The Couture AW24 shows kicked off this week and if the first few days are anything to go by, then the upcoming Olympic Games are set to be a major source of inspiration for the collections. At Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri looked to Ancient Greece whilst Thom Browne reconstructed American sportswear before ending the show with a medal ceremony – in true theatrical fashion.
Here are the highlights of the Haute Couture AW24 shows…
Schiaparelli
Schiaparelli’s latest couture collection for AW24 was presented in a pitch-black room of the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, known for its ornate, gilded salons. The space was lit only by a series of chandeliers – a befitting choice for a collection titled ‘The Phoenix.’ Inspired by rebirth – an idea that was of deep fascination to Elsa Schiaparelli – Creative Director Daniel Roseberry has designed a collection where each look stands alone and evokes emotion.
The opening look consisted of a black velvet cape with Phoenix-wing shaped shoulders and embroidered with trompe l’oeil feathers. A fitting opener for what has come to be one of the most highly-anticipated and spellbinding shows of the couture season. The entire collection paid tribute to the feminine form – whether through blown-up silhouettes, sheer draped mesh, or bustiers.
‘Each gown, each bustier, each shoe, every piece of folded velvet feather, or triple organza spike, seeks to catch the eye and hold it,’ Roseberry said in the show notes. ‘This is what makes haute couture so special: it’s an expression of my vision for the maison today, one free from marketing and merchandising. But it’s also something else: a way for me to honor that relationship, one of the most intimate ones in the world – the one in which I give women the power to be reborn, again and again and again.’
Images courtesy of Schiaparelli
Dior
Couture Fashion Week is not the only major event taking place in Paris this summer. As the city gets ready to host the Olympic Games, it was inevitable that it would in turn influence this season’s collections. Maria Grazia Chiuri payed a fitting tribute to all athletes whom, from antiquity to the present day, have overcome prejudice and obstacles to ensure a level playing field in sports contests. Chiuri explores the ties between performance and clothing, questioning the construction of garments and its relationship to the body through movement.
The Olympics was explicitly referenced with garments that draped, toga-like on the body – a nod to the classical roots of the games in Ancient Greece. Stunning silk dresses were magnified by embroidery whilst the silhouettes seen throughout the collection reflect the power of couture. Jersey fabrics and tank tops were also included in the mix.
Images courtesy of Dior
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Thom Browne
Since Thom Browne’s debut haute couture collection last year, the brands couture shows have quickly become one of the most coveted. The second couture collection, presented on 24th June at Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs only furthered this notion. The imaginative runway settings and brilliant displays of creativity and craftsmanship show that couture is where Browne thrives.
The show began with male models wearing white Thom Browne skirt suits playing a game of tug-of-war. Just like Dior, the designer took inspiration from the upcoming Olympic games. Hallmarks of American sport are de- and reconstructed, layered and cut, carefully assembled and molded into organic, voluminous shapes. Tailored sportscoats, swim trunks, and pleated tennis skirt are created from white muslin in a nod to toiles, the draft versions of garments usually constructed from the fabric. The garments were cinched and corseted and adorned with beautiful embroidery and embellishment.
The final three looks were a celebration of couture, with three models dressed in gold, silver and bronze embroidered jackets. After all “couture is the Olympics of fashion” said Browne.
Images courtesy of Thom Browne
Giambattista Valli
Giambattista Valli is everything you think of when thinking of couture and this collection as always, did not disappoint. Voluminous tulle dresses in vibrant shades of pinks, yellows, and blues adorned the runway – each one looking like it stepped out of a fairy-tale.
This season Valli incorporated an Indian influence into his designs, drawing on inspiration from the floral garlands of Indian temples. From bouquet-shaped gowns, veils adorned with petals, and delicate tulle corsets – each design was exquisite and showcased the designer’s commitment to craftsmanship. As well as the abundance of florals, Indian culture was also reference through makeup, with some of the models having had their faces painted blue or lilac – reminiscent of some Hindu gods.
This collection shows what Giambattista Valli does best, create gowns that are as beautiful as they are elegant. The designs are nothing short of a fantasy that we all someday hope to wear.
Images © Daniele Oberrauch / Gorunway.com
Viktor & Rolf
Viktor & Rolf: the brand that combines high fashion with sculptures, the brand that likes to play with dimensions and sends gravity-defying gowns down the runway. For couture AW24, the designs were equally as captivating as in previous collections. Titled ‘Haute Abstraction’ this latest collection from Viktor & Rolf was created from the desire to express a certain absurdism. The designs take the brands abstract approach to silhouette to the maximum – with triangular necklines, boxy blazers, circular skirts, and spherical bodices seen throughout.
Drawing inspiration from the brands breakthrough F/W 1998 ‘Atomic Bomb’ collection, which was built around similar silhouettes, this is a collection that plays with prints and patterns from colourful polka dots to plaids to florals- sometimes all in one look. The composition is absurd, yet pop-art-esque and fun, which is something that is often missing from fashion. Couture doesn’t always have to be wearable and as Viktor & Rolf prove with this collection; fashion is art, and it’s at its best when enhancing the ordinary.
Images courtesy of Viktor & Rolf
ArdAzAei
For the brands third couture collection, founder and creative director of ArdAzAei, Bahareh Ardakani, explored string theory through the medium of couture. Titled ‘Hidden Dimensions’ and presented at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the collection comprised of 25 looks that merged science fiction with the physics of fabrication. The Hidden Dimensions is guided by a sequence of mathematically generated infinite loops that unfold as petals bursting over sculptural silhouettes, with the oscillating loom of superstrings at the foundation of the theory’s ten dimensions expressed through intricate pleating and bespoke embroidery.
“Geometry and mathematics have inspired me since the inception of ArdAzAei for their ability to reveal the rhythms of nature, and this collection is based on the curiosity of how different materials with different properties can be manipulated to create the optics of geometry in motion,” says Ardakani. The collection interprets this phenomenon with a recurring motif of degrade-printed silk organza and satin ‘petals’ which envelop the skirts, sleeves and trains of cocktail dresses and fishtailed gowns, accentuated by crystals at the edges of their folded curves. The Maison pioneered a new technique of double embroidery, where beads are embroidered on beadsto create a big bang effect of light exploding from a dress.
Images courtesy of ArdAzAei
Robert Wun
To mark the 10-year anniversary of Robert Wun, the designer revealed one of the most enchanting collections of the AW24 couture season. Reflecting on the concept of time, a search for its meaning, and the time’s effect on the ephemeral world – the designer took the audience through a cinematic experience. Starting from a journey of seasons, to an ecstasy line up of decaying flowers, with a celebration of “the end” as the finale. From the Skin, through the Flesh, to the Bones, and the Soul, a progress of stripping off, both physical and spiritual interpretations.
The collection beautifully illustrates the cycle of life through the thought-provoking concept, stunning designs, and exquisite craftsmanship. In the show notes, Wun questions his career and how long it will last. Well, if this is the designer a decade in, I already can’t wait for his creations in another 10 years.
Images courtesy of Robert Wun