A to-scale Eiffle tower and tweed at Chanel. Naomi Campbell (above) on the Azzedine Alaïa catwalk. Gowns and giant Frank Sidebottom-sized heads at Viktor + Rolf. An Amelia Earhart-inspired jumpsuit at Dior – and Celine Dion, on the front row. The autumn/winter 2017 haute couture shows were more than just taffeta and gowns. Super-accessories, silhouettes and Bella Hadid were among the many talking points from the shows in Paris. Here are our highlights.
- Chanel traditionally closes its couture show with a bridal gown.
Artist Sonia Delaunay, a key figure within the Parisian avant-garde, was one of the main inspirations behind the finishing touches at Chanel, which included circular ruffles and clashing colours.
Giorgio Armani
Oversized prints, gaudy colours and baroque were on the Armani Prive moodboard, which mixed trousers with capes alongside full-length column gowns.
Small, beanie-style berets with discreet, black veils finished off the evening looks.
- Naomi Watts, Sophia Loren, Roberta Armani and Kate Winslet on the front row at Armani. The show was dedicated his show to the late Franca Sozzani, the iconoclastic editor of Italian Vogue.
Travel at Dior
Dior turns 70 this year. Maria Grazia Chiuri designed her collection, which featured Dior’s archival silhouette – small bodies paired with a voluminous skirt – in homage to Christian Dior himself.
- Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson and Natalie Portman were among the celebrities at the Dior show. There were full skirts, long-line coats and an Amelia Earhart-inspired jumpsuit on the catwalk.
- In place of last season’s rocket, Karl Lagerfeld paid homage to the parks of Paris and, of course, the Eiffel Tower.
La tour Eiffel at Chanel
The Chanel couture show is the standout collection of Couture week – and has its starriest front row. Guests included Katy Perry, Cara Delevingne, Tilda Swinton, Kristen Stewart, Claudia Schiffer an Julianne Moore.
- Tweed suits were adorned with crystals, or sprouted multicoloured feathered rosettes at the arms and hems.
Miu Miu Cruise
The Miu Miu Cruise show took place during Couture fashion week, hosted in the Paris Automobile Club. Jumpsuits, orange knitwear and bumbags were the talk of the collection, which was lively, sporty and markedly more street-focused than normal.
- Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend played as models showcased silk blouses with crystal shoulders.
Flowers at Rodarte
Kate and Laura Mulleavy presented their spring 2018 Rodarte collection, the first since the sisters moved to Paris Couture week from New York. The show, a floral, gauzy affair, took place in Paris’s Cloître Port Royal gardens.
- Flowers, polka dots, pink and monochrome – the Rodarte show was a gothic twist on prettiness.
Giambattista Valli
Florals and tulle were the main takeaway from the Giambattisra Valli show. Think oversized ballet-style gowns, silk chiffon dresses, Dovima-esque powder puff skirts – and Celine Dion dancing on the front row.
A mosaic floor at the Petit Palais and theme heavy on spring, sunshine and flowers. This was Paris in springtime, Giambattista Valli-style.
- Vogue’s Hamish Bowles, Anna Wintour and Suzi Menkes Instagrammed Dion, who has become something of a style runaway.
Maison Margiela
For the Maison Margiela Artisanal collection, models wore gold cowboy boots, repurposed trench coats and – it seems – foam on their heads.
Alexandre Vauthier
- Bella Hadid opened the Alexandre Vauthier show and Kendall Jenner closed it.
Sheer polonecks, chainmail-effect wrap dresses and a curious lighting arrangement. Vauthier’s show was a lesson in millennial glamour inspired by Studio 54.
- Calf-high cowboy boots in metallic tones were a theme of the couture shows.
Schiaparelli
This collection was an homage to strong women: the writer Anaïs Nin, the photographer Lee Miller, the heiress and political activist Nancy Cunard were all namechecked by the Italian fashion house.
- Elsa Schiaparelli was famously rivals with Coco Chanel, and was inspired by the surreal artists within her peer group.
Valentino
Pierpaolo Piccioli’s designs featured hooded capes, robes and gowns which were both modest and feminine – think pink, lilac and cream – and almost pious in their silhouette.
- Hammered metal bags were the accessory of the week, as seen at Valentino.
Viktor + Rolf
Modified MA-1 bomber jackets with orange lining, jeans, Doc Martens and twenty of the forty models wearing giant Frank Sidebottom-inspired heads at Viktor + Rolf in what was the most idiosyncratic styling move of couture week.
