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The fashion schedule takes no prisoners, with an unrelenting stream of style coming left and right for fans and industry insiders alike to enjoy. Twice a year, couture week slows the pace down just a bit to fully display the finest craftsmanship in the sartorial world. This season, we’re looking forward to more glamour and opulence from tried and true names like Schiaparelli and Dior, plus Haider Ackermann’s return to the runway with his Jean Paul Gaultier guest couture collection and Robert Wun’s first couture show ever. Keep tabs on this space as we update with all the best looks of the week.
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Fendi
Kim Jones closed out the week with a light-as-air presentation of the Italian house’s techniques. Lingerie as dresses, dresses as lingerie, and a muted boudoir color palette allowed the intricate leatherwork and lacework to shine through. “Cobweb” bare thread dresses in slate grey and ivory provided the most delicate gala outfits of the week, delicately balancing the hard and soft, the man-made and artificial, and pushing forward the artistic director’s vision of the modern woman.—Kevin LeBlanc, fashion associate
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Robert Wun
Known for his exquisite cuts, pleating, and fabrics, Robert Wun debuted a couture collection dedicated to the mishaps that often come with simply being a person who wears clothes. Wine spills, rainy days, even burns were all represented in the perfectly crafted garments. Subtle 3-D feather and pearl details brought the collection to life, with one look even mimicking actual, real raindrops (only a zoom-in on a computer screen could reveal that it was not, in fact, raining indoors).—Madison Rexroat, fashion and accessories assistant
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Valentino ‘Le Club Couture’
As the saying goes, the show must go on, and one model falling didn’t stop Valentino from showing a parade of super-high heels and club-inspired couture pieces magnified through color, texture, and lots of volume at the Bridge Club located underneath the Pont Alexandre III. Anne Hathaway, dance your heart out.—Claire Stern, digital deputy editor
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Valentino ‘Le Club Couture’
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Valentino ‘Le Club Couture’
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Viktor & Rolf
Viktor & Rolf’s couture collection was delightfully discombobulated. Upside down, sideways, diagonal, perpendicular, even slightly misplaced are all terms that could be used to describe the otherwise picture-perfect debutante dresses showcased on the runway. Imagine if your childhood dollhouse survived an earthquake (or a tumble down the stairs), but everything inside was jumbled in the most lovely and unexpected way. That’s precisely the beauty of couture: thinking outside the dress.—Madison Rexroat, fashion and accessories assistant
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Jean Paul Gaultier by Haider Ackermann
Jean Paul Gaultier’s latest couture guest designer is none other than the legendary Haider Ackermann, who hasn’t shown his namesake brand in almost three years. Thankfully, his ready-to-wear already bordered on couture, with a revelatory eye for tailoring on the female body (and male, for that matter—hi Timothée Chalamet). His dashing, breathtaking silhouettes were a lesson in restraint and form. With just over 30 looks, Ackermann dug into Gaultier’s archive to create collection that harkens back to the heyday of the ’90s supermodel (think: sauntering, turning, posing, and demonstrating the wondrous ability of clothes to create drama). As one of the premier colorists of our time, Ackermann debuted bold feathers over razor-sharp suiting, metallic bombers, and a very epic aubergine dress that channeled Diana Vreeland and Irving Penn’s photography. The near-silence of the music let the clothes do all the talking, providing one of the most refreshing and clear-minded runway presentations we’ve seen in quite some time.—Kevin LeBlanc, fashion associate
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Jean Paul Gaultier by Haider Ackermann
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Jean Paul Gaultier by Haider Ackermann
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Jean Paul Gaultier by Haider Ackermann
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Alexandre Vauthier
Alexandre Vauthier is a true Frenchman in every sense, delivering slick, très sexy looks for the uber-Parisian woman time and time again. His couture collection this season was no different, playing with a wide and unlikely variety of colors from forest green to neon yellow. Somehow, it all works, with oversized hooded fur jackets, slouchy rhinestone boots that are dying for a street style moment (hi, Rihanna), relaxed yet razor-sharp suiting, and party dresses that are truly a couture delight.—Kevin LeBlanc, fashion associate
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Chanel
Paris is synonymous with Chanel, and the two came together as the fashion gods intended with a collection of long and short coat dresses, animal-inspired embroidery, menswear details like bow ties and top hats, and, of course, the soon-to-be It wedding dress of 2023 at the Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris, alongside grandiose sculptures by artist Xavier Veilhan that call to mind Where the Wild Things Are. Pure, unadulterated fantasy.—Claire Stern, digital deputy editor
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Gucci ‘Hortus Deliciarum’ High Jewelry
In the midst of all the stunning couture being flaunted down the runways in Paris, Gucci debuted its newest high jewelry collection entitled “Hortus Deliciarum” (translation: Garden of Delights). And what a delight it is, with the iconic Italian brand flexing its unparalleled craftsmanship through the rich storytelling of nature-inspired jewels. Take, for instance, the technically flawless mandarin garnet pendant with dainty emerald and diamond filigree set on a geometric chain necklace (pictured here), which almost looks like a starburst or beautiful poppy ensconced in leaves. The rich, dazzling colors of the collection and its stunning cuts and bezels catch the light just as a beautiful, sunny garden would: unique on each day, never to be replicated, and as symmetrical and enchanting as nature itself.—Kevin LeBlanc, fashion associate
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Gucci ‘Hortus Deliciarum’ High Jewelry
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Giambattista Valli
Always one to celebrate decadence, Giambattista Valli’s couture show dazzled with ultra-voluminous dresses, liquid metallics, and beautiful, bright pastels. Old Hollywood reigned supreme with gowns destined for the red carpet. Sparkles, feathers, and florals combined for the perfect equation of what makes the Giambattista Valli brand what it is: unapologetically feminine, timelessly youthful, and boldly elegant.—Madison Rexroat, fashion and accessories assistant
