I am in love with this year's couture collections! There were so
many beautiful and inspirational designs on the runway, each more glamorous
than the last. Of late, couture seems to be moving towards more wearable
pieces; is this because the economic crisis is affecting couture designers to
create pieces that can be consumed by a larger audience or is street style
fashion influencing designers into creating looks that are glamorous yet convenient? Whatever may be the reason, the looks shown this year at Couture
Fashion Week won't leave any of us complaining! Here are some of my favourite
looks:
Christian Dior: The collection started off with pieces
inspired by the 18th century, moved on to utility wear and settled on a
twenties fit, with long coats and embroidered jackets, creating a line that
will be, as Raf Simons put it, “confronting what people now think is modern.”
Though largely influenced by different eras in history, the neutral colours and minimal
styling made for a fresh take on couture, one that all girls will be pining
over!
Giambattista Valli: Hollywood
glamour! That’s what this line is all about. The perfect day to night looks,
you could just imagine Hollywood starlets wearing this collection to the
Cannes. Valli left no stone unturned in terms of bringing his vision to life. He
focused on adding modernity to classic prints by focusing on fit and creating
beautiful structures that flattered the female body. What stood out the most
though were the absolutely beautiful gowns in ombre shades that concluded the
show!
Chanel: Karl Lagerfeld has
this amazing quality to be able to stay true to the classic Chanel elements,
while simultaneously also introducing a certain factor that becomes the largest
trend of the year.This year Lagerfeld added the classic Chanel tweed and
embroidery in his collection, mainly in gunmetal and white, for a line that was 18th century inspired. However, even with historical
references, the final presentation was one that was young and modern. The girls
walked down the runway with quiffs and wore shorts under their suits and coats
or A-line dresses with intricate designs. The final touch was the ribbon flip
flops that the models walked in (Trend Alert), bringing couture one step closer
to wearable fashion.
Ulyana Sergeenko: There is always a sense of romanticism
in Ulyana Sergeenko’s designs and her Couture Fall line was no less. Sticking
to metallic shades and focusing on silhouette, Ulyana presented a collecton
that celebrates femininity as a form that is both graceful and strong!
Giorgio
Armani Prive: Giorgio Armani took the most basic and bold colours, black, white
and red and managed to convert them into something feminine and minimalistic.
Each look was very wearable and has a
sense of adolescence to it, from the cape coat ruffles to the tulle dresses to,
like Chanel, the appearance of more shorts
on the runway (Trend Alert). However, even with a more girly feel, the
styling of each individual look made it evident that the collection was made
for a typical, strong, empowered, Armani woman!
Elie
Saab: If you really want to feel like a princess, you need not look any further
than an Elie Saab gown and his Fall Couture collection met up to that
reputation. Each gown was exquisitely designed in fairy tale silhouettes and romantic colours, including, like Giambattista Valli, the appearance of beautiful gowns in
ombre shades (Trend Alert). There were also some pretty sheer pieces seen. Overall,
creating a collection that was beautiful in every aspect.
Valentino:
Where Elie Saab made us feel like Disney princesses, Valentino made us feel
like Roman princesses! Barefaced girls with middle parted hair (perfect summer
beauty look) in airy dresses and gladiator sandals walked down the runway,
giving the impression of modern goddesses. While silhouettes were simple, creative
directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, focused on
the details, with leather belts, lacework and appliquéd flowers creating a
collection that can overall be described as understated chic!
Side note: I can totally imagine Game of Thrones' Khaleesi in one of these outfits!
Ralph
and Russo: Ralph and Russo took us back to the 50’s with poofy, off-the-shoulder
dresses, extensively embellished, sporting nipped waists and super feminine colours.
However, this collection is anything but coy! Even with all the feminine
elements, the women who’ll be wearing this collection are sexy and daring and
know how to own the look!
Zuhair
Murad: Another collection that brought on the sex appeal, was Zuhair Murad.
There was a lot of skin on show, with bare shoulders and thigh high slits.. These dresses were structured to show off the female body!
Source: https://www.vogue.co.uk/
