One of fashion’s heavily debated queries at present — is couture wasteful? Is it a blatant display of excess? Does anyone even buy it? Every six months, when the spectacle of couture week rolls, yet again, back around, the conversation enjoys a restart by industry insiders and outsiders alike. At his first haute couture show, a journalist for SHOWstudio tweeted, “I can’t shake the feeling of sheer disgust at the display of wealth around me,” while other contributing editors and influencers at other publications protested in favor of fashion’s most magical bi-annual event of the year.
This season was met with particular strife due to the anti-police protests that rocked Paris just a few days before the week kicked off, following the unjust and fatal police shooting of 17 year old, Nahel Merzouk, at a traffic stop. Celine, which held one of the last slots on the Spring/Summer 2024 menswear show calendar before the attention turned to couture, canceled their show in deference to the city’s current turmoil. In the end, most shows went on.
However, this extreme juxtaposition is not the first time fashion has continued in the face of political and humanitarian crises. Notably, now over a year ago, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine coincided with the first days of Paris Fashion Week in March 2022, prompting Balenciaga’s creative director Demna to dedicate the brand’s Fall/Winter 2022 show to the ongoing war, shedding light on his shared experience as a former Soviet refugee. As the designer argued emotionally in the collection’s show notes, the presentation, and consequently many employee’s livelihoods, must go on, but he would be remiss to not lend a hand of awareness to the conflict that exists outside the ticketed catwalk’s halls.
Like in February 2022, fashion week continued to muster on. Despite renewed criticisms and growing unrest in the city, this season’s collections allowed fashion fans and editors alike to take a moment of reprieve and witness a timelessly beautiful craft.
Ahead, see some of the season’s biggest shows.
Flower crowns and vintage Tumblr girls make a comeback in Jean Paul
Gaultier x Paco Rabanne’s anticipated collaboration
Always a master, Jean Paul Gaultier’s collaboration couture shows have become one of the hottest tickets each season. Since the designer’s “final” couture show of his own in February 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, the brand has adopted a model that champions partnering alongside other industry moguls such as Balmain’s Olivier Rouseting, Glenn Martens, and Haider Ackermann. Last season’s Ackermann collaboration was highly anticipated, and didn’t fail to disappoint the thousands of watching eyes who tuned in to its livestream to glimpse a peek at their combined craftsmanship. This season, Gaultier’s union with Paco Rabanne’s Julien Dossena, was no exception. The jam-packed front row was filled with industry darlings and die hard fashion fans such as bustier designer Michaela Stark, and the mysterious couture client who snagged the dusty rose halter dress (or look number 23) from last season’s collection. This season was laden with reimagined references from both designer’s archives, one look referencing an iconic 2002 Gaultier Necktie dress. Though the collection was undoubtedly less showy than previous collaborations, the inclusion of abundant lace and decorative flowers managed to present a softer side of each designer, both of whom have traditionally been known for their cool-cut takes on futurism. The romance was unexpected and yet, while some pieces remained at fault of being over stylized, the aura of the designs were refreshing.
Maria Grazia Chiuri does what she does best at Dior — the neoclassical and the feminine divine
On the quieter side of couture this week, Maria Grazia Chiuri unveiled a 66 look collection of strong, mature, and feminine white gowns for Dior that reminded audiences just exactly what Dior couture is made of. The brand’s ready-to-wear shows seem to remain the audience’s main point of interest, often drawing major celebrities and brand ambassadors to the front row. The couture show, on the other hand, remains Dior’s more modest and steadfast tradition, often honoring the core tenants of the house’s history while its ready-to-wear and accessories sectors continue to modernize. The collection, which included gowns and separates, made a strong stance for minimalist quality that appeals to the loyal couture client. Often misunderstood in comparison to the showiness and celebrity quality of other ateliers during the week, Chiuri continues to design for her consumer rather than the masses. Though the collection’s understated suits and gowns might not appear on a red carpet or blockbuster press tour any time soon, Chiuri understands her clients aesthetic desires when investing in something so time-honored as couture.
With nary a Kardashian in sight at Balenciaga, can Demna hold up his designs to the critical, un-pop-cultured eye?
For the first time since the teddy bear scandal and Ye controversy, Balenciaga has seemingly stepped up to deliver what it has promised — a dramatic shift away from gimmick, and instead towards a masterclass in craftsmanship. In comparison to the previous ready-to-wear season, couture provides the ideal stage to do so. Even looking back on previous couture collections, in which celebrity brand ambassadors such as Christine Quinn and Kim Kardashian walked the runway, the entire show appeared less star-studded and hyped than before. Still showing in Balenciaga’s preserved, original couture atelier, and shooting the looks in the traditional style, this season’s collection still had the full support and attendance of the likes of Suzy Menkes and other venerated industry voices. True to past collection’s styles, this season’s couture was a mix of reimagined designs from the Cristobal archive mixed with Denma’s classic, tailored but oversized puffers and denim looks. Though Demna’s Balenciaga has made heavy use of trompe l’oeil and printed denim in the past, the full mimicry denim suit made out of hand painted canvas echoed the contemporary craze for subtle fabric manipulation seen across Matthieu Blazy’s Bottega, Dossena’s couture for Jean Paul Gaultier, and even the this season’s opening couture look at Valentino. Other pieces included hand-painted nylon “fur” jackets, and stunning gowns composed of hundreds of hand-sewn ribbons. The lingering question — is Demna’s renewed appreciation for purist craftsmanship is here to stay?
Thom Browne is as Thom Browne does
Internet observers and industry insiders alike all craned their heads to catch a glimpse of Thom Browne’s debut couture collection. For many years, it has been impossible to call Thom Browne’s ready-to-wear collections anything short of couture, therefore this debut promised to up the ante in ways the industry has yet to see from the designer before. The collection, which showed at Paris’ stunning Palais Garnier, marked 20 years of the American designer’s eponymous label, and a new era for the brand. Over 2,000 guests were invited to enter the show’s venue through the backstage, to then be seated facing a theater filled with two-dimensional Thom Browne cutouts, each dressed in gray suits with the house’s signature three stripes, eliciting a sartorial mirror between the viewer and the viewee. The collection was inspired by a fantasy land of Thom Browne’s brand identity and characteristic design codes including pigeons, gargoyles, and incredibly complex fascinators. Jordan Roth, a notorious couture collector, walked alongside other runway stars such as Alek Wek, and Grace Elizabeth, who closed the show. The brand has found tremendous popularity and celebrity support over the years acquiring fans among the likes of Cardi B, Dian Keaton, and Baz Lurman, each of whom were cozied up in the show’s front row alongside Anna Wintour.
Daniel Roseberry nods to the Schiaparelli’s surrealist roots
Schiaparelli couture is known for two things: it’s 10 AM start to the week at the Palais de Tokyo, and creative director Daniel Roseberry’s immaculately intricate designs. Since taking over the brand and reintroducing it’s ready-to-wear in 2019 after a decade long career at Thom Browne, the designer has quickly sky-rocketed the previously defunct house back to the forefront of fashion and pop culture, his designs for the brand frequented by the likes of Cardi B., Kylie Jenner, Doja Cat, Miss Fame, Violet Chachki, Margot Robbie and more. The house was originally founded by savvy business woman and surrealist artist Elsa Schiaparelli, whose unique designs separated her from not only the contemporary designers of her time, but also the other modernist artists of the early 20th century. In a more heavy-handed allusion to the house’s origin story, this season’s couture collection was inspired by modernist works of art, including Yves Klein, Gustav Klimt, and Salvador Dali. According to Roseberry’s show notes, the collection came together in a matter of weeks this time, rather than couture’s tradition of labored months, to help his creative flow and emphasize his artistic spontaneity. The result was undoubtedly a success as critics raved over the designer’s pieces of wearable art for yet another season in a row.
Guarav Gupta — Better late than never, to see Cardi B.
Known for his intense drama and swooping silhouettes, Indian designer Gaurav Gupta presented a more refined vision of his characteristic gowns for his second on-schedule couture show. Though less bulky than his usual sculptured veils and trains, this season’s gowns remained revealing and elaborate. Gupta noted that the inspiration for this collection came from the Vedic source of universal creation: the Hiranyagarbha. According to the designer’s Instagram, the swooping nature of his designs emulates the cosmos where life itself began. Gupta’s brand has gained significant popularity in the last few years, specifically on the red carpet, due to his dramatic flair. This season, celebrities such as Chinese actress and superstar Fan Bing Bing were notably in attendance, along with Cardi B. In fact, the star’s jam packed couture attendance schedule led to Gupta’s show being delayed for over an hour before her arrival in a custom-bejeweled green gown. Despite the enormous delay in start, the crowd and critics met the collection with applause, leaving anticipation to see where the brand and Gupta’s designs will grow from here.
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