Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris brings on the drama

Designers often pull out all the stops when it comes to couture. More prints, more embroidery and more tulle – or rather, in the general sense of it all, more drama.

The recent Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris illustrated just that. The big names of the industry went all out to make sure that fashion’s return to normalcy is nothing less than an exciting extravaganza.

There were chic and elegant looks, in addition to avant-garde creations. Not mentioning, the peculiar pieces that turned heads.

Well, you don’t call it a “show” for nothing.

According to Cambridge Dictionary, couture is “the designing, making, and selling of expensive fashionable clothing, or the clothes themselves”.

In France, the term “haute couture”, meaning “high dressmaking”, is even protected by law and is defined by the Chambre De commerce Et D’industrie De Paris.

So, haute couture is not something to be taken lightly.

Haute Couture Fashion Week is a big deal in the style circles, with the shows regarded as the highlight of the fashion calendar. Last week’s Autumn/Winter 2022 showings proved the reverence is warranted.

The runways embodied unequalled artistry. From Elie Saab and Jean Paul Gaultier, to Dior, Chanel and more, it was a grand occasion indeed.

Go big or go home

Elie Saab had a surprise for his fans this time around. Along with his designs for women, he created a few for flamboyant men.

Couture for men is still considered to be extremely novel.

Last year, more fashion houses began introducing couture menswear – something, that in the past, was almost non-existent. Guys had their bespoke suits to consider, if they wanted made-to measure dressing options.

“I’ve been receiving requests to dress men for quite some time,” Saab told Vogue backstage at his recent show. “They want to show off, to be visible, to get the attention.”

His men looked resplendent. There was a tuxedo look paired with a flowing cape of feathers arranged to make a pattern. A single-breasted suit in gold clothed another model, more regal than it was ostentatious.

That said, the women’s designs were all sorts of fantastic. Some were see-through, while others captured attention by being overtly sculptural. Sequins, tassles, beaded fringes and organza petals made them unforgettable.

Olivier Rousteing of Balmain presented a couture collection for the house of Jean-Paul Gaultier. He included designs for men, as well.

The show opened with menswear, inspired by the Jean-Paul Gaultier “tattoo collection” of 1994 fame.

Gaultier himself has included menswear for his couture collections in the past, but Rousteing as a “guest designer” proved to be a talking point.

Rousteing presented iterations of Gaultier’s conical bra shape, which was made famous by Madonna. He also used shiny fabrics to recreate a likeness of the designer’s famous Le Male and Classique perfume bottles.

Star power

In the Balenciaga show, there was also a surprise. Actress Nicole Kidman and reality star Kim Kardashian appeared on the runway.

Kardashian wore an all-black dress, while Kidman was in a shiny tinfoil-like design.

Kidman seemed to really enjoy her fashion adventure. She posted up several pictures and videos on Instagram, showing her interacting with other models – of which included legendary supermodel Naomi Campbell.

Kidman’s husband, country singer Keith Urban, was later seen sitting in the front row while she strutted her stuff.

As for Kardashian, she was also seen at the Jean-Paul Gaultier show, but as a guest.

Her appearance sent tongues wagging for two reasons. The first being the dress she wore gave the illusion that she was almost topless. Her daughter accompanying her was the second cause for excitement.

North West was seen in white shirt and pinstripe waistcoat, which she paired with a skirt and knee-high combat boots.

Both of them wore matching nose chains, sending social media users into a frenzy. It also proved that the nine-year-old is on her way to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a fashion icon.

In all forms

Over at the Alexis Mabille show, dancer Dita Von Teese was seen in the front row. She cut a glamorous figure, wearing a white embroidered top with a high collar and sheer detail.

As for Mabille, he presented a varied collection – ranging from wonderful to quirky. There were beautifully draped gowns and silky dresses. These underscored the soft, elegant side of couture.

Then, as if to shock, a model wearing a flower headdress made of shimmering petals walked out. It gave meaning to the idea of how fashion is supposed to challenge conventions.

Other well-known names like Dior and Chanel also turned heads.

Dior’s creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, worked with Ukrainian artist Olesia Trofymenko to come up with a concept for the show.

An element of Ukrainian folklore, the “tree of life”, was used as an emblematic theme.

Trofymenko designed the mesmerising set, which symbolised a dialogue of the art and crafts through the prism of couture.

“Thanks to refined gestures of the hand, the “tree of life” is thus transformed into a manifesto for harmonious plurality, allowing a restoration of balance, if only momentarily,” the show notes stated.

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It was one of the more subtle couture presentations, but in the “quiet”, there existed a sense of boldness too.

Celebrities like Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, Naomi Watts and Elle Macpherson were seen in attendance.

At the Dior runway presentation, Keira Knightley and Marion Cotillard turned up. Park Soo-joo was also spotted among the star-studded guests.

When it comes to the clothes, Chanel’s artistic director, Virginie Viard, went the pragmatic route.

Set against a graphic backdrop and hanging inflatable sculptures from French artist Xavier Veilhan, models walked the runway wearing easy-breezy designs.

It was as if to make up for the heatwave that Paris is going through right now. While the looks screamed ease and comfort, a closer scrutiny showed elaborate embellishments that define couture.

The Chanel designs embodied a tasteful grace, while at the same time celebrated proud sensuality.

They represented couture in all its dramatic glory: effortless, pure and irrefutably beautiful.Read more at:pink formal dress | emerald green formal dress