PARIS – Elie Saab whisked his guests away for a Paris Fashion Week couture show in Thailand on Wednesday, which glittered with gold and intricate silk embroidery.
Sheer, sheer fabric floated down the catwalk in Le Marais’ Carreau du Temple surrounded by perfume as ‘Emily in Paris’ star Paul Forman and socialite Olivia Palermo posed for the cameras.
Haute couture is a tradition of craftsmanship invented by English designer Charles Frederick Worth in the 1870s. It involves intricate, time-consuming sewing, the use of unusual fabrics, and luxurious embellishments like rare feathers and beads made from semi-precious stones—all at an exorbitant price.
Here are some highlights from Wednesday’s spring-summer 2023 shows:
SAAB EMBROIDERY
Elie Saab called it “an indulgent escape from the ordinary.”
Amid the dreary Parisian weather, dazzling lights illuminated long kites adorning asymmetrical bodices or in waves on ivory peplums. Embroidered motifs of sacred koi fish seemed to float on mermaid tails and scalloped overskirts, while 3D guipure lace captured oriental blossoms on shimmering gold gowns.
This season, the Lebanese designer used the Thai kingdom as a springboard for a highly embellished yet delicate couture collection.
The show, titled “A Golden Dawn,” had royal ambitions and was executed with panache.
The loveliest dresses were sometimes deceptively simple, where the sumptuous material – like a blue satin sash that rippled asymmetrically over the shoulder – could speak for itself.
THE ART OF THE INVITATION
The age of e-mail and increasing environmental awareness have hardly left any traces on the fashion industry’s antiquated invitation system.
Season after season, fuel-guzzling couriers criss-cross Paris to personally deliver elaborate, often hand-crafted show invitations.
Top houses vie for the craziest or most imaginative idea, which often offers a clue to the theme of the runway collection.
Schiaparellis was a huge, heavy gold brooch with a face in relief – before a couture show that sparked controversy for showing a fake lion’s head.
Dior’s was a beautifully wrapped white box with a note from Dior Perfume Director Francis Kurkdjian and small, perfumed bottles.
Then Valentino’s was like an invitation to a disco or a concert, on a plain black card with the details of the show in the font favored by club organizers. The name of the show? “Le Club Couture”.
YUIMA NAKAZATO
After a trip to Kenya in October 2022, Yuima Nakazato was shocked by what local people told him about waste and environmental degradation.
This season’s co-ed couture became a manifesto against a desolate African future. The Japanese designer staged a powerful underground show amid smoke and hazy lights as if to herald the end of the world.
A loose black one-shoulder dress – over baggy trousers – fused Asian with African styles with an ornate belt closure resembling a talismanic eye.
Adorned with bone or thorn jewelry, it looks minimalist like a slanting-shouldered column ensemble. It has been paired with black thigh high waders in a Rick Owens style for a fashion forward vibe.
VIKTOR & ROLF TURN COUTURE upside down
The inimitable Dutch design duo put on a whimsical and surprising show of dresses that attempted to literally turn couture on its head.
The collection launched regularly enough apart from the punky colored mini beehive hairstyles. A strapless bodice dress shot into a voluminous, full skirt of light-colored tulle fit for a bridesmaid. Later, a sculptural, hourglass-shaped bodice transitioned into a segmented skirt that swept the floor.
But then came the surreal fun.
Half of the audience prompted to reach for their cameras and a model appeared wearing a full dress pinned at her front over another look. The dress was placed at a 2 o’clock angle with a cloud colored tulle skirt that flares out theatrically to the left.
Another yellow tulle dress was then pulled up in a trompe l’oeil effect. The bustier’s two exaggerated bust reliefs sat less than an inch from the model’s chin.
The most surreal of all was a purple dress with the waist twisted vertically. It was oddly inventive – if a little cruel – with a black hole appearing around the waist.
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