Spring 2012 Couture Day 3

The 3rd and final day of Spring Couture was actually yesterday, but this post met a delay after choosing to focus on the collection from Jean-Paul Gaultier. Anyway, here are the highlights from yesterdays shows.

Franck Sorbier presented a collection of Grecian-inspired outfits, featuring busts contoured precisely to the models bodies.

Franck Sorbier

Maison Martin Margiela recycled and reinvented luxurious vintage fabrics; the models walked out with their heads concealed in gold and blue masks, a trademark of the Margiela house.

Maison Martin Margiela

Chinese designer Yiqing Yin presented gracefully surreal couture pieces that envelope the body with unique 

folds and layers.

Yiqing Yin

Elie Saab delighted viewers with frothy dresses seemingly lifted straight from an underwater fairytale, continuing the oceanic trend for mermaid-inspired clothing.

Elie Saab

Finally Valentino continued the fairytale theme with vintage floral patterns in neutral pastel shades and intricate beadwork.

Valentino

Spring 2012 Couture - Jean-Paul Gaultier

You never quite know what to expect from a Jean-Paul Gaultier show, but you always know it's going to be different from what you've seen before, yet as the first model stepped onto the runway I couldn't help being reminded of someone. In what has definitely been the most theatrical show this couture season, Gaultier presented a surprisingly fun yet moving tribute to the late singer, Amy Winehouse. The long procession of outfits were all evidently inspired by Amy's personal style, which mixed retro 50's pencil skirts and basques with preppy sportswear, and as is traditional with couture shows, more than a few extravagant gowns.

The couture spin on Winehouses style extended to hairstyles, as girls modeled the outfits adorned with the singers iconic beehive hair-do, this time in garish primary colours.

Corsetry and the "undewear-as-outwear" concept once again made its appearance, along with gender-swapping feminine suits and decadent fabric detailing.

The show ended with a procession of deconstructed outfits, the models adorned with lace veils which served as a poignant yet fabulous reminder of the tragic, untimely death of the legendary singer who inspired the collection. Amy Winehouse is gone but certainly not forgotten. I think she would approve.

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Haute Couture in Paris - Day 2

Chanel kicked the day off in a typically glamourous fashion with an aeroplane themed runway and models in "Stewardess-Luxe", suit dresses in pastel blues giving way to flapper style dropped waist gowns. The collection remains youthful with punk-inspired hair and dramatic eye make-up.

Chanel

Giorgio Armani Prive produced a breathtaking selection of underwater-inspired outfits, each creation painstakingly adorned to produce a scale-like effect, the models channelled their inner mermaid as they walked in these elegant pieces.

Giorgio Armani Prive

Zuhair Murad played it safe with some pretty but otherwise fairly predictable gowns, their saving grace being the highly-worked detailing that is so important with couture pieces.

Zuhair Murad

Stephane Rolland contrasted traditional elegance with fierce body-armour, set against dramatic decor on the collars and billowing skirts.

Stephane Rolland

My main excitement today was focused on Givenchy, whose sumptuously gothic collection had me completely in awe. Definitely the best collection this season, these staggeringly beautiful dresses hold exactly the right balance of beauty and darkness, Ricardo Tisci's designs feature a range of textures and fabrics from leather detailing and studs to zip features. The whole extraordinary collection screams drama without being over the top - the violence of the dark detailing balanced out by graceful flowing skirts, the models themselves wearing minimal makeup and hair tied in chic buns and a final dramatic flourish of a silver nose ring. This collection will be incredibly hard to beat in my books, yet I remain hugely excited for Jean-Paul Gaultier and Valentino tomorrow. 

Givenchy