Paris Haute Couture fashion parade:
Costly fabrics and bright ornament for a shimmering woman de luxe
Despite the economic crisis which is concerning most European and non-European countries right now, luxury fashion knows neither limit nor restriction. Prestigious haute couture creations continue to win much acclaim and capture the interest of everybody, whether they can actually afford such expensive clothes or not.
Dreams cost nothing and in this article, we’ll give you the chance to dream, leading you into a fairytale world of lace, luxury accessories, prestigious fabrics and pure elegance.
These are just some adjectives describing the latest Paris haute couture fashion parade, held in the French capital a few days ago, from July the 5th to July the 8th, an eagerly anticipated event which hosted many world famous designers and their superb luxury collections, aimed at the well-heeled woman who doesn’t mind spending a lot of money to look extremely beautiful and glamorous at all times, at work as well as in her private life, day or night, wearing elegant clothes where every detail is hand finished, from the choice of the fabric to the application of a decoration.
The woman portrayed by Giorgio Armani, Valentino, Givenchy or Dior is a woman who is proud of her femininity, not afraid of revealing her natural sensuality and charm to the world, in sheer fabrics and daring necklines or sexy leather bustiers and long evening dresses made of tulle and lace.
Suits too, despite their simplicity, have a refined cut; skirts are sometimes asymmetric while draped jackets with a defined shoulder are fastened by a single button of wood or bone, as proposed by Mr. Armani in his fabulous “Armani Privé collection”, who emphasized fluidity, exaggerating and softening the drape. Sometimes coats are presented as alternatives to jackets, as soft as jersey and fastened at the neck, or studded with crystals, or, in camel to be worn over a broad-shouldered belted crocodile jacket as exemplified by Armani Luxe.
Woman becomes a shining star at night, thanks to very sensual flowing dresses, entirely decorated with sequins or in shiny fabrics such as silk or taffetà. Evening dresses can be ankle length or above the knee, but they must be incredibly chic and sensual and, above all, they should shine and enhance the status and elegance of the woman wearing them to a special event or a gala. Lace, pearls and crystal make an outfit perfect for a princess: lots of them are shown by Givenchy’s creative director, Riccardo Tisci. Known for his gothic and dark mood, he took his inspiration from the controversial painter Frida Kahlo, summarizing her three main obsessions: religion, sensuality and human anatomy. So, white, gold or flesh-colored dresses were decorated with zipper pulls made of little bones, a belt was a spinal column recreated in porcelain, while the dominant motif of the collection, the skeleton, was represented in 2D in lace applied to a long tulle column, or rendered in three dimensions in obsessively dense clusters of crystals, pearls and laces, for an Haute Couture just a little bit out of the box, but which still reconfirms the Italian talent and mastery.
For a more structured and sophisticated look, you can’t miss a single creation in Valentino’s feminine collection, where the new generation of designers used a crinoline organza cage to great effect, along with thousands of roses displayed on small jackets or around the wrists for precious bracelets, pink bows and sheer airy fabrics..
A triumph of silk, chiffon and soft leather armor is Jean Paul Gaultier’s collection for a woman who displays her femininity and sensuality even when she is wearing pinstripe suits swathed in a huge silver fox fur, as a reminder of Gaultier’s mastery of the masculine/feminine hybrid. But it’s in the most luxuriously simple pieces that the designer gave his best: a twinset of cashmere cardigan coat and vest, an elegant black dress that was just a long silk cardigan reversed, a long tweed and ostrich leather skirt paired with an asymmetric top in black leather. And Dita Von Teese, in sexy corset was the perfect guest star to close the catwalk.
If the main colors of this year’s Paris Haute Couture fashion shows are the sober tonalities of gold, cream, white and pink, John Galliano breaks the rules for Christian Dior’s collection immersing the catwalk in a myriad of wonderful colors – red, purple, blue and yellow – with all their vibrant shaded effects, in a vibrant hymn to the floral world. Coats are designed to look like a huge inverted daffodil, while a dress in taffeta is hand-painted with pansies; there are the jacket and skirt combinations of white felt over lilac organza, or the jade mohair with a swoop of portrait neckline over a petalled bubble of black organza.
Paris Haute Couture closed its doors on a high note, saluting an amazed and enthusiastic public that had the honor of experiencing the high mastery of these world-famous designers, who had paid great attention not only to the designs, but especially to the whole process of their creation, from the fronding to the feathering, the rucheing and the ruffling, putting their best efforts into these delicate techniques.
We have tried to summarize the most important collections by showing you the best and the most significant pieces, to satisfy all women who love elegance, prestige and luxury, even those who only afford to dream of a princess’ wardrobe.
