“You are living in a dream. Keep walking in your dream. Feel your dream and breathe your dream.”
Of high-octane glamour, feminine codes and state-of-the-art fabrics, Spring 2017 (and every other year) Haute Couture was an ode to fantasyland. What a week it was of keeping tabs on multiple jewel-encrusted princessy gowns; witnessing fairy-like and breathtaking trends; and taking in whimsy waif-like models traipsing down mirrored tiles and grassy walkways.
If your unflagging desires call for drool worthy high-fashion silhouettes, in other words, the ultimate definition of couture itself, then brace yourself for we have rounded up these oh-so-haute looks.
Dior
Taking us to what was to be a labyrinth through the gardens of Musée Rodin in Paris is Dior’s first female designer, Maria Grazia Chiuri debuting her first couture collection. Punk edge elements were presented with contemporary silhouettes exalting in gracefulness. It was equal parts femininity and equal parts feminism, just the way we like it. W dior.com
Elie Saab
Master of all things intricate, Elie Saab again did not disappoint with his spellbinding garments and gowns made for goddesses. For Spring 2017 Haute Couture, the collection took inspiration from beauty and strength of the mid-century Egypt era with Arabic calligraphy and oriental patterns that are crafted to perfection with sequins, crystals and beads against a colour palette of nudes and blues. W thelightofnow.com
Givenchy
Classic tartans turned chiffon dresses took centre stage at the Givenchy show embodying the ethos of Western American. Amongst other details were shoes to boots to match, ruffles, cutouts, feather and fringe embellished dresses. W givenchy.com
Viktor & Rolf
Raising the fashion upcycle bar to an unbeatable level are designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren who transformed vintage fabrics from various decades into eye-catching pieces. Drawing on inspiration from Japanese pottery Kintsugi, they created perfect imperfections by restoring unlively parts with new pieces through the collection. W viktor-rolf.com
Chanel
French House Chanel showcased its #ChanelCouture2017 collection characterised by candy coloured hues, ruffles, sequined trims and collars, and Karl Lagerfeld’s love for feathers. But that isn’t all, the maison also reinvented power suits manifesting strong woman in skirtsuits with hints of retro, pussybow blouses and belts cinched at the waist. 17 year-old Lily-Rose Depp was rumoured to be hand-selected by Lagerfeld himself, beating the likes of 2016 It girl Kendall Jenner, to close the show, stepping out in layered ruffled powdered pink gown as the show’s piece de resistance. W chanel.com
Valentino
Besides marrying grace, sophistication and modern minimalism together to his pale and pastel-hued pieces, Creative Director Pier Paolo also added poetry to his show by hanging up signs backstage reading “You are living in a dream. Keep walking in your dream. Feel your dream and breathe your dream,” to encourage models. And his show was indeed a catalogue of dreams, with flowing shapes, fluid silhouettes and floaty, dreamy hemlines that made us all feel like we were walking on Cloud Nine. W valentino.com
Images: Respective brands and Tpgvip
