Last week we saw the first fashion shows of 2022 and can I just say, it was not a disappointment! Couture week is a week that's always outstanding but I believe this week was one of the best we've ever seen.
What is couture and couture week? Couture week is a week of fashion shows held by different brands to show off the designers couture designs. Traditionally, couture is something that you wouldn't necessarily be able to purchase in store like Ready-to-Wear collections. Couture is most likely to be worn by celebrities to red carpets and events. Couture is a French word that actually means dressmaking therefore the term 'haute couture' means 'high dressmaking'.
FENDI
Fendi showcased a collection of 30 couture looks with a common theme of darker colours such as navy, black, greyish-white and a bit of red. Many looks were short in the front with a long, trail along the floor back. Religious imagery was another theme that we saw in this collection, with the imagery placed on the front of a few of the pieces, very faintly. This Spring Couture collection was quite different to what we've seen from Fendi in the past. In past collections we've seen brighter colours such as whites and nudes but it is nice to see a difference in style and colour from the brand's couture collections rather than the same thing for each collection.
JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
Jean Paul Gaultier presented us with a collection of couture full of diversity. From the different colours to the range of different textures, the collection was so eye-catching. I loved the brands use of the different fabrics, from mesh to bumpy and from cotton to stretchy, it created a different aesthetic than what the brand has experimented with before. Not only did we see variety in fabric but we saw one in shapes. Like we saw in Fendi's Spring Couture collection, there were many looks that trailed along the ground. One of my favourites is the big, enlarged skirt, green gown. This piece really stood out in the collection even though Jean Paul Gaultier has never been afraid to use a wide skirt in his couture collections before, the thing that made this look stand out was the ruffles and the creases within.
RAHUL MISHRA
With a brand with such big creativity, you'd expect there to be a great amount of craze and attention. For Rahul Mishra, this isn't the case, it is a brand that isn't as well known as others. Rahul Mishra, fashion designer and creator of the brand Rahul Mishra, showcased this hereby garden themed collection in Paris last week and personally, this is my favourite. I love how each look has something in common; their theme. But each look is different, whether it be the silhouette, colours, fabric or shapes, there isn't a single look that disappointed. I want to see more of Rahul Mishra, whether its on social media, magazines or red carpets, I'm here for it.
ZUHAIR MURAD
Zuhair Murad's collections are always mesmerising no matter if they are couture or ready-to-wear. Just like the other collections we've seen so far, the variety was phenomenal!! Feathers, sparkles and faux fur, Zuhair Murad pulled off an amazing show, I loved the variety of styles we saw flowing dresses, short dresses, body cons, coords, long sleeves and short sleeves. As a brand that is highly recognised for their bridal wear you'd expect their couture to be great and for their Spring Couture 2022 collection, that exception was met.
CHANEL
In all the time I've been interested in high fashion, I have never seen such a large amount of backlash towards a collection. Chanel's Spring 2022 Couture has been receiving lots of comeback this week on social media, people saying it is 'ugly' and that they 'hate it'. Some even think that these looks are 'too casual' for couture and couture should be more special and excessive than this. Virginie Viard took inspiration from the 1920s for this collection. The 1920s was an amazing, world changing era of fashion and the public are expressing that this collection didn't visualise that rebellious look of clothing. Chanel is a brand that was HUGE in the 20s and was when the fashion house first started to gain popularity, there was so much potential for this collection but sadly, we were left disappointed.
SCHIAPARELLI
Amongst the fashion community online, there hasn't been so much love and admiration towards a collection from this Spring Couture Fashion Week. Schiaparelli's Spring Couture was absolutely gorgeous, a black and white theme with gold accents it was just, to die for! The creativity, the shapes, the colour coordination, how does Daniel Roseberry even think of such gorgeous designs? For the past few months, Schiaparelli has been gaining a lot more recognition amongst younger generations making them more aware of the brand ever since Bella Hadid rocked a Schiaparelli look in July 2021 on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet.
CHARLES DE VILMORIN
Charles De Vilmorin put together an amazing collection this season with each collection with some similarity while they are completely different. The common theme in the pieces is frilly details but each has a different colour and design incorporated. For many years, Charles De Vilmorin has been highly recognised for their distinctive style of couture as they are very colourful and extravagant and like no other brand out there.
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