Paris, the French capital, hosted Paris Fashion Week. Amidst unusual heat and front-row celebrities, it also impressed us with major debuts. From tributes to secret archives to abundant floral motifs and voluminous silhouettes – it was magnificent. Vogue.ua shares the most striking looks from Paris Fashion Week.
Flexible Silicone Bodysuit from Schiaparelli
While working on the collection, Schiaparelli’s designer Daniel Roseberry sought a material resembling human skin. However, near Paris, he discovered a studio specializing in silicone, creating prosthetic bodies for the film industry. This sparked the idea for pieces that mimic skin and the human silhouette. The collection featured tops, jackets, and bustiers resembling silk fabric. The finale was a white silicone bodysuit shaped like a female torso, complemented by a fringe skirt made of sequins and silver heels – a true ode to Elsa Schiaparelli’s surrealist motifs. Hours after the show, Zendaya was seen in this very dress at the London premiere of “Challengers”.
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Schiaparelli
Wrap Jacket with Deep Slit from Dior
Christian Dior’s Creative Director, Jonathan Anderson, presented a couture narrative inspired by flora and contemporary art, combined with intricate materials. The Irish designer reinterprets the iconic New Look silhouette, moving away from rigid lines towards more voluminous forms and fabric draping. A standout look from the collection was a green jacket with floral embossing, fastened at the front with a wrap closure. Featuring a visually cinched waist and a flared skirt, the silhouette appeared elongated and elegant. Fringe, a trend for several seasons, completed the striking ensemble.
Christian DIor
Costume Jewelry from Chanel
Coco Chanel introduced costume jewelry to Paris following her Hollywood trips in the 1930s, where she journeyed across the ocean to design costumes during the golden age of American cinema. Since then, costume jewelry and chunky faux pearl adornments have become signature elements of the House. In the new haute couture collection, Creative Director Virginie Viard reinterprets iconic costume jewelry: it adorns the collar of a classic tweed jacket and serves as a waist belt. There’s an abundance of it.
Chanel
Emerald Green Gown from Armani Privé
For Silvana, Giorgio Armani’s niece, this couture collection marked her debut. As she shared with the Italian press after the show, her primary objective was to continue Armani’s legacy. The new collection remained true to the House’s tenets: elegance in every piece. While trousers, which Silvana Armani herself prefers over skirts, were a key element, the signature evening gowns were, as always, opulent. Of particular note is the emerald green gown with a sequined bra – the silhouette flows from the center downwards, creating a voluminous yet recognizable outline for red carpets.
Armani Privé
Gown with Thousands of Colorful Sequins from Balenciaga
In nearly 20 years of working with brands possessing couture ateliers, Pierpaolo Piccioli has repeatedly proven his mastery of highly artisanal techniques. For his debut Balenciaga collection, he crafted a narrative that reinterprets Cristóbal Balenciaga’s own archives. It reflects the signature style inspired by Spanish baroque and the free silhouettes of the 1960s. Among the vibrant and detailed creations, a maxi dress with a shorter front hem and a long train stands out. Its focal point is thousands of hand-sewn colorful sequins resembling feathers. From afar, the dress appears voluminous and theatrical, but upon closer inspection, the sequins paradoxically lend it a sense of lightness.
Balenciaga
Whimsical Spheres by Robert Wun
Taiwanese designer Robert Wun transcends traditional fashion shows, creating theatrical presentations that might seem fantastical in an era of more commercial and visually appealing events. In his latest collection, he delves into his childhood, collaborating with Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. Wun strives to portray animated fairy tales that speak of humanity, fear, violence, and faith. He embodies the fragility and delicacy of our present in a look where several exaggerated spheres emerge from the model’s torso. They are an homage to childhood dreams that can easily burst in the adult world. The allegory of our existence through the prism of fashion is what Robert Wun conveys in his collection.
Robert Wun
Dress with Skirt from Jean Paul Gaultier
In his debut collection for Jean Paul Gaultier, Dutchman Duran Lantink aimed to master the time-honored French Haute Couture techniques. This time, he drew inspiration from pre-revolutionary France through a futuristic lens. The protagonists of this spectacle were Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette, and their residence – the majestic Versailles. Amidst the designer’s characteristic exaggerated pieces and accessories, there are also homages to Jean Paul Gaultier’s own archive, who applauded and smiled sincerely at the end of the show, sitting in the front row next to Catherine Deneuve. A notable piece is the ivory dress, executed in layers, with a shortened front hem, the fabric resembling the pastry layers of a French mille-feuille. The voluminous yet delicate corseted bottom of the dress was complemented by a fitted top and silver earrings resembling the tassels of Versailles draperies.
Jean Paul Gaultier
Art Deco Tunic with Deep Cut-out from Fendi
This time, Paris Fashion Week concluded not in Paris, but in Rome: it was here that Maria Grazia Chiuri debuted her couture for Fendi. Approximately a year ago, she presented her final collection for Christian Dior in Rome, and now she continues her creative work in her hometown for a new employer, with whom Chiuri once began her career. After the show, the designer shared that her main task was to activate the work of all Fendi ateliers: from accessories to the fur atelier. Despite a rather concise selection of pieces, several looks exuded vibrancy – among them, an ivory tunic in the Art Deco style with silver fringe and cut-outs, which, when in motion, transport us to the jazz age.
Fendi
Text: Vova Motrychuk