The House of Schiaparelli was revived, Karl Lagerfeld sent models down the runway in jogging sneakers at Chanel, and Versace channeled Grace Jones's iconic hoods. See highlights from 2014's Haute Couture fashion week.
Valentino's "fantastic journey," as creative directors Maria Grazia Chirui and Pierpaolo Piccioli described it, was light and airy, with nature inspiring the majority of the collection's pieces. The scene was painted with gardens of flowers and clouds, while dresses printed with jungle animals and a cape adorned with butterflies were sent down the runway. Theater and opera were the inspirations for the Valentino collection, which can be seen in the opening dress, a cream, organza gown printed with black musical notes, or the black feather looks scattered throughout the collection. "The woman is always at the center," the duo wrote in the show notes. "She is a multi-faceted and elusive figure dressed in ever-changing guises." And though the palette failed to drift from natural, neutral hues, the mix of oversized coats and pajama-style sets with silk shifts and tutu-esque dresses surely hit many nails on the head.
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The King of Burlesque once again failed to disappoint, producing a spectacle rather than a runway show. Close friend and muse Dita Von Teese stole the show in a turquoise butterfly number (which the collection was inspired by) and lace knee-high stockings, the perfect finale to a completely Burlesque-inspired collection. Voluminous sleeves and collars, sexy cuts, and elaborate headpieces dominated the collection. Keeping with the butterfly motif, gowns featured subtle wings crafted from a variety of materials, while some of the millinery-style hats were clad with the little creatures. "I was thinking about colours and fabrics and what they could be and then I kept seeing the shape (of the butterfly) and saw that it could be a body—everything was like a dress," Gaultier said. "There's a little sexiness in it, but elegant and chic and very, very couture."
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Glamorous and ethereal are two ways to describes Elie Saab's collection named "The Promise of Spring." The designer's focus was fixated on the ballgown, and rightfully so, since his front row was filled with Middle Eastern princesses. The clothing produced a romantic aura as full tulle skirts, fully-embroidered lace dresses, and midi-length cocktail dresses were shown in simple pastels or adorned with floral appliques. Show-stopping numbers included a billowing gown on Maria Borges, which ombred from black to white and was printed with pastel flowers, and the final look, a tan wedding dress featuring white flower embroidery and a veil that trailed the floor. But Saab's collection wasn't just very couture with its ballgowns. It was the ultimate in red-carpet glamour, sure to soon be making award season appearances.
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The masks are back! Maison Martin Margiela concentrated on fabrics for its haute couture collection, with a nod to interiors and craftsmanship. Clothing edges were left undone, and pieces were created from "a treasure trove of vintage fabrics," WWD writes, "almost all of which were collector’s items, mostly sourced from private estates." Margiela showed a little bit of everything: t-shirt shifts, strapless a-line dresses, and pantsuits whose blazers were replaced with bathrobe-style jackets. Every piece was decorated in some variety of vibrant pattern, whether it was textiles designed by Frank Lloyd Wright or the image of Paul Gauguin's "La Femme du Roi," which appeared on an oversized coat. It is bedazzled masks, however, that have become the house's staple. This season saw black masks decorated with silver-and-gold embroidered eyes, some layered underneath Egyptian Pharoh-inspired beaded headpieces.
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Giorgio Armani brought his "One Night Only" spectacle to Paris's Palais de Tokyo, delivering a collection that was nothing less than, well, spectacular. The nearly all navy blue collection hit all the marks from casual to couture, showing everything from pantsuits with flowing trousers to ballgowns adorned with crystals and layers of lace. "This is a woman who moves around the world and picks ideas from the beautiful things she sees, what moves her emotionally" Armani told WWD of the collection he aptly titled "Nomade." The clothing especially honored Armani's traditional aesthetic and strong background in menswear, while the accessories added a bit more flare, with models clad in gypsy-like headscarves, dangling jeweled earrings, and even low heels.
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When Hussein Chalayan was tapped to create Vionnet's demi-couture line (priced less than Haute Couture) in early January, expectations were set high for the designer to maintain Madeleine Vionnet's original aesthetic. Yet instead of revisiting the house's original idea, Chalayan brought Madeleine Vionnet's line into the 21st century with a modern take on a classic look. Gowns of organza and silk floated down the runway in soft colors: pinks, greys, and yellows; some flaunted a slight geometric pattern in black and white, while others featured subtle embellishments. The lines of the dresses were simple and flowing, with architectural sleeves present in more than half of the collection.
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Leave it to Karl Lagerfeld to connect running sneakers, fanny packs, and knee-pads with haute couture. Models danced down the revolving set at the Grand Palais to a 12-piece orchestra. The collection, dubbed "The Cambon Club," radiated the nightclub, discotheque scene with glittery ensembles—some loose and swaying like the gilded column gowns and loose trousers, while other dresses were tightened at the waist with a corset, layered underneath cropped jackets or tops. The athletic aura, however, is what had most show goers talking, as most could not imagine pairing a $10,000 dress with simple jogging sneakers. Yet Chanel's kicks were, of course, nothing regular, and were hand-crafted by the brand's couture shoemaker, Massaro. Cara Delevingne closed the show as a bride, holding hands with Lagerfeld's godson, and runway frequenter, Hudson Kroenig, who was dressed as a ring bearer, and Lagerfeld himself. Alhough the designer proclaimed, "For myself, I don't do sneakers," Chanel's joggers are really just what the fashion set has been missing.
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Giambattista Valli described the woman of his collection as one with a "spontaneous attitude." Short frocks dominated Valli's couture show, delivering a sense of youthfulness and modernity with every brightly-colored, semi-printed mini-dress that paraded down the runway. The designer focused on structure around the bodice and hips, accenting with mettalics and ivory brocade. Although Valli kept his typically formal aesthetic, the notion of a "party girl" motif was definitely in full-force, especially in the pink silk mini with red and hot pink detailing worn on Cindy Bruna, or the floral appliqué crop top-dress-combination seen on Joan Smalls.
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The scene at Dior was flirty, feminine, and a breath of fresh air, as Raf Simons delivered his latest collection for the label. "I was thinking of taking the theatrical out and taking it more into reality," Simons told WWD. "As a designer, you have a responsibility to do both—to trigger her fantasy with the show, but give her the reality as well." And that's just what he did for his fourth haute couture collection, showing soft sheaths and shapes in muted hues: white, cream, black, and navy. The emphasis on the gown also turned towards trousers and jumpsuits, although the idea of the party dress was still ever present and adorned in layers of lace, silk, and embroidery. Most notably, Dior kept things simple on the feet, showing an array of patterned watershoe-esque flats.
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Elsa Schiaparelli's legacy came back to life on Monday, when designer Marco Zanini created the first collection for the French label since 1954. Although sixty years have passed since Schiaparelli herself presented a runway show, Zanini channeled her vision and aesthetic—bright colors and fabrics—while still maintaining an element of elegance. The collection, shown at Place Vendôme, was playful and feminine, presenting everything from a blue and gold body-suit to a simple t-shirt dress. The accessories and beauty elements added the unique touch that Schiaparelli herself was known for (think her 1937 Lobster dress or her collaboration with Salvador Dali), showing quirky headpieces, an excess of ruffles and embroidery, and even a Grace Coddington-inspired hairstyle.
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Donatella Versace's collection for Atelier Versace was very Donatella with slinky cocktail attire, plunging necklines, and stick-straight hair. Lady Gaga, the latest face of the brand, arrived at the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry (the show's location), clad in a black hooded gown that nodded at some of the runway's most eclectic pieces. Vibrant purple fur, neon orange silky dresses, and hip-hugging jumpsuits paraded down the runway to Gaga's tunes--"Applause," "Born This Way," and "Donatella," the singer's musical homage to the designer. The standout piece of the Versace show, however, was the brand's use of hooded models, which channeled a 1980s Grace Jones. "She left a sign as a strong, powerful woman, a power goddess," Versace said of Jones. "I wanted to embody that."
