The 12 Best Runway Looks From Paris Haute Couture
This couture season in Paris was a sweltering hot one. Though temperatures pushed 100 degrees, the clothing on the runway did not disappoint. A return to the almost regal haute couture of the past was seen at Armani, Givenchy, Chanel, and Dior. Perhaps the royal wedding is to blame, but classic style is back. And for those who still crave the bolder side, there was RDvK, Maison Margiela Artisanal, and Alexandre Vauthier. New to couture week was Sonia Rykiel’s Julie de Libran, who presented a collection called L’Atelier in celebration of the brand’s 50th anniversary. Another non-couture presence this week was Miuccia Prada, who showed the Miu Miu pre-spring collection, where celebrities like Uma Thurman, Chloë Sevigny, and Game of Thrones‘ actress Gwendoline Christie took to the runway. Fellow starlets Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoey Deutch, and Katie Holmes were all in town to take in the shows, while those known to make the streets of Paris their runway all battled the July heat, in classic black, neutrals, or bold punches of color. Heatwave or not, this fall winter 2018 couture season was not one to be missed. See all the best runway looks so far, here.
1Sonia Rykiel
To celebrate the brand’s 50th anniversary, creative director Julie de Libran presented the brand’s first ever couture show at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. The feather plumes, fantastic knits and voluminous suits were reason to hope this wasn’t a one time affair!
2Givenchy
Set in the beautiful garden of the Archives Nationales, Clare Waight Keller’s Givenchy couture show was pure magic. The collection was heavily influenced by the archives of the house, in honor of the founder’s passing earlier this year.
3Chanel
The long and short of it! The defining silhouette of the Chanel show was a long skirt that unzipped to reveal a miniskirt underneath.
4Christian Dior
Dior announced this week that they have an exhibit opening next spring at the V&A, Christian Dior Designer of Dreams, following the history of the house from 1947 to today. Many looks in the couture collection were certainly museum worthy.
5Schiaparelli
It’s Schiaparelli Pink for a reason! The show featured stunning masks and headpieces by Stephen Jones.
6RDVK
Ronald van der Kemp works only with repurposed fabrics, but you would never know it from looking at his inventive and fun collection.
7Armani Privé
No one does black velvet better than Armani. In a collection that oozed old Hollywood glamour, this dress worn by Maria Borges, and a second velvet number with white feather plumes, is sure to be seen on a red carpet soon!
8Giambattista Valli
Giambattista Valli is well known for his whimsical couture dresses, and this season he offered up many white gowns worthy of any royal bride. So it was refreshing to see this particular Valli bride wearing pants, a nice change-up from the designer.
9Valentino
In a show where every single look was breathtaking, (capes for day, why not!), couture week ended on a high note, in more ways than one. Kaia Gerber’s feather gown and Guido Palau’s big hair made this look one of the most Instagrammed, and memorable, of the week.
10Elie Saab
This couture week has seen a return to classic elegance, and that held true for Elie Saab, as well. One can easily imagine Meghan Markle stepping out at a charity gala in this off-the-shoulder gown.
11Maison Margiela Artisanal
Perhaps John Galliano has the answer for all of us who are tired of yet addicted to the constant scroll of social media and technology. For this couture outing, the designer imagined a new set of women whom he called “neo-digital natives,” who desire to be fully connected at all times, yet the illusions of the images they’re being fed force them to cherish what is truly authentic, hand-made, and original. To that end, Galliano offered up a stunning clash of color, textures, and protectionist gear for his fall couture collection for Maison Margiela Artisanal.
12Fendi
Less fur and more couture. A fantastically feminine Fendi couture show that explored all different materials beyond just the fur of seasons past.
