Five highlights from Haute Couture Week

From the illuminated mini dress to fully reversible pieces, and with appearances by stars such as Bad Bunny and Pedro Pascal, here are five standout moments from Paris Haute Couture Week, which ended on Thursday.

Gowns of light

Dutch designer Iris van Herpen presented a sparkling mini dress in shades of green, shot through with delicate, luminous filaments.

This astonishing look, dubbed ‘Fractal Universe,’ featured neither LEDs nor any other light source. According to the artist, it was “charged” in a particle accelerator which, in the days leading up to the show, transformed the dress into a reservoir of energy containing billions of trapped electrons.

Before the show, the garment began to discharge, and luminous tendrils gradually spread across its surface. “For years, the idea of creating a garment woven solely from energy has fascinated me. We have fashioned haute couture from solids, liquids, living matter, and even gases. This is the first time we have worked with the fourth state of matter: plasma,” she commented on social media.

Botanical inspiration

The week’s two most closely watched houses, Chanel and Dior, presented collections largely inspired by nature, with silhouettes brimming with botanical detail.

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At Chanel, Matthieu Blazy referenced famous fairy tales such as ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ in his looks, among them a dress adorned with embroidered climbing plants and an ensemble covered in black butterflies. Jonathan Anderson, Dior’s creative director, likewise incorporated natural motifs, such as flowers embroidered on a green pleated look.

“All these botanical references are closely linked to Christian Dior’s passion for gardens, dating back to his day,” Pierre Groppo, fashion and lifestyle editor-in-chief at Vanity Fair France, told AFP.

Vice-versa

“Why should clothing remain static? How can we make it feel more alive? What if every creation contained its own metamorphosis?” Alexis Mabille continues to challenge fashion’s codes. On Tuesday, the French designer unveiled his “Dual” collection, which plays with reversals and inversions.

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Heavy black velvet coats and sheath dresses morphed in an instant into gold or silver gowns. At times, a single tug on a thread was enough to flip a piece inside out, from shadow to light; every look was reversible.

Indian tradition

The official Haute Couture Week programme featured two Indian designers, Rahul Mishra and Manish Malhotra, whose collections drew considerable attention. Rahul Mishra took inspiration from the Ajanta Caves- the rock-cut Buddhist caves in the state of Maharashtra- for a collection distinguished by richly embellished, sculptural silhouettes in shades of grey.

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Manish Malhotra paid tribute to motherhood with dresses featuring relief figures of mothers and children. “These designers bring a vision from elsewhere,” explains Pierre Groppo. “Each has a universe that is deeply imbued with Indian culture.”

Men’s haute couture 

Haute couture shows are usually attended by numerous female stars, from rapper Cardi B to actress Cate Blanchett. But this time, high-profile male names were spotted in the audience. Singer Bad Bunny sat in the front row at the Schiaparelli show, wearing a pastel-yellow suit and a gold braided tie.

At the Chanel show, actor Pedro Pascal was seen in a white ensemble with a Breton-striped jumper. And at Dior, Josh O’Connor appeared in a flowing suit by the house, presented in Paris a few days earlier.

“Haute couture is taking an interest in, and looking towards, men,” emphasises Pierre Groppo, noting the hitherto unusual presence of these personalities. There may be “a desire to speak to an audience that goes beyond the traditional clientele.”