Editor Takeover: Julia Hobbs |
Acting European fashion features director, British Vogue, and senior fashion projects editor, Vogue Club |
|
|
The July instalment of Couture Fashion Week is the industry's last hurrah before the summer holidays kick in, which only adds to the sense of drama: I'm talking about high-voltage looks on (and off) the runways – and quintessentially Parisian show locations, which unlock the tourist within even the most hardened front row attendee. And, the city's picture-postcard settings – particularly its bridges and quais – are certainly enjoying a moment right now. |
Hot on the heels of Pharrell's recent debut menswear show at Louis Vuitton, which took over Pont Neuf, the oldest standing bridge on the River Seine, both Alaïa and Chanel proved the power of Paris's most romantic riverside views over complex set builds this past week. I loved hearing from Alaïa's artistic director Pieter Mulier, who unveiled his spring/summer 2024 collection on a footbridge festooned with lovers' padlocks on the evening before Couture Fashion Week began, about why an en plein air setting offered a different kind of intimacy – one that would, no doubt, remind his guests of when they first discovered the city, and with whom. "I found it the most beautiful view of Paris, because you look at the Grand Palais in one direction, Notre Dame the other, and you see the Eiffel Tower a little bit, just the tip of it," he told Vogue. "For me, I always thought it was pure luxury to sit on that bridge and just look around at everything." |
Virginie Viard likewise invited showgoers to take in the beauty of the Seine as a backdrop for Chanel's idyllic autumn/winter 2023 Haute Couture collection. Real talk: Chanel is just one of those houses that makes fashion editors swoon. Never mind the cool demeanour, we get dewy-eyed over the suiting, and send our mums screenshots of the diaphanous evening wear accompanied by the words: IT'S JUST SO PRETTY. Because it is. I have to pick a favourite look? Ok, let it be rising runway star Amelia Gray in that gorgeous dress coat, a basket of flowers in hand. | Talking of hands… This was also the season where models brought gesture back to the runway (something that would have been at home in the salons of the 1950s). Case in point: Fendi's scintillating show, which made a strong argument for clasping your clutch bag to your chest in what almost seemed like a nod to the heart phase of calming yogic breathing… Balenciaga, likewise, is beloved for its modern remix of the classic haute couture salon show. The exclamation point that ended a collection of knife-sharp gowns, angular suiting, and reams of denim? Artist Eliza Douglas, in a 3D printed suit of armour – an homage to Joan of Arc. But it was look 7 that had the Vogue office truly abuzz. In the words of acting European beauty director Lauren Murdoch Smith: "Wow, Amber Valletta. That dress, that skin, her glow." |
"Simplicity" isn't typically the first term that comes to mind at couture. Neither is "capsule wardrobe", but… I wasn't alone in falling head over heels in love with Kaia Gerber's opening look at Valentino, another al fresco triumph. (The pin drop? The elegant grounds of the Château de Chantilly). I strongly urge you to down tools and tap the "details" tab on Vogue Runway: The (largely unbuttoned) white shirt, hip-skimming jeans, and bow slippers? I personally can't think of a better summer party look… |
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment