is now nothing more than adornment.
Schiaparelli model Maggie Maurer carried a foam baby embellished with Swarovski crystals and a riot of tech waste. Getty
At Dior, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri combed through the maison’s extensive archives for inspiration, settling on the ‘La Cigale’ dress from Christian Dior’s 1952 line, made with a silk known as moiré, which has a wavy, almost watery appearance. Using this, the collection appeared ethereal and dreamlike – in other words, exactly what one wants from Dior.
Dior designer Maria Grazia Chiuri with the models in her show. Getty
Couture is often surprising (though not always for good reasons), but this week was full of welcome moments. Giorgio Armani, at Armani Privé, called his show ‘Haute Couture un Jeu’, which translates to “Couture having fun”. Here, the colour palette said it all – playful pink, dreamy pastel blue, field-fresh green. It was joyous, and the gowns, which featured a spectrum of magnificent fabrics (silk, handmade lace, duchesse satin and some incredibly well-executed pleats), will be seen again soon, I’ve no doubt, on the Oscars red carpet. Margot Robbie in that tiered pink gown? I see it.
Backstage at Giorgio Armani Privé. Getty
Chanel’s couture is sometimes seen as staid, but this season showed a light and deft approach to the art form. Inspired by ballet, creative director Virginie Viard used taffeta and tulle to great effect, wrapping and draping models in a demure palette of alabaster, peachy pink and lilac. And those velvet bows the models wore in their hair? That’s going to be a huge trend.
Couture is a chance to really show off, to flex one’s sartorial muscle at (literally) any cost. Each dress is handmade, and often the fabric is too (Just imagine, for one moment, how difficult and time-consuming it must be to make lace from scratch). With this in mind, it’s a stage made for a rebrand or comeback, which is exactly how John Galliano at Maison Margiela used it.
Taffeta and tulle were big at Chanel. Getty
The designer, who was fired by Dior when he was creative director there in 2011, last week presented a show that brought to mind the very first Galliano collections for Dior in the 1990s, when he used romanticism and eroticism in tandem, creating a deeply provocative but ultimately beautiful and modern new look. Galliano may never be forgiven for his 2011 racist rant, but this collection proved his work, at least, still holds the power to shock and awe.
One designer who always surprises – in the very best way – is Pierpaolo Picciolo at Valentino. A designer who seems to truly relish the couture experience, Piccioli (like Armani) has a lot of fun with the format, experimenting and revelling in the beauty of it all.
A rainbow of colours – teal, lime, cherry, tangerine, buttercup, indigo, turquoise and even slate (which he managed to make look bright) gave the whole collection a real air of ’80s decadence and glamour. It was a feast for the senses: a feathered miniskirt, an appliqued coat, a croc-leather overcoat, a ruffled rust-coloured cape. Fantastic.
Pierpaolo Picciolo revelled in the beauty of it all at Valentino’s couture show.
Couture is often criticised for being out of touch with the real world, for creating clothes that are at odds with how most of us live. And for each collection this year, I’d agree that is true. But what many fail to understand is that is precisely the point. Clothes for everyday? Anyone can wear those. Couture? That’s seriously special.
