Paris Haute Couture Week is one of fashion’s most fun weeks of the year. It causes a revision of the way in which many view the fashion industry and makes questions like “is fashion art?” pop-up your mind. Because of its mesmerizing appeal, great talents and trend-forcasting power, we’re happy to update you about the best shows and designers. Today: Iris van Herpen, Dior and Maison Rabih Kayrouz.
Check out the entire Paris Haute Couture Week schedule here.
Cover photo: © Unsplash
Paris Haute Couture Week
Paris Haute Couture Week of one of the most precious Fashion Weeks of the year and therefore deserves a first place on the list of Fashion Week schedules. Big gowns, pretty accessories and over-the-top craftsmanship will be the talk of town.
Rather looking for the complete list of all Fashion Weeks in 2020? Check it out here.
Iris van Herpen
Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen is well-known for her sculptural, 3D-printed dresses. This show, she didn’t disappoint, showing extraterrestrial creations, tailor made and draped on the models’s bodies. Van Herpen is known for continuously pushing boundaries. With this collection, called “Hypnose” she nailed it again. Every dress had its own story. Accompanied by the dramatic and bombastic music of Dutch Joep Beving and Maarten Vos, the show was nothing less than an overwhelming experience.
Our favorite? The white dress, a.k.a. ‘Sensory Seas’, as explained on Instagram:
“Sensory Seas” holds a microscope over the indelible nuances between the anthropology of a marine organism, to the role of dendrites and synapses delivering infinite signals throughout our bodies. It enchants the attention of how two processes of torrential messaging exist in an uninterrupted state of flux ~
Drawing from geostrophic turbulence patterns, 3D twisted vortex models were created in Rhino. In collaboration with Philip Beesley, thousands of fine white screen-printing mesh layers were numbered and sliced into 3 mm distance, to then cut the zillion layers on the KERN lasercutter with a triangulated grid of chevron-holes. Grasshopper scripts smoothened the processes of lofting, slicing and nesting. Then each layer was embellished by hand with a grid of minuscule transparent chevrons, creating infinitely flexible forms that can expand and contract around the body, like a sensory sea of eb and flow.”
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Dior
Maria Grazia Chiuri nailed it once again for Dior. Together with feminist artist Judy Chicago, she realized a project shown at Chiuri’s 2020 Spring Couture show for Dior; the womb-shaped runway drew immediate attention. As Chiuri told Vogue: “The relationship between creativity and femininity really touched me, because I live that in a personal way“, it immediately became clear that the creative director won’t be run over by her male colleagues. And while society in general faces many issues at the moment, Chiuri evidently sticks to what’s most important to her: female empowerment.
But how could female empowerment and Haute Couture merge with each other? For this coalescence, she drew inspiration from the Greco-Roman peplos, who had their dresses draped around their bodies. This is both very couture and very feministic. At first, the female bodies are respected as they are; the dresses are draped around them. At second, the collection is very couture since every dress is tailor made for each model.
The final piece differed from others, showing a veiled moon, which was a sign for female fecundity in ancient history. Season after season, Mariza Grazia Chiuri succeeds in shedding a new light on different parts of femininity, female empowerment and feminism. The womb-runway was packed with banners posing questions – made by a women’s project in India. The final – and most pivotal – question was “What if Women Ruled the World?” Chiuri gave us a glimpse.
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Maison Rabih Kayrouz
Fashion designer Rabih Kayrouz has celebrated his 20 years in fashion in 2019, of which he spend 10 years in Paris. For his last show, the mood was festive. Models walked the runway covered in bright colors and frivolous fabrics, accompanied by dark, smokey eyes.
At this Haute Couture show, things were different. Deconstruction was the common theme and models walked the runway wearing red socks. This red color matched their eyeshadows, too. Would it be a hint to the world being on fire? Deconstruction can be brought back to nature as well. The world is slowly deconstructing and on fire. As the show continued, the looks became brighter and more festive. Bombastic shoulders and sharp cuts took the lead.
Whether or not Kayrouz referred to the current state of our planet, it was a party to watch.
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Also read:
- Copenhagen Fashion Week schedule – January 27 until January 31
- New York Fashion Week schedule – February 6 until Feburary 13
- London Fashion Week schedule – February 14 until Februrary 19
Or check out entire section of Fashion Week updates.
