Armani Privé
Armani Privé
Armani Privé
Armani Privé
Armani Privé
Chanel
Chanel
Chanel
00025-Chanel-Couture-Spring-21
Chanel
Chanel
Chanel
Dior
Dior
Dior
Dior
Dior
Dior
Dior
Fendi
Fendi
Fendi
Fendi
Fendi
Fendi
Fendi
Fendi
Fendi
Giambattista Valli
Giambattista Valli
Giambattista Valli
Giambattista Valli
Giambattista Valli
Giambattista Valli
Valentino
Valentino
Valentino
Valentino
Valentino
Valentino
(swipe left to explore the top looks)
Despite the glamour and intricacies taking place behind closed doors this season, Couture Week SS21 delivered nothing short of the dreamy designs and ravishing pieces it is known for. Some hosted phygital shows, while others presented their collections via fashion films, shoots or both – as per the new norm of fashion shows.
ICYMI, these are the couture shows that caught our attention. [Re]watch the shows below or explore the gallery above for the standout looks from each brand.
Armani Prive
Giorgio Armani has never been one for fleeting trends. Couture, he believes, is rooted in fashion history and “represents the pinnacle of creativity and sartorial skill.” Mirroring his words, his couture collection – unveiled for the first time at Palazzo Orsini, the heart of his Milanese atelier, in video format – highlighted colours and textures that embody his vision of timelessness. Structured jackets with pagoda shoulders led the first part of the show, before beads and embroidery forming floral motifs on sheer layers of tulle cascaded down the runway.
Chanel
Sticking to tradition, Virginie Viard presented a couture show at the Grand Palais with a handful of Chanel ambassadors in attendance. Among them including Penélope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Vanessa Paradis and her daughter, Lily-Rose Depp, to name a few. What was different, however, was the pared-down intimate setting designed to be “like a family celebration, a wedding” complete with floral arches and petal-strewn runways, as opposed to the larger-than-life tropical utopia or space centres of the late Karl Lagerfeld’s making. This pretty portrayal of a Chanel wedding was reflected in the tweed jackets and pantsuits, sheer or ruffled dresses, organza petticoats and finally, a brocade bridal gown to close the ceremony.
Christian Dior
Tarot cards return as the subject of Maria Grazia Chiuri’s fascination this season, paying homage to Monsieur Dior’s interest in divination. Presented in the form of a mysteriously mesmerising fashion film directed by Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone, the collection reinterprets the symbolism of the tarot with “luscious fabrics and glittering embroideries, where sleek monochrome tailoring meets dream-inducing evening wear in precious hues.” Indeed, the elaborate masculine meets feminine designs are as beautiful as they are magical, with a number of pieces featuring square necklines and empire waistlines recalled the Regency-inspired pieces we have recently become obsessed with thanks to a certain Netflix period drama…
Fendi
Kim Jones has big shoes to fill in the wake of Karl Lagerfeld’s untimely departure, and an audience-free show may not be the ideal place and time to make his debut. Nonetheless, he proved his mettle with help from some of the biggest names on the runway, including Naomi Campbell, Demi Moore, Kate Moss (alongside daughter Lily Grace Moss), Cara Delevingne, Bella Hadid and Adwoa Aboah. Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s time-travelling, gender-blurring novel “Orlando” and British influences from the Bloomsbury set, his collection saw androgynous pieces including tuxedo jackets and flowing cape suits, alongside crystal-embellished gowns and ethereal dresses. The show took place at Paris’ Palais Brongniart, where models are seen navigating a maze of interlocking glass “F” shapes – presented in a pre-recorded film.
Giambattista Valli
“While in ready-to-wear collections, every silhouette narrates a chapter of the same book, in haute couture, every creation tells its own story,” Giambattista Valli says in the press notes. With that, expect intricate stories weaved together with feathers, ruffles, ribbons and trademark tulle that build up to a climax of voluminous beauty. Narrated via a film split between a moodboard of buildings from Seville in Spain and a screen of models strutting and posing in a white room, each “story” in the collection hints at a mix of cultural influences that blend together to form a fresh third culture.
Valentino
Set in the grand halls of Galleria Colonna in Rome, Valentino’s pre-filmed “Temporal” fashion show presented pieces as regal and dazzling as the gilded ornaments surrounding the models. A deliberate act by Pierpaolo Piccoli to honour “the rituals, the process, and the values of couture”, the resulting collection saw a series of timeless daywear followed by sequinned dresses interspersed with dramatic neon numbers, all worn with sky-high platform heels.
Photos courtesy of respective brands