Now that we're at the end of another Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week, we thought we'd give you the footnotes – the highlight reel for those that need the TLDW (Too Long Didn't Watch) version of the shows. Below, peruse some of our standout runway shows and presentations from the best of the best.
Valentino gets a standing ovation
Pierpaolo Piccioli's Valentino Haute Couture Fall Winter 23/24 show was held at the famed Château de Chantilly, north of Paris, a renewal of the House's partnership with French non-profit La Réserve des Arts.
As part of this partnership, guest seats were recovered from previous fashion shows, supporting reuse and reanimating their desire to enact positive change through contamination, marrying of ethics and aesthetics.
The collection showcased markedly simple garments that were made to move with the body – flat shoes, streamlined forms and lightened fabrics that capture the momentum and stillness of the wearer. Waterfalls of crystal jewels adorned ears, and vintage Levi's 501s were transmuted with gilded embroidery.
The show closed with a standing ovation from guest in attendance – including the coy Anna Wintour (who has notoriously only ever given five).
Fendi
Fendi's Autumn Winter 23 show spotlighted "the achievement of fluidity, drape and shape through couture techniques, bringing these elements together with the attitude of today,” according to the House's creative director, Kim Jones.
Jewel-toned gowns mimed rubies and sapphires, in between an array of flesh-toned garments that played on the juxtaposition of hard and soft, eschewing ideas of 'costume' and instead, embracing a sense of suppleness in womens' dress.
Schiaparelli rebukes AI, finds solace in Freud, Yves Klein, Dali and Miro
Fashion has long struggled to be considered a high-brow art form, but if ever there was an argument for the case, one most certainly would cite Daniel Roseberry's Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week designs as proof that it should be. In an attempt to err from the mechanical and AI-driven garments and concepts of late, Roseberry was inspired to create a collection that felt "aggressively, unmistakably human—and to be rooted in artistic references that feel timeless."
Each piece in their collection was steeped in inspiration from bygone artists like Lucian Freud, Yves Klein, Salvador Dali or Joan Miró – Danish model Mona Tougaard opening the show in a black dress with collar that encased her neck and torso fluidly; Maty Fall's torso and face painted a signature Yves Klein blue. The House's signature trompe l'oeil hands and gold leaf elements were present throughout – along with plenty of oversized, quilted garments and, perennially, the eye motif.
Thom Browne takes flight in his debut Haute Couture show
Many a pun and metaphor could be made about the debut Haute Couture show of Thom Browne, which featured a host of characters on its operatic runway, not least of whom was model Jordan Roth, who traversed the runway with flapping arms in a tufted jacket and pigeon-headed fascinator. Opening the show was the inimitable Alek Wek, whose tonal grey and white suiting set the tone for the rest of the presentation.
The show marked the House's 20th anniversary.
Viktor & Rolf dive deeper into the surreal (and couture swimwear)
The surreal and avant-garde world of Viktor & Rolf was kicked up a notch at their show this week, opting to begin their Fall 2023 Haute Couture collection show with swimwear. The House's signature bows and floating garments (a call back to their Spring 23 collection) made appearances, alongside some authentically camp and meme-worthy leotards emblazoned with 3D culturally significant phrases like "I Wish You Well" (a reference, perhaps to Gwyneth Paltrow's infamous closing words at her trial earlier this year?).
Roger Vivier
Creative director of Roger Vivier, Gherardo Felloni presented a dreamy collection of one-of-a-kind handbags to an intimate audience during the week, each exploring the heights of aspirational French savoire-faire. The Viv’ Choc ‘Piece Unique’ collection sat perched upon a magnificent sculptural ceramic chandelier inside the Salle D’Argent of the Maison Vivier in Paris, each unique creation a delicate fantasia of embroidery and precious textile.
