BEST OF ... HAUTE COUTURE FALL-WINTER 2014/15

I’m a huge fan of the Haute Couture shows in Paris, which take place twice a year, but, honestly, which fashion-girl isn’t? So for now, I decided to write a little review about my favorites from the last Haute Couture week - favorite shows and favorite dresses.

1. Stephane Rolland.

One of my favorite shows this season was Stephane Rolland’s. He is a great designer (one of my favorites at the moment, by the way!) and I’m always fascinated about the silhouettes he creates and the ideas he has got. That’s what I really call couture! He knows how to combine both extravagant tailoring and architectural design. As a history of arts-student, that’s something I really admire, and for me, his show for fall-winter 2014/15 was definitely among those who blew my mind!

2. Chanel.

Chanel’s Haute Couture-show is a fixture for the fashion crowd, and as always, Karl Lagerfeld did a great job in Coco Chanel’s everlasting spirit. He was inspired by the concrete lines of Le Corbusier, and presented a scupltural line, with shorts everywhere: shorts under dresses, shorts under coatdresses, jackets and skirts. This unconventional easiness, combined with simple flats – just perfect! But on the other side, all these baroque ornaments – that’s a true "clashing with the style"! I love!

3. Elie Saab.

There’s not much one can say about Elie Saab, except of: Just dreamy! These are the dresses any girl dreams about. And with his latest couture-show he reassured his undisputed rank as "the" dressmaker when it comes to glamorous evening-gowns. No-one can evoke glamour and elegance like him! His color-palette: blue to pink and red, nude and peachy-orange to black and white.

4.  Dior.

Dior’s Haute Couture show is always a star-studded one, and Raf Simons’ collection didn’t disappoint any of his illustrious fans. For his fall-winter 2014/15 show, he played with historicism, but still managed it to make it look very modern and comtemporary. The opulence of past decade’s manners to wear clothes combined with Simon’s clear, uncomplicated and minimalistic couture, that’s a match made in heaven! He plays with different shapes, once strict and sculpural, in the next moment floating and airy. Apart from that, I admire Raf Simon’s sense for colors. Nothing lurid or shrill, just primary colors, sometimes combined with one another: white, black, red, a noble pink or nude and pastel blue. Once again, a beautiful collection, which stuns because of it’s clarity and simplicity.

5. Giambattista Valli.

I'm a huge fan of Giambattista Valli, and his fall-winter 2014/15 collection remembered me about a summer day in the 50ies, probably on Capri or Ischia. Sophia Lorean, Gina Lollobrigida... this show brought all those cinema divas to my mind, all of them from a decade I hugely adore for its style. But although it's a reminiscence on femininity, Valli knows to transform his ideas to our time - with unusual fabrics and eccentricity. Lace over jumpsuits, skirts above the knee... but still very elegant, very lady-like... very Italian, I guess! The detail I loved most about the outfits: the headscarfs! They immediately gave it a relaxed summer-twist. 

6. Valentino.

As a history of arts-student, I absolutely loved Maria Grazia Chiuri’s and Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Couture show for Valentino. They were inspired by the pre-Raphaelites, and when looking at those stunning and floating dresses, those paintings immediately appear in your mind’s eye. They paired it with gladiator flats up to the knees, the waist accentuated with leather ribbons. Once more, it is this innocent romanticism the collection evokes, with a subtle hint of audacity – shift it to the leather embroideries and the sandals and those gorgeous tulle-dresses combined with pearls and paillettes – and leather-draperies!

On the other side they’ve got dresses and coats out of gold lamé, pearls and crystals.

And, last but not least: the toga-dresses!  The antique style the pre-Raphaelites loved, now in kind of a reissue. Beautiful!

7. Ralph & Russo.

Ralph & Russo, London’s only couture label, is a brand definitely to watch out for! I first recognized them in January when they presented their last collection in Paris, so I was extremely excited to watch their show for the upcoming season. It’s a gorgeous collection, inspired by the 50ies, but broken by unusual and unconventional details. I especially love these dramatic draperies, the big hats and this tulle, architecturally piled. Without any doubt, this is real couture, couture from the old manner, couture which remembers me about those iconic dresses and skirts Christian Dior made in the late 1940ies, Audrey Hepburn, wearing Hubert de Givenchy’s white dress, or those stunning dresses by Cristóbal Balenciaga from the 1950ies.

From left to right:
a dress by Christian Dior, 1940; dress by Cristóbal Balenciaga, 1955;
Audrey Hepburn, wearing a dress by Hubert de Givenchy.

All photos taken from style.com and vogue.co.uk.

The pictures of the vintage-dresses by Dior, Balenciaga and Givenchy are taken from tumblr.com and pinterest.com.