For a fashion junkie like myself, haute couture fashion week's top ready-to-wear show is any day. While yes, ready-to-wear is more realistic (barely) for a college girl, there's something so whimsical and awe-inspiring about haute couture shows around the world. This week, couture took over Paris Fashion Week.
The New York Times called couture "very expensive clothes for the very few" —which isn't wrong, but couture fashion is more than that. It's avant garde art that goes beyond just the clothes. The hair and makeup is unique and the shows sets and runways immerse the audience in a new world.
The Chanel show was, once again, one of the most talked about shows this season. Karl Lagerfeld described wanting the natural beauty of peace and nature to encase his show, so models walked down grassy steps from a wooden house to the tune of whimsical music and dogs barking in the distance. The juxtaposition between the summer scene inside and the armed guards and muzzled dogs outside of the arena led some critics to wallow in the irony of it all. The models, who us Americans will recognize as celebrity-turned-model Kendall Jenner and the Hadid sisters, walked the runway in dramatic evening gowns perfect for the upcoming Oscars and the signature Chanel quilted jacket and skirt suits with a modern double-winged eyeliner twist.
But not all the shows where as lighthearted as Chanel. Some pieces touched upon the terrorist attacks of last November in sub-texted contexts. For example, Donatella Versace worked with the theme of "the strength to overcome obstacles" with an athletic styled show while the Schiaparelli runway was donned with skirts and jackets covered in cutlery and fruit and vegetable prints; implying that a meal can turn into an act of resilience.
Other shows like Dior, Elie Saab, and Armani Prive had jaw dropping gowns for the upcoming awards season. If Oscar candidates weren't already sitting front row at the shows, they are definitely getting the dresses rush shipped to Hollywood for the fittings.
Overall the Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week awed audiences worldwide. The next stop for these pieces? The Red Carpet.
