The fashion schedule takes no prisoners, with an unrelenting stream of style coming left and right for fans and industry insiders alike to enjoy. Twice a year, couture week slows down just a little so that the best craftsmanship in the fashion industry can be fully appreciated. This season, we saw more glitz and extravagance from well-known designers like Schiaparelli and Valentino, as well as the debut of Indian OG designer Gaurav Gupta's couture display in Paris.
From Schiaparelli’s fake animal headdress that got viral on social media to Viktor & Rolf's topsy-turvy couture gowns and Rahul Mishra’s vast realities of the cosmos, here are the highlights that defined Paris Haute Couture Week this season.
Schiaparelli
Schiaparelli's creative director Daniel Roseberry began the showcase with a stunning display of the brand's surrealistic designs. Naomi Campbell arrived wearing a fake wolf taxidermy. The lifelike designs weren't only for the catwalks; Kylie Jenner wore a very lifelike lion's head when she arrived for the show at the Petit Palais.
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She wasn't the only audience member to turn heads with her outfit. Doja Cat arrived for the show covered in a reported 30,000 crystals and painted red.
Iris Van Herpen
Iris Van Herpen is no stranger to otherworldly and innovative designs, though her latest might be her most moving yet. The Spring 2023 haute couture collection, entitled "Carte Blanche," was presented as a short film, with the brand citing "womanly courage and persistence" as its inspiration. The models donned a range of corseted outfits in vibrant hues including red, blue, and purple that were adorned with the brand's distinctive fluid-like boning.
Rahul Mishra
His latest couture line, Cosmos, which means "what surrounds us, lies within us," is centered on depicting huge realities with a dash of magic. Rahul Mishra, an Indian fashion designer, sought to investigate the relationship between people and the environment by giving his meticulous embroidery an air touch. Gleaming gold outfits quickly evolved into enormous eagle wings, coral reefs, sequined pants, 3D decorations, lengthy skirts, and faultless headgear, among other intricate details.
Giambattista Valli
Giambattista Valli's couture presentation was wowed with ultra-voluminous gowns, liquid metallics, and lovely, vibrant pastels, as he is always one to celebrate decadence. Old Hollywood reigned supreme with gowns destined for the red carpet. The Giambattista Valli brand is boldly feminine, eternally youthful, and proudly exquisite. Sparkles, feathers, and flowers come together for the ideal formula.
Viktor and Rolf
With their "upside-down" masterpieces, Viktor & Rolf presented us with one of the most remarkable experiences in Paris. Dresses that were positioned almost in every direction, from horizontal to diagonal, were worn by models as they strolled down the runway. Their white corset undergarments were on display. One model wore the entire garment backward, with the hem covering her face. She had a low-cut neckline. Another model wore her dress horizontally, attached at the hip.
Doja Cat once again drew attention with a new look. She attended Viktor & Rolf’s show wearing a mustache, goatee, and brows made from faux eyelashes.
Valentino
Inside a location that had the vibe of an underground club, Valentino debuted their Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2023 collection. Anne Hathaway, Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Sam Smith, Doja Cat, Charli XCX, celebrity stylist Law Roach, and several more A-listers were seated front row. The creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli demonstrated a contrast between a highly organized universe and a let-loose realm through the use of enormous shapes, ones that were fitted and slim, and everything in between.
The incident that also caught everyone’s attention on the runway was when the iconic supermodel Kristen McMenamy tripped on the runway while wearing Valentino heels.
Gaurav Gupta
In line with Paris Haute Couture Week, Indian fashion designer Gaurav Gupta debuted his label's first exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo on January 26. Gupta said that he explored “sculptural draping forms in indigo electric blue in satins, chiffons, organzas.” One of the dress in his collection had abstract entangled wires as embroideries and, as per the designer, is “garbage like.” A “snake dress” and a gold-and-black inspired by ancient Egyptian civilisation were also part of the collection.
All the designers really outdid themselves by presenting high-end fashion games like no other! By presenting creative ensembles on the runway, Haute Couture Week came to an end on 26th January 2023.
(Source - Instagram)
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