COUTURE SPRING/SUMMER 2022 ; DRESSES DREAMS ARE MADE OF
COUTURE SPRING/SUMMER 2022
The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Moda held court last week in Paris with the presentation of the Couture Spring/Summer 2022 collections. Since its beginning in late 19th-century Paris, haute couture has been an exceptional proving ground of artistry and design innovation. The couture shows are where designers can explore free expression, and brands can build their image, and put their mark on the fashion world.
I have just completed watching all the shows presented for Couture Spring/Summer 2022 and have concluded that couture is alive and well. For years the end of couture has been predicted. The death of haute couture has been rumored for the last three decades. However, the survival of this federation is secure, mainly because couture doesn't sell dresses it sells dreams.
COUTURE SPRING/SUMMER 2022-
DRESSES DREAMS ARE MADE OF.
The real story of haute couture is the vague dream that we might one day wear couture. Couture customers number around 4000 internationally, the rest of us enjoy the show. Spectacle, grandeur, artistry, craftsmanship, and history are on display for us fashion lovers to relish. The objective of the couture houses is to imprint their brand on the world and sell lipstick. While this might sound jaded, the couture houses, like many other fashion brands, make most of their profits on accessories mostly handbags, beauty products, and scents. However, it is the beautiful garments that grace the couture runway, that dreams are made of, here are my highlights of the Couture Spring/Summer 2022 shows.
COUTURE SPRING/SUMMER 2022
VALENTINO
Designer Pierpaolo Piccioli turned the couture norms on their head. He did not do this by sending otherworldly designs down the catwalk but by changing who wore them. A token plus-sized model in an upscaled dress is nothing new. However, this was something different. Piccioli designed couture gowns specifically for these models. Enveloping their curves, tummies, and hips in garments designed for their bodies, he broke the mold of who could model couture. The fuller-figured models were as at home on the runway as the standard, often waif-like young women. The cast was also broadened, by several older models, who expressed the sophistication, character, and grace that comes from maturity. Piccioli showed a more inclusive collection, that better reflects the spectrum of society.
The designer explored some different silhouettes. His signature column dresses are imbued movement and sexuality on the more curvy models. A large spectrum of colors are unified by the thruway of lustrous golds, rich chocolate, and various tones of milky coffee.
A vivid lilac gown, with large bows around the bodice, stood out for the skill and beauty of its craftsmanship. A series of brilliantly colored chiffon gowns are lively, classic, and beautiful. Drawing on the legacy of Valentino, Pierpaolo updated many classic silhouettes from both the !950s and 60s. The garments included exquisite couture details like beading and embroidery. This collection is well-positioned to turn heads at the upcoming red carpet season.
COUTURE SPRING/SUMMER 2022
JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
When Jean-Paul Gaultier retired, he stated that a different designer would design his couture collection each year. Gaultier named Y/Project’s Glenn Martens to design the Couture Spring/Summer 2022 collection. Martens took his new role seriously and presented a collection worthy of the Gautier pedigree. The key to a Gaultier look is to be edgy, alter the proportions of the body and be inventive. Martens managed to create edgy, fashion-forward looks for his first couture creations.
Martens used corsetry and wired voluminous skirts to create exaggerated silhouettes with mounds of frothy fabric cascading into long trains. Other looks included knit dresses with sculptural knit shrouds with rough coarse textures. Still, others brought street style to the couture runway with denim jeans juxtaposed with a satin corset. Chiffon gowns with their inner construction exposed and frayed edges are airy and ethereal. At the same time, ribbed column dresses suggest power and hardness. Martens is a designer that understands the spectacle needed to design for the House of Gaultier. This collection is well suited to the celebrity clients of this brand.
COUTURE SPRING/SUMMER 2022
CHANEL
The top fashion house of Chanel showed us how to put on a couture show. The show was staged on an elaborate set by French artist Xavier Veilhan at the Grand Palais. The setting referenced the constructivism movement in art and the avant-garde of 1920s and 30s Europe. Moreove,r designer Virginie Viard called on the equestrian muse of the house and channeled both Karl and Coco. The opening featured no less than a princess on horseback. Charlotte Casiraghi ( the second child and only daughter of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and Stefano Casiraghi, an Italian industrialist) rode the runway in a black tweed sequined jacket and equestrian gear. Now that's an opening.
While the clothes that followed paid little reference to the equestrian world, they were well suited to the horsey set. Drawing on the strengths of the house, Viard showed her interpretations of the classic tweeds and boucles. The inspiration of the 20s and 30s was clear in wafting chiffon dresses and shimmering organza. This year's Chanel suit jacket features wrap skirts with uneven hems and flashes of feathers and lace. The jackets were also paired, with trousers with high-slit legs. Scarves trailed as if Coco herself had placed them. Slinky satin evening dresses suspended from necklaces, revealing the back. This collection was not shy of the exquisite details that the Chanel ateliers are known. Viard working with her team created a collection that shows all the talents of these artists and artisans.
COUTURE SPRING/SUMMER 2022
ELLIE SAAB
If any designer sums up the glamour of haute couture, it is Ellie Saab. The Lebanese designer presented his first couture collection in Paris in 2003. Since he has become a member of the syndicate and shows every year. While his main atelier is in Lebanon, he has couture workshops in Milan and Paris.
This was Saab's first runway show in two years, and he held nothing back. Presenting a collection of 55 pieces, Saab gave his loyal followers and customers ample variety and a feast for the eyes. Spring was the theme and, these dresses were like a trip to the flower market. Silhouettes with massive skirts covered with chiffon petals and decorated with sequins, feathers, and sparkling rhinestones floated down the runway. Saab stresses the joy that comes from brilliant color. A vibrant magenta dress opened the show and was followed by dresses in a spectrum of saturated colors. Saab still relies on his skills with a subtle palette to fulfill his vision. This collection shows the signature gowns that made Ellie Saab a couture favorite. These hopeful dresses were presented to bring some optimism to Saab's home of Lebanon, which is suffering thru devastating times. The red carpets of the world are sure to see some of Saab's spectacular gowns step out.
COUTURE SPRING/SUMMER 2022
FENDI
If you can imagine a spaceship landing in ancient Rome, you have the essence of the set for Kim Jones's show at La Bourse. The fantasy of the setting is embued into the clothing. Jones creates a unique marriage of Roman architecture and a Marvel movie. The garments are evening wear, no details were spared, in the boned mini skirts and beaded gowns. The frocks had stream-lined silhouettes; reminiscent of the tall lean Doric columns of Rome. Images of Roman statues were painted on velvet gowns and a mink cape. The elongated faces painted on the dresses are regal and stir our emotions.
Shimmering gowns were lustrous with beading, and others are embellished with embroidery, that appeared to be chiseled from stone. A series of gowns in navy and crimson red was a masterclass in draping. A bluish plum mini dress with a bejeweled beaded front is a standout piece. These are clothes that are a fashion lovers dream, with embellishments and drama, illustrating the best skills and design couture has to offer.
CONCLUSION
While, it was hard to choose just five collections from the couture shows, I have selected collections that I love and that represent a variety of styles. If you are minimalist couture may not be your thing. However, I love the excess, splendor, and craftsmanship of Haute Couture. Couture is the representation of the highest skills used in clothing design. The handmade creations that grace the couture runways of Paris are clothing dreams are made of. Most of the population will never own couture garments, but does that mean we can't indulge ourselves in its beauty. Much like visiting an art museum or a ballet performance, couture is an artistic expression. Therefore whether you may never wear couture you can celebrate this magnificent art form. To see the runway presentations for yourself follow this link https://hautecouture.fhcm.paris/en/calendar-spring-summer-2022/
