Couture Week is the week that gives fashion a bad name. Whenever someone wants to criticise fashion, they will say how unrealistic it is and use a very out there couture outfit to prove their point. Ready-to-Wear, for the most part, is more commercial and it is what you will see available to buy in stores 6 months after the runway. Couture is about the artistry of the design and quite often it is the type of pieces you will see on the red carpet. They aren't designed for the masses, they are designed as art and for the fashion connoisseur.
Special Ateliers will work on Couture alongside the Ready-to-Wear and if you watch the
7 Days Out, Worlds Biggest Events on
Netflix, they followed Chanel a week before a
Chanel Couture Show and you see all of the incredible work and detail the ateliers do for each outfit. The Creative Directors might sketch the pieces but it is the ateliers who bring them to life. I love seeing what is created and how brands still keep their style within such an elevated form of fashion. In
Dior by Dior, Christian wrote about Haute Couture, '
The success of a dress depended upon the quality of the workmanship, attention to detail, and above all on the beauty of the material.' (Dior, page 15) Couture Week is extremely over the top which is what I love about it. Couture week definitely is not as full on as
Fashion Month, there is no where near as many shows and that makes it slightly easier to follow. For this post I have picked out a couple of shows that I enjoyed or thought were interesting and I wanted to share my thoughts on them as I know it is an area of fashion that people do not take as much interest in.
Giambattista Vaili
One of the first and one of my favourite shows from this season was
Giambattista Valli. I have to admit I hadn't heard of the brand before but it was the
H&M collab that put the brand on the map for me. I had sort of seen their Couture before but I hadn't really paid that much attention to it but when I saw
Kendall Jenner wearing that hot pink tulle masterpiece to the
amFAR I completely fell in love with it. They did a limited drop of the collection in May and I tried to buy the dress but it was sold out before I even got a look in. After that I saw Giambattista Valli everywhere.
Emma Roberts wore the most gorgeous Giambattista Valli gown to the Met Gala this year, she was hands down one of my best dressed this year. When I saw the Couture runway images on
Vogue I knew it was something I needed to look at and I was not in the slightest bit disappointed.
Giambattista Valli are well known for the mushroom silhouette they have created through voluminous frills and ruffles on massive tulle dresses. If you were looking for a tulle extravaganza, that is certainly what you got with this collection. A lot of the collection was made up of massive Cinderella style ball gowns that any little girl would dream of wearing but there were also wonderful short versions like look 22. Look 22 was a tulle dream with feathers and ruffles which boosted the volume within the mini length. As if this wasn't striking enough, it was also a bold, unapologetic magenta that was beautiful to behold. There are 3 darker shades within the dresses but other than that the entire collection was a pastel dream.
When there wasn't endless layers of tulle used, there were cute floral patterns, not many of them but look 7 had the most gorgeous soft pink, almost blossom design made into a short mini dress with ruffles and a high neckline but also an incredibly dramatic train made from the same fabric. I must say there was a lot of drama within each piece but it is always in an understated, soft, feminine way. There was a lot of shoulder cleavage and leg on show which gave it a touch of sex appeal and somehow even though tulle is usually very unflattering and no one would hear 'mushroom silhouette and think anything positive but they have honestly made it work. Not only does this Couture create an unusual shape but it focuses on the craftsmanship of the ateliers.
There were very few patterns and embellishments, it was all about layers and the construction of the garments and that was what made the whole Couture collection stunning. Valli said, 'luxury is this today: taking the time and kind of privacy feels like luxury.' (
Vogue) Just looking at these dresses you know they took an extraordinary amount of time to create and that is what gives these dresses such a luxury appeal. When you look at this couture collection, all you are looking at is the clothes, for me the models were in the background which I think is the look they were going for as the makeup is pretty bland, the hair is slicked back.
Dior
Since I went to the
Dior: Designer of Dreams Exhibition, my interest in the brand has increased drastically. I never really looked at their Couture, opting to focus on their Ready-to-Wear but the Couture really shows the artistry of the Creative Directors and for the most part, Couture made up the majority of the exhibition. What I did note about their A/W19 Couture was that there were definite similarities between the Couture and their Ready-to-Wear. The show opened with a slogan tee and Dior are now synonymous with the feminist slogan tops. What I want to know is should we be expecting to see more slogans in Couture? All you need to do is think back to the
Viktor and Rolf tulle slogan masterpieces from last Couture season and now Dior have included it too.
Going from the light pastel dreamland of Giambattista Valli to Dior is quite a contrast, The entire Dior collection was basically black except the opening look. So much can be read into this but I'm not even going to attempt it. In addition there were lots of textural elements to all of the garments. There was a lot of draping, lace, frills and tassels added to garments and a lot of feathers. There was one look that looked like an Egyptian battle outfit from ancient Egypt. Look 15 has stunning turquoise, green, with a touch of yellow feathers that border a massive collar that spans out over the shoulders and the bottom of the studded leather dress has this same feather detailing, it is certainly a powerful look. In a similar vain to look 15, look 11 has the same large collaring but it also has one of my favourite details within the collection, I absolutely adore the mesh, tulle skirts/bodies with an almost architectural design within them. You do see some of this style within their Ready-to-Wear but it is elevated slightly within the couture with a structural feel and more detailed lace.
There were so many different silhouettes mixed in with all of these different textures. There were looks which harked back to the
Bar Suit style that originally made Dior the brand it is today, you've got the tulle skirts which are certainly more modern day. Look 47 is a stunning bodice with a structured mesh construct but a voluminous skirt. It has also been paired with a veil, very much wedding vibes but, the anti-wedding due to it being completely black and the severe smoky eye look emphasises this. This is what you would wear when you were marrying your first husband, just for the money. Within look 62 you have the J'adore dress, you could envision Charlize Theron bringing this to life with a fierce walk down a corridor. The dress has an incredibly low plunge that only the brave could wear and in gold, this would definitely be a J'adore dress,
There were so many different styles and textures that honestly I could write an entire blog post just about Dior because it covered so much ground. What the collection lacked in colour, it made up for in the craftsmanship of the collection. Not only that but there was a bold smoky eye throughout the show and it was just as striking as the dresses themselves. Honestly I wish I had the talent to recreate the beauty for this runway, that would definitely scares boys away when I am at a bar!
Chanel
Considering I looked at the Dior and Gianbattista Valli collections and I was left incredibly inspired, I have to say, I felt disappointed by the
Chanel Couture. It did feel more experimental for the brand with some colours playing into the outfits but compared to some of the shows before Chanel, this didn't feel exciting. I can't criticise too much because it is Chanel and you know exactly what you are going to get, strong tailoring and some tweed which is fine but there is nothing innovative. There were however some strong necklines with high collars which had no point and lots of shoulder pads. For some reason shoulder pads seem to be a thing again but I simply do not back it. I am a small girl so shoulder pads look ridiculous on me.
Like you would expect from Chanel, there was obviously tweed and some of their classic check/houndstooth pattering. There was some strong tailoring but other than that everything seemed a bit erratic. To be honest I really struggled to find anything I really liked from the collection. There was one dress I liked which was a long black bardot silk dress with a white belt around the waist and a pleated skirt which added a bit of volume. Other than that I wasn't overly fussed by their couture this season. I did not feel like this was anything different from their Ready-to-Wear but the Ready-to-Wear had a theme behind it, this did not seem themed.
Givenchy
I may have felt that the Chanel runway did not live up to my expectations but
Givenchy exceeded them and I feel like this was a bit of a departure from what we have seen from Givenchy in recent years. Much like Dior this collection very much stayed in the realm of monochrome and there was a very tailored fit but anything that did not fit this bracket was more experimental. There were so many patterns and textures which were all used to subvert the normal tradition of shape and structure. There were lots of feathers and embellishments used throughout the collection which created movement but also volume, a lot of the dresses were quite big. Some of the more patterned pieces looked like they could have been created from a tapestry, the work was that intricate and detailed.
My favourite dress from the collection was look 35 and it was a lace/tulle masterpiece. To me there is something very
Mcqueen about this dress and the way it looks. Mcqueen usually incorporates a bit of gothic with a gentle femininity which is a balance that this dress holds. This is my favourite piece from the collection because honestly I think the construct and the fit of the dress is simply stunning and even though I would have no occasion to, I would love to wear it.
Poor
Kaia Gerber though, she was given a massive mint meringue dress that swallowed her whole which also had thousands of feathers on it. It truly is something unique and that is what I loved about the Givenchy couture this season. Not only that but the collection showcased the incredible craftsmanship of the ateliers, with each dress having it's own individual style but when you take them in all together, there is a clear indication that they are all from the same collection. That feeling is not something I saw in the Chanel runway.
Valentino
When I said Chanel weren't experimental enough, it was a complete contrast to Valentino who had gone all out. There weren't many outfits which were truly wearable but all of them showcased an amazing design/atelier relationship. There was so much colour through the show and this vibrancy really stands out amongst the rest of the shows.
Some of the head pieces have a tribal feeling to them with stunning embellishments and patterns. A lot of the models wore twisted braid wigs in bright colours which looked incredible. Everything had it's own detail with a lot of furs, feathers and patterns. A lot of the collection felt very fantasy with look 61 looking like the Jedi robes in Star Wars, just a more sparkly version. The outfit had that same draping that the Star Wars robes have and it had a hood. Come on, tell me I'm wrong. I'm not though, am I!
I wouldn't say a lot of this Valentino collection was wearable but there was one blazer that I adored and want for my wardrobe. The blazer is a light grey with almost graffiti flowers which have stark black outlines which are then contrasted with a much smaller pink blossom and I just think this makes such an amazing statement blazer without being ridiculously bold. Valentino was not one of my favourite runways but my god you have to admire the creativity.
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| Picture from WWD |
Giovanni Bedin
I am going to be honest, I know absolutely nothing about this brand, other than the eponymous designer is Italian, that's it! I follow
Tamara on Instagram and she showed a segment of the runway on her Instagram and when I saw it, I immediately knew it was something I would wear. The collection was not very big at all, with under 20 outfits total but I would wear every single one of them.
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| Picture from WWD |
Throughout the collection there were a lot of cutouts, straps, crop tops, sheer material which all made this quite a sexy runway so instead of being something you wouldn't wear because the design is a tad out there, you wouldn't get away with some of these based on the amount of skin showing. I love the shaping of every outfit because they are out there giving you your best waist and I am here for it. My favourite outfit of the whole collection was a light grey, ditsy floral printed structured bralette/crop top with a sheer flowing skirt. I just think the silhouette created throughout the show was stunning and in general it looked beautiful. This is definitely a designer I will be keeping my eye on!
Ralph & Russo
The only thing I picture when I see the name
Ralph & Russo are those gorgeous shoes with the intricate almost fairy-tale like, metal heeled shoes. I would never wear a pair because I know for sure I would break them but they are a work of art and so is this Couture collection. When I think Couture, I think embellishments and opulence which the Ralph & Russo show displayed more than anyone else this season. All of the looks are completely extra and I love it! Ralph & Russo is an exclusively Couture brand so the only time you will see it is during Couture.
Much like Dior, there seemed to be a lot of eras and a lot of influences on this collection and I have to say tonnes of dresses I dream of wearing. With the outfits that have a lot of fringing and a slim silhouette, I am transported to the flapper era of the 1920s and the head bands certainly aid this. There is also something Grecian about the more free flowing dresses with billowing trains like look 7. Even the blazer & trousers combos, which aren't usually my favourite style, look stunning and I would definitely have a go at wearing them.
There is one certain style which stands out and that is the princess style. Look 20 is very similar to the Giambattista Valli masterpieces I adore but in a pastel colour scheme rather than vibrant pink. It has layers and layers of tulle which all look as if they blossom out of the waist, emphasising that area whilst slimming it, genius! I think this collection is so beautiful and so feminine, it is literally the clothing young girls dreams about bought to life. Or most definitely the dreams of an 8 year old Sophie.
Fendi
Fendi and Chanel will forever be linked thanks to the creative genius that was
Karl Lagerfeld and when comparing the two collections, Fendi have achieved something Chanel didn't, adventure. I feel like Chanel did not go into the unknown. I know Fendi have always been more patterned and experimental but surely Chanel will have to give it a go at some point. Having said that, there is a definite experimental but also wearable aspect to the Fendi Couture.
I noticed in my summary of the
Ready-to-Wear A/W19 collection that it had a very 70s feel and I think that has been carried through to their Couture. For example look 18 is all brown with suede and fur, if that doesn't say 70s, what does? The 70s vibe is built on by the strong presence of mahogany. Whenever, I see this shade, it always makes me think of American Hustle thanks to some of decor in the film. There are also a lot of crop tops and skirt combos with long draping fur coats, very glamourous.
There is one style of dress that I adore more than the rest of the collection and luckily for me, it comes up twice. These dresses are in look 15 and look 40. Once again they contain a lot of straps, especially around the top of the dress which gives it an almost sultry vibe. In look 15 there is a lot of mint which offsets this really sexy dominance but look 40 with its all black net-like skirt is incredibly sexy. The waist is small but the skirt is dramatic and I want drama in my Couture, whether this is through volume or embellishments, I don't care, I want to see something I am not going to find on my high street. I feel like this whole Fendi Couture collection was a strong elevation of their Ready-to-Wear collection with a good amount of experimentation.
Couture week definitely feels vastly different from the Ready-to-Wear. For one thing there definitely isn't as much talk about it. With Ready-to-Wear you can go onto Vogue and see a lot of runways and even a few presentations but with Couture, the coverage is a little more sparse. This time I ended up relying on
WWD for the Couture goods and they luckily came through. Unlike Ready-to-Wear, the likelihood is that you will not look at much of the collection and think it is wearable, because it isn't. Couture is experimentation, a little bit wild and gives designers a chance to be their most creative.
Couture is the elite part of fashion that still has the problem of not feeling inclusive. Through Social Media a lot has been done to make Ready-to-Wear shows available for the masses but it doesn't feel the same way for Couture. Personally with Couture I have to say I am less interested in the finished result and I have more of an interest in the construct and design of the garments, I mean how do they come up with some of this stuff?
I hope you have enjoyed this little look into Couture, as I spoke about Ready-to-Wear so much, it only felt right to give Couture it's moment. Now I want to as you a question, is Couture fashion something you've ever taken an interest in?
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