The city of lights and its pompous being never downplays when it comes to hosting Couture week. Even under a snow blanket, grey skies, clouds and forbidden temperatures to any sensible human being, Paris has the knack for fashion that surpasses itself every season. Choosing the collections to feature is not easy task for anyone as in awe of fashion as we all are, but surprisingly there’s a fil rouge that runs through all of them: a world of whimsical gardens and forests.
It makes it all more magical.
For Chanel Haute Couture Karl delivered a forest of oak trees with invisible birds chirping at the Grand Palais. The collection is chic, haute, romantic and lavish with cascades of sequins, chiffon and mock embroideries. A magical fairy tale of models strutting with feathers on their eyelashes and two big trends: pointy shoulders and open toe thigh-high boots that serve as pants under skirts, tailored suits and long dresses.
Valentino. Haute Couture has to be magical, and the designer duo imagined this garden, like a waltz, where grace and exquisiteness prevail over the gardener’s hard work. French gardens are well manicured, English gardens have the rough look as if left to mother nature, alas not less curated, this collection is a sum of hundreds of hours of charming lightness: ethereal and rich. Layers of organza, rolled crepe, tulle, butterflies and flowers embroidered and hand painted, crystals and topaz beads and guipure, a delicate and lace-like couture fabric. To contrast the scenery, LA understated natural looks.
Dior Haute Couture and two words: oh Raf! The waterfall of flowers of last Couture collection was paired by its ‘very idea of spring’ when nature explodes ruthlessly impeccably reinterpreted from the Dior’s dream of the garden he would retreat to. Flowers were elaborated through the most sophisticated fabrications and embroideries by les petit mains. Pinched waist, the Bar jacket, the tulip shape dramatically accentuated were some of the brands staples that Raf reconnected to. Pants and pockets on skirts are his effort to bring reality into couture, to connect a world full of colors like the spring and his architectural and conceptual soul.
Ulyana Sergeenko. The Russian designer went west, on a trip down memory lane, featuring a giant illustrated fairy tales book for her second namesake couture collection. The models strutted on a yellow brick raggedy runway as pioneer women, donning Sergeenko’s signature nipped waist flowy skirts topped with aprons and chiffon off the shoulder blouses. Despite the overall theatrical mood, which didn’t save her from some criticism of being a newbie, the collection was feminine and showed usage of couture fabrics and equivalent techniques that granted her the Olympus next to the titans.
