The Best Looks From Haute Couture Spring 2023

When Kylie Jenner appears at a fashion show wearing a handmade lion’s head affixed to her black strapless gown, and Doja Cat is seen at that very same show adorned in 30,000 red crystals, and Shalom Harlow and Naomi Campbell appear on the runway wearing two other animal head dresses—well, that’s couture. The most fantastical and out-there week of the fashion calendar descended upon Paris with the consistently inventive Daniel Roseberry kicking things off for the house of Schiaparelli. Always one to put on a capital “S” Show of the highest order, the designer sprinkled his collection—which was inspired by Dante’s “Inferno”—with over-the-top shapes. Tuxedos and pinstriped suiting had exaggerated shoulders, nipped-in waists, and super-long slacks; bodices extended far beyond their usual measurements, with some even growing like vines over the models’s faces. Meanwhile, Dior revealed its Josephine Baker-inspired collection of restrained, ladylike designs consistent with Maria Grazia Chiuri’s vision for the brand. At Chanel, Virginie Viard put top hats and bowties on 1920s-inspired silhouettes like drop-waist dresses with tulle and Spectator-esque boots. On Wednesday, January 25, Haider Ackermann made his highly anticipated debut as the latest guest designer for Jean Paul Gaultier, delivering a breathtaking collection that blended Ackermann’s quiet approach to fashion with the French couturier’s legacy of outré designs. The evening was capped off with a trip to Valentino’s Le Club Couture, where Pierpaolo Piccioli brought the utmost craftsmanship to clubwear and ballroom dressing. Here, some of our favorite looks from the season.