PARIS HAUTE COUTURE FASHION WEEK: SCHIAPARELLI, IRIS VAN HERPEN, CHRISTIAN DIOR, CHANEL, RAHUL MISHRA and GIAMBATTISTA VALLI – Fall Winter 2022 – 2023

by Cecile Paul · July 8, 2022

Feel free to share:

Unrivalled Splendour, Luxe and Opulence Reigned Supreme in Paris. Haute Couture has Seldom Looked More Sizzlingly HOT.

Image Credit PARIS HAUTE COUTURE Fashion Week, Vogue and Featured Designers

Beaded 20s-style glamour – at Schiaparelli

Gilded leaves and exaggerated sleeves – at Rahul Mishra

The eternal city of fashion showcased its most precious gems across the arrondissements of Paris, in opulent open-air venues, ostentatious enclosures and intimate salons. Chanel, Christian Dior, Iris Van Herpen and Schiaparelli amongst others, set in motion the first couple of days of this highly anticipated week in the calendar of every couture-loving fashionista in the world. Celebrities Rita Ora, Carlie Kloss and Oliver Rousteing sat front row at the viscerally beautiful Schiaparelli show and A-listers Sigourney Weaver, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightly rocked their couture bests at Chanel. It was a week of unrivalled splendor, luxe and opulence – with imaginatively and immaculately styled fashion-lovers pouring out of the show venues in the city, mirroring the fabulous inspiration from within. As is the tradition with couture, every detail is a mini celebration of beauty and craft – exceptional detail in hair, beauty and accessories perfectly complimented each ensemble in the collections. We were in seventh heaven trying to absorb all this beauty!

As ever, words fail to describe the sheer grandeur of these collections. Join us for a visual whistle-stop tour through some of our most beloved collections.

Bon visionnement!

Life-size 3-D flowers – at Schiaparelli

Ethereal contours – at Iris Van Herpen

Butterfly spectacles and rhinestone trims – at Giambattista Valli

SCHIAPARELLI

Surreal and tactile, artisanal and crafty, a stunning visual feast for the eye! Creative director Daniel Roseberry’s collection for Schiaparelli is exceedingly beautiful. No socio-political message behind this exquisite Fall 2022/3 offering, just the notion that he wanted to create “beautiful things”. There were pieces of art and sculpture: leather figurines in the shapes of sparrows and doves on models’ shoulders, corseted jackets in denim, moulded ‘body armour’, straw hats that floated high above models’ heads, pearly grapes on vines and life-size sunflowers. In other words, total eye candy!

Roseberry wanted to pay tribute to the creative process that has seen so many designers take their inspiration from the phenomenal stalwart Elsa Schiaparelli over the decades. Likewise, he himself has been hugely influenced by the genius of Christian Lacroix and this extraordinary collection showcasing hints of bold 80s gilded accessories – chains, earrings, buttons, embroidery, 3-D flowers, often arranged on a background of black velvet and satin – was in many places a tribute to the brazen 80s and this decade’s undisputed Midas, Christian Lacroix.

Watch Schiaparelli’s show here:
https://hautecouture.fhcm.paris/en/shows/schiaparelli-3/

Lacroix-esque influences – at Schiaparelli

Straw has never looked more glam! At Schiaparelli

Faux fur ‘wings’ – at Schiaparelli

Innerwear/outerwear – at Schiaparelli

Sunflowers and a corset – at Schiaparelli

Twirly sky blue satin reminiscent of 80s Lacroix – at Schiaparelli

Gold grapes on the vine embellish this velvet gown – at Schiaparelli

A moulded, somewhat surreal bodice – at Schiaparelli

IRIS VAN HERPEN

Iris van Herpen’s approach to couture could well be the future of fashion. With all the rage about the metaverse and its role in fashion Van Herpen proposes a ‘mixed reality’ – where the virtual and the physical merge. Her futuristic 3-D printed ensembles already made the fashion world do a double take back in 2009. She’s the designer who has, over the past 15 years, given us – literally – out of this world design, frocks so spectacularly otherworldy and technologically advanced, it boggles the mind. Van Herpen’s favourite creative avenue is couture, because, from a sustainability point of view, a haute couture creation is a one-off, quality product that will last a very long time – no fast fashion on this designer’s menu!
This collection is forward-looking and backwards looking at the same time – looking back at Ovid’s Metamorphosis to be precise. The designer took inspiration from three of the poems and created 16 physical and 3 digital pieces (the latter to be worn by avatars) and included astonishing creations: the first look, for example, was a Grecian draped dress of biodegradable fabric made from banana leaf and raw silk! Other pieces were constructed from 3-D printed fabric made of cocoa beans and recycled organza. Van Herpen is confident that more and more will be happening in the metaverse and says, “the more time people will be in the metaverse and the more they go to openings and happenings in the metaverse, the more they will want to wear something beautiful as well. It’s still in the early phase, but it will come.” We’re watching this space, Iris – excuse the pun!

Watch Iris Van Herpen’s show here:

Fairy-like panels in shades of lavender – at Iris Van Herpen

Cocoa-coloured techo-fabric – at Iris Van Herpen

Futuristic and floaty – at Iris Van Herpen

Asymmetric swirls – at Iris Van Herpen

Classical drapes – at Iris Van Herpen

CHRISTIAN DIOR

Endearingly crafted handiwork is visible in each and every piece in this Dior collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri. The collection has a very traditional, almost peasant-like feel to it, and the reason for that is simple: the inspiration for this extraordinary assemblage of frocks is, very befittingly, Ukraine, and specifically the work of Ukrainian artist Olesia Trofymenko and Ukrainian folk costume.

It’s a collection that’s wonderfully romantic, with tactile, age-old hand-sewing techniques visible in all the pieces – from the time-consuming hand-smocking to the dirndl-techniques in the skirts, from the striking hand-made lace to the exquisitely fine pleating in the blouses and sleeve tops. The corseted silhouettes with their nipped-in waists and full skirts are a Christian Dior signature, but in this collection these trademark characteristics are even more pronounced. Sleeves were voluminous, capes were dainty and jackets tiny. The colour palette was restrained and mostly hovered around the beige and white end, with the injection of a few accent shades. The exceptional surface textures and techniques throughout were perhaps our favourite aspect of this incredible haute couture collection.

Watch Christian Dior’s show here:
https://hautecouture.fhcm.paris/en/shows/christian-dior-5/

Exquisite smocking in this chiffon dress – at Christian Dior

Hand-made lace in echru and black – at Christian Dior

Classical drapes and tucks in this dreamy mocha-coloured gown – at Christian Dior

Chartreuse, burgundy and rose – a winning colour combo – at Christian Dior

Inverted pleats on this putty-colour jumpsuit – at Christian Dior

Age-old traditional hand-stitching methods – at Christian Dior

The detail extended to the extremities! A Christian Dior

CHANEL

Chanel’s artistic director Virginie Viard created an aesthetically pleasing collection of epic proportions for Chanel’s Fall Winter 2022/3 Haute Couture show. Chanel staple, the inimitable tweed boucle, was there in every guise, the perfectly constructed pleats in the skirts were there too, the impeccable and invisible tailoring, the boxy jackets that fit ‘just so’ … There were gentle surprises too, but nothing that heralded in earthshattering change in the House of Chanel for Fall.

Instead Viard opted to gradually let designs evolve and develop (especially those of her predecessor Karl Lagerfeld), and the result is an elegant, utterly wearable collection that’ll urge Chanel-wearers all over the world to write a ‘must-have’ list as long as your arm. This offering with its ever-so-slight hint of the Roaring 20s, the golden era of grande dame Coco herself, also boasts the most exquisite of details close-up – from sequins to buttons, pleats to flowers. All hand-made, all 100% haute couture, just as you’d expect from the stables of – arguably – the most iconic of all the Paris couture houses.

Watch Chanel’s show here:
https://hautecouture.fhcm.paris/en/shows/chanel-7/

Classical Chanel: nautical white, navy and red – at Chanel

A candyfloss shade of pink, tactile and crafty – at Chanel

Unmistakably Chanel, a black maxi gown with hand-made flowers – at Chanel

One of the standout pieces in the collection: a figure-hugging semi-transparent gown – at Chanel

RAHUL MISHRA

Indian maestro Rahul Mishra’ collection named “The Tree Of Life’ is a tribute to his ancestral home. Each glamorous piece in the collection highlights an aspect of the theme, the powerful energy and ancient wisdom that come from trees. The designer was also conscious of the power of renewal that trees teach us, especially in the light of the pandemic over the past few years.

Hundreds of golden leaves embellished mini dresses, ballgowns, jumpsuits, jackets and bustieres. The handiwork (made by artisan communities in India) was out of this world: the 3-D floral embroidery seemed to come to life and the leaves were eye-poppingly striking. This sensual, shapely and organic collection, like Mishra’s Tree Of Life, will no doubt stand the test of time.

Watch Rahul Mishra’s show here:
https://hautecouture.fhcm.paris/en/shows/rahul-mishra-4/

Gold leaves make up this masterpiece – at Rahul Mishra

Midriff showing – at Rahul Mishra

Intricate embellishments and strategic cut-outs -at Rahul Mishra

A low-cut gown that oozes elegance – at Rahul Mishra

It’s all in the sleeves! At Rahul Mishra

GIAMBATTISTA VALLI

The undisputed king of party frocks, Giambattista Valli, set out to WOW with a collection that took one’s breath away for colour, shape, texture and pure va va voom! Aptly named ‘L’Instant’ – a tribute to living in the moment – this collection of powder puff primary-hued tulle fish-tail silhouettes, marabou-feathered tiered maxi gowns and cut-out frocks with 20s- style rhinestone trims and 3-D embroidery shout glamour, elegance and opulence. The oversized butterfly sunshades, massive chandelier crystal earrings and puffed-up hairstyles added to the allure of a collection that’s overtly cheery, joyful and fun. Oh, the ruffles, the colours, the glitter, the feathers, the exaggerated fabulousness of it ALL! It’s one of those collections that’s just so gratifying to watch – couture at its most enjoyable.

Watch Giambattista Valli show here:
https://hautecouture.fhcm.paris/en/shows/giambattista-valli-6/