Let’s take a look at Haute Couture Week

Twice a year, the fashion gods bless us with the opportunity to gaze upon the most ambitious work fashion’s greatest minds have to offer. It’s haute couture, baby.

The most important thing to know going into this week is that not just anybody can call their work “haute couture.” The term is strictly defined under French law, and Paris’s Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode decides who qualifies.

In the age of ready-to-wear, haute couture preserves fashion as an art form. These garments aren’t made to be bought and sold. They’re made to be displayed in a way that tells a story. In fact, haute couture only caters to around 4,000 clients worldwide.

So why create clothes that may never be sold?

For fashion houses, haute couture is an opportunity to show the world what they’re capable of. It’s about building brand identity and reminding ready-to-wear clients of what they love about the designer in the first place.

This year’s Fall/Winter Haute Couture Week featured shows from 30 designers, and I’ve compiled my thoughts on the ones that stood out to me.

Balenciaga by Pierpaolo Piccioli

I have to admit that this collection was not my favorite. Its references to the Balenciaga of old failed to live up to the originals, and I felt like the harsh sunlight on the runway didn’t do this show any favors. Still, I’ll give credit where credit is due. Balenciaga designs garments to permit movement, creating volume without bulky internal structures. Piccioli succeeds here by creating outfits that feel larger than life without being suffocating. The breathtaking earrings and sparkly handbags were also lovely additions that got a little bit lost behind all the fabric. I did find the use of color to be the strongest aspect of this show. I love some of the softer pink moments (particularly looks 50 and 51), and this sparkling green dress was a standout for me as well.

Chanel by Matthieu Blazy

This collection has me torn. On one hand, I’ve never really been a fan of Chanel. I can only handle so many tweed skirt suits. On the other hand, the details on this collection are immaculate. Zooming in on any of these looks reveals intricate embroidery and rich texture, and nods to Blazy’s fairytale inspiration are everywhere. Just look at these teeny tiny handbags! And I have to love the little birds nesting in the decorative neckline of Look 56. This is definitely more whimsical than the Chanel we’re used to seeing. The problem is that when I zoom back out, most of these looks just fall flat for me. When you can’t see all the embellishments and textures, the silhouettes don’t really stand on their own. I did think the choice to close the show with a black dress instead of the traditional bride was interesting, but the actual dress they used was nothing to write home about.

Christian Dior by Jonathan Anderson

This collection has certainly been controversial. Some people love it, others say it feels disjointed. I’m not sure where I stand. While I admit that this is not a particularly cohesive show, it does have a lot to offer. Anderson was inspired by the work of Lynda Benglis, and the impact of Indian culture can be seen throughout the collection. Handbags inspired by chintz textiles and Jaipur jewelry especially paid homage to traditional Indian craftsmanship. Benglis’s influence is particularly evident in the pleated metallic gowns (Looks 8, 14 and 46), which harken back to her pleated metal works. The collection also heavily featured botanical references, with many looks featuring floral details (Looks 5 and 17) and grass-green fringe (Looks 9 and 20). I suspect this could be a reference to Christian Dior himself, who famously likened the women he dressed to flowers.

As a fun bonus, Anderson actually shared his sketches for several of these looks on Instagram. A personal favorite of mine is Look 47, “Cactus,” possibly because it reminds me of The Princess and the Frog (2009).

Fendi by Maria Grazia Chiuri

I think Fendi and I fundamentally disagree about what haute couture should look like. That’s not to say I don’t like any of their looks, but I rarely feel like this particular brand is showing me something I haven’t seen before. I did see a lot more creativity in the later part of this show, but there wasn’t really anything that wowed me. The sheer black gowns were definitely a step in the right direction, particularly Looks 48 and 54. There were also some interesting textural moments, such as this floor length leather cape, but it just wasn’t enough to save the collection for me.

Georges Hobeika by Georges and Jad Hobeika

Now this is couture. This collection, titled “The Visitor,” was inspired by James McCrae’s “Instructions Before Visiting Earth.” Funnily enough, one of the first things I noticed when I was glancing through the runway photos was the intergalactic feel of many of the gowns. In particular, Look 16 reminded me of Padmé’s blue nightgown from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (leave it to me to bring up Star Wars). The entire collection was dominated by shades of blue, which paired beautifully with more grounded shades of beige and silver. The simple color palette allowed the textures and embellishments to shine, drawing the eye to the phenomenal beading that gave this collection that fantasy quality. Every look is breathtaking, but some highlights for me were the sneaky crop top in Look 7, the intricate embellishments paired with the simple silhouette of Look 13 and the deep teal blue gemstones adorning Look 35.

I also find it so cool that Hobeika has brought his son into the fold as Co-Creative Director. I wish my dad would design haute couture with me, but alas.

Giorgio Armani Privé by Silvana Armani

There’s a timelessness to Armani that few designers can truly replicate. This brand has mastered the art of beauty through restraint, creating looks that feel classic without being boring. In this collection, glittering jewel tones transport us into a dazzling midnight sky. The black high-neck dress with the crocodile texture and the glittering blue gown that closed the show were especially high points of the show. The sculptural necklines toward the end of the show (Looks 53-57) were also wonderful to see. That being said, I felt like the riskier looks didn’t really pay off. Look 44 in particular was a swing and a miss, and it felt out of place in the collection. I did feel like the gowns were generally a lot stronger than the looks featuring pants, but I did really like the sequined jackets featured in Looks 1 and 32.

Iris van Herpen

It turns out fashion isn’t just art. It’s also science. This collection, titled “Sonic Starquakes,” pushes the boundaries of what’s possible when art and science collide on the human form. The regal, imposing silhouettes of this collection are fit for an alien queen, and still photos don’t do them justice. Watching the clear material of Look 15 drift down the runway felt like something out of a dream. While I do have to admit that van Herpen’s huge, gravity-defying silhouettes can get a little repetitive at times, I think there’s enough variety in this collection to keep it from feeling overly gimmicky. The “Helix Nebula” dress combines the blown glass bubbles that we previously saw at the Met Gala with plasma tubes that respond to the model’s touch, creating a look that’s truly unique. The pattern on the “Fractal Universe” dress was created using a particle accelerator. Van Herpen isn’t just using interesting materials. She’s experimenting with an entirely different state of matter to see what can be created when we leap outside the bounds of the conventional, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Manish Malhotra

When all is said and done, this is my favorite collection of the lineup. Malhotra’s debut haute couture collection, titled “Maa,” paid tribute to his late mother, and that emotional depth can be felt through every stitch displayed on this runway. The show was divided into four sections: “Cocoon,” “Bond,” “Becoming” and “Abundance,” each representing a different phase of the relationship between a mother and child. Every look is so rich in color and texture, a welcome reprieve in an era of fashion minimalism. The thick, heavy fabrics of Looks 1 and 2 feel warm and comforting rather than restrictive and suffocating, and the sculptures incorporated into them are works of art in their own right. The sharp, exaggerated silhouettes that appear later in the show (see Looks 23, 27 and 33) feel divine and powerful, filling me with a genuine sense of awe when I first saw them. Take a bow, Manish Malhotra. You have certainly earned it.

Robert Wun

Robert Wun’s “Childsplay” is a surrealist (and slightly creepy) exploration of the mind of a child. Models walked the runway dressed as teddy bears and ballet dancers, and the show is bookended by explosions of color in the form of paint splatters and balloons. But childhood isn’t just about play; it can also be a time of fear and uncertainty. Wun explores this theme as well, warping playful creatures into eldritch horrors. The collection viewed as a whole is deeply unsettling in the kind of way that makes you think. A vivid imagination can make the world a scary place, and Wun’s designs often walk that line between fantasy and horror. I have to confess that this is not my favorite Robert Wun collection, but I do appreciate the story it tells. I did really like the headpieces displayed throughout the show, especially the frozen blue ribbons in Look 20 and the Cinderella-esque bird helper in Look 13.

Schiaparelli by Daniel Roseberry

Holy silicone. This collection, titled “The Call of the Void,” is probably the one that got the most social media attention, largely because the closing look was flown straight to London and worn by the one and only Zendaya right after the show. Roseberry wanted to challenge the use of artificial intelligence in design by creating a collection that proves the importance of human skill. The result is “The Abyss,” a jaw-dropping combination of traditional craft and technological achievement. The emphasis on silicone gives us a lot of interesting silhouettes, like this jacket that looks like it belongs to a life-size Polly Pocket. The rubbery texture is admittedly a bit off-putting at times, but it’s balanced out by some truly beautiful work. The way Look 24 hangs in space and the way Look 5 somehow makes Ghostface look elegant are testaments to the skill behind each of these garments.

With that being said, I cannot ignore the disaster that is the staging of this show. Every photo is extremely bright and busy, making it difficult to focus the clothes. The reflective surface of the floor makes this even worse. And the real shame is that, because it’s so bright, you can’t even tell that a lot of these looks are actually lit from within. It’s a beautiful detail that is totally lost in the overcrowded staging of what could otherwise have been a really fantastic show.

If you enjoyed reading about these collections, do yourself a favor and explore the rest of the Haute Couture Week calendar. I took you through the 10 collections that inspired me the most, but every show had something different to offer. Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad delivered dark fantasy fashion, Rahul Mishra created living statues inspired by the stone figures of Ancient India and Stéphane Rolland put on a spectacle of texture and silhouette with his nearly all-white collection.

I could only fit so much into one post, but there’s a whole world of couture waiting to be discovered.