 |
| Valentino Couture image via Vogue.com |
With the craziness of the fashion calendar there’s a lot of overlap and there was a lot going on both on and off the runway at this past Haute Couture week. Here’s the rundown:
We Reached Peak Nostalgia with Vetements
Vetements presented their women’s and men’s ready-to-wear collection during couture week. The label sent hip high boots, slouchy, oversized silhouettes and velour Juicy Couture tracksuits down the runway. Yes, Juicy Couture velour tracksuits are happening, again. So Vetements brought Juicy Couture, a dad hat and a Canadian tuxedo to Couture week. We were also fortunate enough to have Celine Dion attend couture fashion week where she donned an oversized Vetements Titanic sweatshirt and it’s way more than we deserved.
Maria Grazia Chiuri is out at Valentino and in at Dior
Maria Grazia Chiuru took her last bow as Valentino creative director this past couture week. It was a beautiful and fitting final show. The couture collection played off Elizabethan silhouettes sending over sixty Shakespearean looks down the runway. It was only right for Valentino to stage a tribute to Shakespearean heroines, especially since Chiuri has recently been appointed the first female creative director at Christian Dior. While the interim creative directors Meir and Ruffieux have been holding it down since Raf’s departure, it will be exciting to see what the former Valentino designer brings to Dior.
Miu Miu’s Cruise Rave and The Fashion Week Calendar
Continuing the trend of flashy Cruise shows (think destination cruise shows like Chanel and Louis Vuitton), Miu Miu hosted their 2017 collection as 90s themed rave during couture week. The collection featured metallic fabrics, bucket hats and of course the 90s staple, platform shoes. With all the overlap of the busy fashion calendar there’s been a major shift in show schedules and presentations. Some labels, like Givenchy, have opted for ease presenting two collections at once. Givenchy presented their couture show earlier on with the menswear show (as they often do) and offered a presentation and look book rather than a full on show this couture week. The concept of fashion show and the fashion calendar are definitely undergoing some major changes and it seems like we’re going to have more interesting shows in the future.
And Yes, There was Couture Too…
Let's not forget the true meaning of couture week the painstakingly assembled high fashion garments. There were elegant and regal couture queens with feathers, fringe and gold at Guo Pei and "couture commandos" at Alexandre Vauthier. Fendi took over the Trevi fountain and models appeared to be walking on water as the house celebrated Lagerfeld's fifty years at the helm. There were also some unexpected moments, Versace presented a subtle yet still sexy collection featuring lots of draping and pastel tones. Viktor and Rolf featured plenty of ruffles and layers and underneath it all, denim. Perhaps this is a sign of things to come? We've seen plenty of non-couture things on the runway, including sneakers at Chanel and Dior a few seasons ago. But with everyone constantly questioning whether or not couture is still relevant, perhaps changes like including denim or showing RTW during the week are a way to make sure it is.