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What happened at Paris Haute Couture Week Fall 2019?
8th July 2019 - Aina Matamoros
Is that time of the year again and my favorite one in the fashion calendar: Haute Couture Week in Paris. This week, designers are presenting their collections for fall 2019 in the French capital, with amazing shows attended by the most VIP people in the world and the ones that I am most jealous of: the women that are on the Haute Couture Buyers list. They are the ONES, the only women in the world that can buy these wonderful and unique dresses made exclusively for themselves. Each look of the collection can only be taken by one of the women and it is tailor-made only for her. That is the magic of Couture: there is only one piece of each design and with the measures of one only woman in the whole universe - then these women wear their dresses like just one time and leave them in their closets again forever, just to decorate. I swear to Coco Chanel that if I could ever buy or at least wear one of those spectacular dresses, I would not be taking that off like ever.
I love couture because it is about creating the perfect clothing item, until the last detail: the fit, the fabric, the shape, the ornaments, the materials, the colors… everything comes together to create a real piece of art, which is what Fashion is ultimately about. Designers are going back to creating dresses and suits that actually look good and gorgeous on the women who wear them.
In this post, I would like to list the collections that I think made a difference or pointed out among the other ones.
1.Dior
The first show of the week, as usual, was Dior. I do not usually like what Maria Grazia Chuiri does, but this time I must admit she did an extraordinary Haute Couture collection that needs to be recognized. It was an almost-all-black proposal, which made the show dark but very elegant and sophisticated. The collection ranged from ball gowns with pretty voluminous skirts to sleek suits, passing through short dresses, long and plain coats and fluent dresses. The looks also presented some opposite styles: some of the looks were very classic and covered, while other looks were more modern and made with sheer and see-through materials.
There were only 7 non-black looks (from 64). Two silver loose dresses, two gowns that went changed colors from top to bottom (one from metallic red to black and the other from metallic light nude to black), one brownish long skirt and jacket set and the opening and closing look. The opening look was a white casual long dress that showed the quote “Are clothes modern?” from author Bernard Rudofsky. The closing look was the representation of the Dior Paris Headquarters in gold (yes, the model wore an actual building mock-up as a dress).
Lastly, I would like to point out the use of feathers, which were present in some dresses: big skirts made entirely from feathers, some feathered details in the upper parts of the dresses and, also, in the tights that the models wore (my personal favorite piece of the show), which I found very original.
2. Chanel
The second show I obviously liked the most was Chanel’s. This was the first Haute Couture collection without Karl, made entirely by Virgine Viard, and she was excellent, showing her designs in a pretended library inspired by the one in Gabrielle Chanel’s daytime apartment on the rue Cambon.
Tweed was, as always, the star of the collection, used in skinny coat dresses to the ankle, jumpsuits, long and short dresses, the signature jackets and both skirt and pantsuits in different colors (of course black and gray but also orange, red, fuchsia, green and blue). They were accompanied by elegant long dresses (made from velvet or organza), ones more for the day and others more night style, and looks with bolero jackets and ruffled and floral details that gave a more fun touch to the collection.
3. Givenchy
The third show that blew off my mind was Givenchy. I always liked Givenchy but since Clare Waight Keller took in, it is just wonderful and having in mind that she had never done Haute Couture before she joined Givenchy. This collection was a statement for her, it was riskier, wilder and more daring and the result was so elegant and amazing.
The show, titled noblesse radicale, stared with some black and white looks that were mixed with other colors (such as light pink, green, yellow and blue) as the show kept going. The feathers were also very present in this show (although in a very different way from Dior’s). Kaia Gerber wore a stunning gown full of pastel green feathers that sprouted from a black long dress. Sprouted feathers and long down feathers were included in both colored and black and white looks. The signature Waight Keller’s structural tailoring was also present in some amazing looks, such as a lavender cape coat, dresses that had a peplum at the bottom (coming from the mid-leg) and elegant classical suits. Floral prints were mixed with one-color dresses and embroidered details.
And just two final shout outs to the 5 men looks (that were as gorgeous as the women’s) and the particular electrified hairstyles wore by some of the models.
4. Giambattista Valli
The fourth designer that deserves to be mentioned is Giambattista Valli. He did not make a show, but a presentation, more like an exhibition, in a diaphanous and white space, where models posed accompanied by two or three black and white mannequins. A presentation may sound easier than a show, but, in fact, it is not. The details can be much more appreciated, so everything has to be perfect.
Valli’s collection was a reinterpretation of his top-dresses. All dresses and all big, either they were long or short, or a combination of both (which is actually a signature shape of this designer). The tulle was the star of the night, as usual with this designer. And there were not only in big and voluminous skirts but also in head to toe tulle dresses, which were big both in the body and in the bottom parts. There were also dresses made from silk, some of which showed soft floral prints. Soft pink was another star of the night, as it usually is, too. Red, white, purple, blue, turquoise and other shades of pink completed the color palette of this collection.
Giambattista Valli is always about extremes: the short dresses are so short and the long ones are so long; for the skirts, the bigger, the better; the trains were kilometric; and the only this that is totally different are the waists, which cannot be any narrower. Wearing one of his dresses sure makes you feel like a real modern princess (so hey, you know what to get me for my birthday that, by the way, it is in less than a month).
5. Valentino
Last, but especially not least, is Valentino… It was just magic. Pierpaolo Piccioli is a real artist; he is the real deal in Haute Couture for 2019. The dresses, the coats, the blouses, the trousers (yes, there are not only long gowns and fancy dresses in couture) were all magnificent. The explosion of colors highlighted, even more, the awesomeness of the details and the craftsmanship behind every piece of every look. I have no words to describe the actual beauty of this collection, so it is better that you see it for yourselves and enjoy the ride.
Apart from amazingly beautiful, tailored and crafted designs, Valentino and Pierpaolo are sending a message of inclusivity with this collection. The casting was so diverse in a show full of color that only transmitted happiness, admiration, and wowness. He got to put together the very traditional concept of couture with the very contemporary concept of integration and equality of all these different women and their cultures in the world of fashion. Prove of that was also that at the end of the show, Piccioli walked out with all the atelier staff (I cannot imagine the huge amount of hours they have spent creating this collection, but all worth it!).