Everyday couture as a remedy seemed to be the motto of the haute couture shows in Paris. While the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk by police sparked a wave of sometimes violent protests in the French capital, the fashion world’s elite indulged in the finer things in life and haute couture.
Some fashion designers seemed to depict these current events, although they could not have guessed them in the creation process. Nonetheless, isolated shows surprised with restraint and a touch of nonchalance – words rarely associated with haute couture – while elsewhere surrealism and opulence continued to take center stage.
Restrained surrealism and a touch of realism
Daniel Roseberry, the current master of surrealism, took his inspiration from the founder Elsa Schiaparelli for Schiaparelli and was inspired by artists. His collection, certainly less controversial but no less masterful than last season’s stuffed lion heads, contained traces of Yves Klein and Lucian Freud and was aptly titled “… and the artist”.
There were flowing yet exaggerated black and white coats with experimental shapes, hints of see-through corsets and dresses reminiscent of painters’ palettes, as well as sleek black looks contrasted with vibrant Yves Klein Blue and the brand’s signature gold became. Wooden arms and caterpillar silhouettes provided an unusual twist. But while surrealism reigned supreme on the Schiaparelli runway, the collection was quiet by the brand’s standards, allowing the masterful craftsmanship to be enjoyed without too many distractions.
With no frills or distractions, it was on to Dior, where creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri presented a collection that was as simple as it was delicate. Inspired by Greek and Roman muses, the designer dressed the models in delicate white silks, nymph-like dresses and minimalist tunics. Most noticeable, however, were the flats they walked the runway in – a trend that would continue throughout couture week, with sky-high heels being replaced by ballet flats and their contemporaries. It may contradict the old “high-heel index,” which says that the worse the economy, the higher the heels, but in the fall of 2023, the footwear’s practicality seemed to be paramount, even if the shoes featured huge taffeta and lace ball gowns, as was the case with Giambattista Valli.
Prêt-à-porter or haute couture?
Thom Browne added drama to his couture debut, but the show’s choreography and storytelling were far more meaningful than his signature gray suits, which were more reminiscent of his ready-to-porter collections, which themselves have always had a couture edge . Perhaps this is exactly what offended Giorgio Armani when he told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that “it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between haute couture and ready-to-wear as the former becomes more normal and the latter more sophisticated.” – Reason enough for the fashion designer to consider a return to Milan to present his Armani Privé collections in his native Italy in the coming seasons.
Armani’s words are true, as is his collection. Whether it’s because he continues to present couture in its truest sense – richly embroidered evening wear that most mortals would struggle to find a reason for – or because many designers have now redefined the meaning of the word, remains open to interpretation.
Chanel models strolled along the Seine, trading the historic halls of the usual Grand Palais venue for the cobbled streets of Paris. Designer Virginie Viard presented a collection that felt like an idealized version of French style – complete with baskets, flowers and a dog walk. Appropriately, the show was opened by the model Caroline de Maigret, who wrote the bestseller “How to be Parisian Wherever You Are” a few years ago and from then on inspired numerous women to emulate an essence. The collection consisted mostly of everyday clothes, perhaps much to Armani’s chagrin, and even Chanel’s famous bride wore a calf-length dress that stood out for its simplicity.
Casual couture and archive pieces
At Balenciaga, Demna seemed to have two minds about the current state of couture, as he created both what he described as “casual couture,” according to the New York Times, and a replica of an archival piece by Cristobal Balenciaga, which Demna used to open the show . This was worn by Danielle Slavik, a model who once worked for the original Maestro. There was black in abundance, evening wear as well as streetwear – a double denim moment and a red puffer were particularly striking – a dress reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe’s famous pink “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” ensemble. And then there were chainmail dresses and 3D printed Joan of Arc armor presented by artist Eliza Douglas.
Chain mail and armor weren’t just seen at Balenciaga, they also played a part in the guest appearance of Paco Rabanne designer Julien Dossenas, who, after Olivier Rousteing and Haider Ackermann, took the turn to design for Jean Paul Gaultier this season, after himself whose namesake withdrew from couture a few years ago. Dossena, who has been at the helm of the newly named House of Rabanne for a decade, paid homage to both Gaultier and Rabanne with a dress with a pointed bra from Gaultier’s first collection in 1984. However, he recreated it in the form of a silver chainmail dress. There were many nods to the archives: blue and white striped navy dresses, an updated naked dress – with fake pubic hair and all the trimmings – and pinstriped suits. The collection was probably the richest of the season, even though Valentino invited the fashionable guests of Couture Week to the Château de Chantilly.
In many ways, Pierpaolo Piccioli’s show for Valentino sums up the entire couture week. The designer chose to open his show with an ensemble of blue jeans, white shirt and flats. There were also earrings that could easily be mistaken for chateau chandeliers. At first glance a stark contrast to the pompous backdrop, but the trousers turned out to be trompe-l’oeil. It wasn’t denim, but silk fabric, embroidered with microbeads to resemble the workwear look, something that was also seen on the Jean Paul Gaultier runway, although Valentino’s attracted far more attention. For all its magnificence, Piccioli’s Valentino couture collection had an air of nonchalance, whether it’s the models’ attitude and their striking flat shoes, or the relaxed fit of their crystal-embroidered trousers. The collection combined both – simplicity and opulence – in what is perhaps the season’s most modern interpretation of contemporary couture. One that earned the Italian designer a standing ovation as he bowed with his atelier in tow.
Haute couture is a treat in itself, a distant dream for most and a reality for only a few – so it is perhaps not surprising that most designers chose to ignore the current reality in Paris and continue to embrace the Indulge in imagination, even if it seemed deceptively realistic for autumn 2023. While Marie Antoinette is said to have recommended the French people to eat cakes during the French Revolution, this revolution is apparently not fueled by delicate sweets, but by high tailoring in the optics of everyday clothing.