The couture shows, based in the capital of romantic luxury, Paris, are the place to see some of the best work by high-fashion design houses such as Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier and Dior. Although it may sound a tad pretentious, the outfits on the catwalks are viewed more as fashionable works of art to all who flock to Paris to watch, only accessible to buy for an elite handful of the wealthiest fashion followers and no-one else. We have it on good authority that gawping at the pictures rarely do justice to being at the actual shows, with every creation painstakingly devised to reflect the designer’s creative and technical abilities.
But while purchasing couture fashion is the preserve of the fashionable few, admiring a few days of luxurious outfits and fantasy-based show themes is the perfect escapism for anyone interested in style or design. Many followers of the regular fashion weeks and high-street based trends see couture week as ‘too posh’ and not relevant to anything they wear or see in their favourite glossies. But in times of economic gloom, couture week can provide a sort-of grown-up fairytale for style-lovers to immerse themselves in, just for a few days. So peruse the images and read the reports – they might just brighten up your week.
Focusing on the actual shows, it was hard to pick a favourite between always fabulous Chanel and this year’s Jean Paul Gaultier show, staged with all the glamour of old Hollywood films and parties. Valentino’s creations were beautiful to look at – intricate pieces formed out of lace and delicate floral-inspired head pieces. The sheer tops and skirt structures looked so fragile that they might have been made out of spun glass, or made for those china dolls that are kept in cabinets and out of the reach of children. At Christian Dior it got as credit crunch as couture gets; keeping the outfits the feature as opposed to putting on a huge spectacle. Clothes harped back to the golden days of Dior – classic tailoring, ladylike slips, suspenders and seamed stockings. Now all T5M girls want to be Dior ladies when they grow up.
Of course, no fashion week would be complete without a host of well turned out celebrity faces perched on the front row and draped over the designers backstage. Marion Cotillard was the person to see at Dior, seeing as she’s the new face of the Dior ‘Lady Noir’ film and handbag. Roisin Murphy was at Givenchy, and Cate Blanchett had all eyes on her on the front row of Armani Prive, always one of the most star-studded shows. Even the models were of the highest calibre – current model du jour Lara Stone was spotted, as was the legendary and leggy Erin O’Connor looking perfectly at home strutting for Jean Paul Gaultier.
Out of all the classic couture labels the show tinged with sadness was Christian Lacroix. It was revealed last month that the designer had filed for bankruptcy and they are still hoping to find a buyer to save the label. According to reports, friends of the company worked for free to get the show up and running, and the final pieces reflected a dark mood with a moody colour palette – obviously an attempt to keep the costs low. But the audience rallied and gave Lacroix a standing ovation – nothing less than he deserves for his services to fashion over the years.
Couture week never fails to awaken the inner fashion-worshipper in even the most fair-weather fashion followers. The fashion editors get as excited for couture week as any of the main seasonal fashion weeks, just check out the reports of Elle, The Guardian or Style.com to see how couture captures even the most cynical editor’s imagination. For the cultured (or perhaps pretentious) among fans couture is art, for your average fashion follower it’s merely a collection of really, really pretty clothes. Either way it is a fantasy world that anyone can jump into, just for a short while anyway.
Carli Humphries
