Couture week came and went – but its fleeting glamour didn’t go unnoticed. Design houses are now addressing millennial trends and integrating them into the highest form of fashion: couture. For Spring 2019 the color palette includes canary bright yellows, hot pinks, deep royal blues and look at me colors – but it also played with pastel strokes on pleats, lots of high shine, and what’s a spring collection without florals? Viktor&Rolf‘s collection saturated every Instagram feed with its cheeky language embroidered on ballgowns, and Dior appropriated a circus theme exquisitely. will always be Chanel – its signature tweeds and French disposition will never get old.
VALENTINO
“You don’t invent color,” said Piccioli, “but you can invent new harmonies for color.” Piccioli knows what it means to be feminine- and knows how to romanticize it even better. Valentino‘s Spring 2019 Couture show was like immersing oneself in a dreamy haze of delicacy and euphoria. There were softly-blown tulles, iridescent silks in highlighter yellows and fuschias, and a voluminous high-shine emerald lamé gown worn by Kaia Gerber. The muted tones that followed were made up for with intricate flower details, peplum layers, and flowy regal organza necks. The silhouette was grand and away from the body – more suited for Marie Antoinette than for a Kardashian. The casting was intentionally diverse, and the inspiration based on it. A “medieval depictions of black Madonnas” was the sentiment behind this poignant and emotive collection.
MARGIELA
John Galliano took us on an acid trip with his Spring 2019 Couture collection at Margiela. The backdrop was as intricate and trippy as the opening looks, both merging together to form a colorful moving canvas of art and high fashion. John Galliano’s iconic vision is seen in the tailored menswear that followed: structured capes sinched asymmetrically, distressed baggy shorts, and tops with no armholes to simulate psych ward patients–all of it was eerie: unequivocally Galliano.
BALMAIN
“The house is known for being edgy and sexy and glamorous. Here, it’s all about bringing back Balmain to the elegance of la France,” said Olivier Rousteing about his Balmain Spring 2019 Couture show. All-white looks opened the show, followed by an array of pastels strokes on fanned out pleated details. Some of the pieces evoked an extraterrestrial feeling: holographic, colorful and peculiar. Skirts and tops were balloon-rounded as if made from ceramic clay. It was an overall combination of classic silhouettes, modern structures, and lots of glam, indeed.
VIKTOR & ROLF
Viktor and Rolf Couture 2019 was a moment within a moment: pictures of this particular collection saturated every social media platform within seconds of its commencement. If you ask us, they were intended exactly for that. What’s more instagrammable than a fashion week shot with none other than the quotes we see in memes and millennial content? Quotes like “F*ck this, I’m going to Paris” and “No Photos Please” were patched on neon ballgowns. Instant gratification at its finest.
CHANEL
Chanel Couture was regal in the way of 18th century France, but the colors and details fit the demands of this generation. Signature hand-woven tweeds can never be out of sight at a Chanel show, this year it came in 2-piece bedazzled sequin suits and some with leather accents. There were origami folds, colossal ballerina dresses, and real flowers dipped in resin as accents. Everything is meant for a 21st-century adventurous princess– in 2019 that means an uptown socialite — the one that lives for a grand entrance and loves pushing the fashion boundaries.
DIOR
Dior mastered the circus metaphor without converting it into a satire. Maria Grazia Chuiri approached the inspiration with couture eyes: clown polka-dots were softened by way of sheer fabrics on structured mini-dresses suitable for the year 2030, ring leader tuxedos with intricate gold detailing and impeccable tailoring, and a series of golden dresses in different lengths and textures worthy of Greek mythology.