Want to know a secret? My favourite week in the whole year to not attend is Paris Couture. Ok so that isn’t really much of a secret, but Couture Week is this week (ends today, sadly) and now that I’m on the home straight, exam wise, I thought I’d treat myself with a little peek at what is happening on the continent. All the frill and frou-frou and Dior’s stage set. Lagerfeld.  Even if you’re not much of a couture connoisseur, the pictures are stunning.  

So what’s been happening? The obvious place to start is Chanel, clearly, under the creative mind of Karl Lagerfeld. The stage was stunning, a central floral arrangement that the models walked around, really setting the scene for the gorgeous outfits, a mix of classic Chanel cuts and lines, with a 2015 twist. I am in love with the cropped black cropped jacket/white skirt outfit. As in, requiring that jacket. Or a knockoff/replica. In fact, all the cropped jacket/knee length skirt combinations were adorable. My favourite section of the show was when the gowns started making an appearance, such gorgeous embellishments and tulle/taffeta capes! The final outfit was absolutely breathtaking.

image from city starling @ tumblr

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Next, Christian Dior, which was much more geometric and edgy – the set was tiered scaffolding, with steps, – and the clothing was a mix of bright colours and patterns. I think for me, the talking point has to be the jumpsuits, then the cutaway gowns, and of course the colour blocking. The entire show has a much more fast paced feeling to it than Chanel, which is probably due to the accompanying soundtrack, it definitely keeps you on your toes. I’m in love with the boxy cropped tops over poofy skirts, and the clean, simple lines of the outfits. It’s a stunning collection, and I sometimes forget that couture can be completely wearable from day to day – there are many pieces from this collection that I’d happily hang in my wardrobe if I had the money, and the space…

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Atelier Versace, the weeks opener, was a much darker affair, featuring floor length gowns, daring splits, bold geometric cutouts, and a homage to the 70’s revival with bell bottomed jumpsuits. The colour scheme was true Donatella: black, red, blue, silver and white. For me, it’s definitely not my favourite  show, some of the models were very awkward to watch walking in their outfits and much of the collection didn’t really excite me. There were some pieces that I instantly adored, and I think I now require the cropped bomber jackets and one or two of the body-con cocktail dresses. Overall, the music and the darkness makes the show incredibly tense, which is fine, I guess, but doesn’t make for easy viewing. The makeup the models were wearing though, was absolutely stunning.

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Giambattista Valli is the last stop today, the house of fairytale wedding dresses, Though this collection was definitely not fairytale wedding dress-y. There was definite poof and frou-frou, yes, but also gorgeous structured dresses-over-trousers and beautiful embellishments. The zig-zag runway was a lovely touch, it really lets you see how the collection flows, threaded through with that romantic, parisienne vibe. The dresses with the white base and yellow/black/lavender detailing are my favourite of the collection, especially the number with the capelet back. The ending gowns were princessy, fabulous and possibly the embodiment of my idea of ‘couture’ when I was younger, especially the last three. 

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image from Mirna Huhoja @ tumbr

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I have such a love for couture shows, even though I know that I’ll probably never be able to afford anything without years and years of saving, an then the problem would be having events to wear anything to… But the designs are so gorgeous to look at, and photograph, plus the stages for each show are so intricate it really adds to the artwork that couture fashion is. 

If you’ve seen any of the couture shows this season which was your favourite? Or is couture really not your thing – I know it can seem incredibly unrelateable, since most of the buyers add pieces to collections to store away forever and never really wear. I’d love to hear your opinions.

♥

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