Semi-annual haute couture week kicked off in Paris on Monday with the traditional Schiaparelli show, featuring vertiginous black velvet, red crepe and cinematic silhouettes.
Width design continues to be the house's trademark, with ultra-hugging velvet dresses and broad shoulders. The Schiaparelli dress is shifting, in red crepe with a plunging neckline like a runway and ruffled panels, AFP writes.
"I didn't want to play with the usual strings or the robot baby again (a futuristic creation from the last show that went viral on the networks, editor's note) or anything that might overshadow the mastery of the garment," Daniel Roseberry, the American designer for Schiaparelli since 2019, told the press after the show.
Later in the day, shows by Dior, Iris Van Herpen, Rahul Mishra and Giambattista Valli will follow.
Not to be confused with Paris Fashion Week, Women's Haute Couture Week takes place in January for summer and mid-year for winter, only in Paris, as it is a French specificity protected by legal status.
It's a closed event, where only the press and customers can attend presentations of unique, necessarily handmade, pieces.
Until Thursday, 30 haute couture houses will be presenting their creations, with Valentino and Fendi absent and two newcomers to this closed circle of excellence, Balenciaga and Thom Browne.
The up-and-coming Maison Margiela, with its redeeming designer John Galliano, only shows once a year and is not eligible for the label.
For a fashion house, adding this annual double tour to its bow is a good business idea, as customers flock to the Asian and Gulf markets. Lanvin and Saint Laurent under Vaccarello could claim a return to haute couture.
But there seems to be a bottleneck among craftsmen. "We have a real capacity problem," Kim Jones, creator of Fendi's haute couture line (with Dior Homme on a year-round basis), told AFP.
These creations, mainly destined for red carpets, major jet-set events and galas, attract a host of stars who come to preview, including Kylie Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Doja Cat at Schiaparelli. | BGNES