The Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week collections came to an almighty end last night, subsequent to John Galliano staging his applause-inducing Maison Margiela Artisanal showcase spectacular, which was truly something the fashion crowned hasn’t witnessed for some time. Boating insane storytelling, drama and theatrics – Galliano’s Dior is truly well and truly alive at Margiela.
Flashback to Monday and it was Daniel Roseberry at Schiaparelli kick-starting the couture celebrations, reminding his A-list audience of the power of fashion. As Roseberry dug even deeper into the rich and surrealist Schiaparelli DNA, models were decked out in the designer’s hi-tech couture looks of XL shoulders, dramatic bodices – often covered in micro chips and old cell phones. At Christian Dior, guests digested Maria Grazia Chiuri’s take on classic Dior shapes heralding the essence of femininity with new interpretations of A-line skirts, cocktail dresses and the iconic bar jacket, shown inside a set envisioned by artist Isabella Ducrot. Balloon, draped and bow dresses were taken to the extreme at Giambattista Valli while ethereal tulle, bows, pinks and tweed were on the agenda at Virginie Viard’s ballerina-inspired Chanel showcase.
This season marked 19 years since Giorgio Armani first debuted his Privé collection, with the king of Italian fashion putting his ateliers to work to present a collection full of exquisite fabrics and sophisticated glamour. Simone Rocha, as guest-designer of Jean Paul Gaultier this season, paid homage to the codes of the house: corsetry. The Irish designer brought her folkloric romanticism to JPG couture with Rocha’s signature shades of blush, red and black scattered throughout. At Viktor & Rolf, never expecting the unexpected, models walked the runway in a black and nude uniform of distressed and deconstructed creations. Titled ‘Le Salon’, Pierpaolo Piccioli’s latest couture collection for Valentino was an ode to the essence of haute couture itself – but with a modern twist of masterful color-blocking. From glistening suits to crystal-encrusted accessories, Kim Jones at Fendi married futurism with Karl Lagerfeld’s vision for the luxury Italian fashion house.
What did theFashionSpot’s very own army of fashion critics think of Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week’s Spring 2024 season? Scroll further for the hits and misses:
MISS | Valentino
“Most of this looks awkward and difficult to wear.” [Alquimista]
“The fabrics are so stiff and heavy, they are on the verge of cardboard. The oversized blazers are a tired trend.” [yslforever]
“I absolutely loathe Pierpaolo Piccioli’s work. He started out so strong solo at the house, but he very quickly ended up in this particular rut that he refuses to get out of. Personally, I find his use if color garish. I do not think he is a master colorist. I also find it really obvious how lazy the actual design work is. Most of what he puts out now for couture is like a big, boxy, solid, 2-dimensional oversized item like a car coat and it’s so basic and there’s no detail work to speak of. So boring. So cheap.” [lookatme]
See all the looks from the Valentino Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
HIT | Giorgio Armani Privé
“This is Haute Couture! There’s an allure and the quality of those fabrics screams at you in a way that quiet luxury couldn’t! Armani put that atelier to work!” [Lola701]
“This is a masterclass on how to be a couturier. The perfect cut and finish, the restrained excess, the contrast between melancholic and lady like, the use of the right fabric and the perfect fit. These are pieces that will be worn for years.” [Urban Stylin]
“I sat and watched the live-stream in absolute awe! Absolutely flawless from start to finish, and another collection in which cements Giorgio Armani a cut above the rest. So many delightful creations here, and so many sublime details and fabrics. The fluid metallic fabric Armani uses is heavenly. Ugh, I could rave about this collection until the cows come home…” [vogue28]
See all the looks from the Giorgio Armani Privé Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
MISS | Stephane Rolland
“Sometimes, I feel like Mr Rolland’s women are just drowning under all that fabric. The volumes are always too much and if it’s not the volumes, it’s the impossible train.” [Lola701]
“Really this is just a series of couture sacks and smocks. He’s never been the most compelling when it comes to construction, but this is on another level.” [Cocteau Stone]
“A parody of a parody.” [dontbeadrag]
See all the looks from the Stephane Rolland Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
MISS | Miss Sohee
“What in cosplay reject hell is this? It’s so juvenile.” [GoldenPetals]
“How can someone so young have such outdated tastes?” [tourbillions]
“Social media haute couture. She designs for a moment – not a general profile or demographic, design values, or specific client. just for a viral moment. people like her use of texture and graphics, but it’s not enough. she’s underdeveloped with no taste.” [TerraVera]
See all the looks from the Miss Sohee Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
MISS | Christian Dior
“The choice of fabrics make the whole collection look like it has been made with the remnants from a clearance sale of an upholstery company.” [jeanclaude]
“WOW! This is aggressively ugly. Maria Grazia Chiuri’s confidence while being this mediocre is astonishing.” [VogueDisciple93]
“Same sh*t over and over, I’m tired of this woman!” [bennyboy]
See all the looks from the Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
MISS | Fendi
“It’s such a coma-inducing show. The collection itself is so bland that there’s literally nothing to talk about.” [perhydrol]
“Why is Jones’ Fendi so American in its sensibility? This could be Isaac Mizrahi couture. It lacks that sense of fun and humor both Karl’s and Sylvia’s collections had. It’s very textbook couture, overly precious and too serious for an Italian brand.” [avonlea002]
“Aseptic and lank. Kim just doesn’t work well at Fendi. There’s no fun and joy in this at all, just boredom. Very inoffensive so it’ll cater itself well to the mindlessness of the ‘fash pack’ and all the ‘journalists’, but where’s the actual soul?” [Cocteau Stone]
See all the looks from the Fendi Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
HIT | Viktor & Rolf
“F a b u l o u s.” [helmutnotdead]
“They struck gold with this show. Excellent.” [LadyJunon]
“It’s always the ones you expect absolutely nothing from who comes up with the good stuff! This is one of the times where their stunt actually works so well because attached to a narrative, a design and technical challenge!” [Lola701]
See all the looks from the Viktor & Rolf Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
MISS | Jean Paul Gaultier
“Extremely cheap and unimaginative.” [lookatme]
“It’s just so frou frou. Half looks like like an audition for Dior, the other half a Gaultier Pinterest board. This just isn’t interesting or challenging. Simone Rocha should’ve looked at his mid-90s and early-00s collections a little more. The whole cone bra and corset sh*t is getting stale fast.” [gallianostan]
“I really don’t understand why Rocha did not send out to the runway a silk draped top with a pair of embroidered jeans and high satin heels. Jean Paul Gaultier is much more than a f*cking corset.” [helmutnotdead]
See all the looks from the Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
MISS | Chanel
“Such a waste of talented seamstresses.” [couturefan]
“The white tights are a poor choice. They’re so unflattering and even though the proportions of these looks are better than her usual outputs, it’s still so lackluster. Not an ounce of joy or fun to be had, let alone movement, which is the premise of Coco’s design beginning.” [Cocteau Stone]
“Chanel Haute Couture used to be a dream… so sophisticated, elegant and such high level of craftsmanship that you wanted to get a piece of. Now it’s just an extension of RTW with more embellishment and more fabric.” [tourbillions]
See all the looks from the Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
HIT | Elie Saab
“I like Elie Saab. He is an institution and I have a real respect for this kind of very client-oriented type of couture. The collection is predictable but also quite beautiful. The quality is screaming through the screen!” [Lola701]
“Really beautiful.” [liberty33r1b]
“Elie Saab has come to be a couture highlight for me, and this collection is no exception. From start to finish, each look just appears so perfectly executed, crafted and designed. The fabrics, the color palette, the confidence of Saab himself – all absolute perfection.” [vogue28]
See all the looks from the Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
MISS | Homolog
“So many references from other designers. Why are there so many unknowns showing during Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week?” [tourbillions]
“Homo-log out of this couture week ASAP!” [Kanzai]
“What an odd name for a brand. Very D-list. Like a ‘couture designer’ friend that some reality star/housewife have on retainer thinking they’ve made it are IT. Nothing wrong with that, but why present at couture when you are not that?” [Cocteau Stone]
See all the looks from the Homolog Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
MISS | Ronald van der Kemp
“An expensive made-to-measure Parsons graduation show.” [jeanclaude]
“The magic of RVDK unfortunately died when he started to have shows. I remember those magnificent lookbooks, super edited but also very strong! RVDK is a seasoned designer and so, it’s a pity to see the kind of collections we have to attach to his name. Nothing is working here. And neither the casting or the presentation are helping his case!” [Lola701]
“Runway presentations just don’t work for him. A tighter edit or styling with the looks would have helped a lot too. Needs a better balance to create some more tension between them all.” [Cocteau Stone]
See all the looks from the Ronald van der Kemp Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
MISS | Tony Ward
“Another one not on the official calendar and appropriating the Haute Couture label. I’m so sick of these hacks.” [gallianostan]
“So shiny, so tacky, so cheap!” [tourbillions]
“Rhinestone Pride Parade.” [jeanclaude]
See all the looks from the Tony Ward Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
MISS | Giambattista Valli
“Very garish. Pink and green DO NOT GO. Especially not on 80s prom dresses.” [Golden Petals]
“As usual, a sh*t load of fabric but nothing to say with it.” [avonlea002]
“I mean, the collection feels like he is making mockery of Haute Couture. The tragedy is that Valli really thinks this is what Haute Couture should look like! Those 80s floral prints are straight from the Golden Girls living room upholstery- and they never should be removed from there!” [jeanclaude]
See all the looks from the Giambattista Valli Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
MISS | Schiaparelli
“It’s just so synthetic and calculated. There isn’t really that much of a shift happening, and the mood board seems like a very obvious one from start to finish. Feels incredibly conceited.” [Cocteau Stone]
“He had a really strong moment for a year or so, but now it’s getting a little bit tiresome. If he were to expand his color palette, that would make a big difference. He can’t continue to produce only black, white, and gold. The archive are rich in color. He needs to confront whatever fear he has towards color because the house DNA isn’t solely black and white.” [GivenchyHomme]
“It kind of feels like Daniel Roseberry is running out of steam.” [TerraVera]
See all the looks from the Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
HIT | Maison Margiela
“Daaaamn. Galliano is truly back in business. It’s DISTINCTLY Galliano, but with that gritty Margiela touch.” [GoldenPetals]
“FINALLY! Drama, theater, excess, darkness, whatever. I don’t care about Margiela, I want to see Galliano like in his glory days. I’m glad to see his confidence is back, and to finally own his aesthetic at full.” [FelipeV]
“I was absolutely moved to tears, we haven’t seen or experienced anything like this in eons. And, God, is fashion hungry for this. This almost feels like a swansong collection, or at least a culmination of the narrative he’s been weaving these last few years. I’m just lost for any intelligent words right now.” [Mr-Dale]
See all the looks from the Maison Margiela Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection.
