Haute couture has long been associated with flamboyance and Cinderella style ball gowns that are filled with never ending layers of tulle and are extremely uncomfortable to wear. However, the SS 14 couture collections presented last week gave us a new meaning to couture. Most of the designers featured garments that were extremely wearable despite thousands of hours of craftsmanship involved in creating them.
Let’s start with the Valentino collection. A very light and breezy gown opened the show with musical notes that took 1600 hours of embroidery. But from far, it actually looked like the notes were printed, so you can only imagine how light the gown must have felt when Katy Perry wore it to the Grammy's. Next, were these ethereal ballerina tutu style dresses in which one of them had a snake made out of feathers that slithered from the shoulder, wrapped itself around the waist thrice and made its way towards the thigh. I wonder how many hours that must have taken?!
Moving on to Dior, as I mentioned in my previous post, this was yet another collection that looked light as air, but at the same time was one of the most labour intensive ones produced by the couture house. The minimalist aesthetic was a strong one here, but there was intricate hand embroidery done in almost every garment you saw on the runway. We also saw the new couture jumpsuit and jumpsuits have always been so casual. But, in this new era of couture, women are no longer required to be uncomfortable in their clothes. Women today don't spend their day playing dress up. Time is of the essence. Even an haute couture client who may be hosting a benefit has to walk around and mingle with her guests. If she wears a dress that weighs heavier than her, how on earth can she walk around?
At Chanel, the sportswear movement was prevalent throughout. There were sporty skirts and boxy crop tops with fitted corsets underneath. Not the kind of corsets that leave you gasping for air, but the kind that you actually run around in. Then there were cycling shorts that had sequins and little motifs embroidered on them just like the flirty, dropped waist, lightweight dresses. Silhouettes with feather seemed light as air as did the wedding dress that closed the show. We Indians are so used to wearing lehengas that weigh ten kilos, its refreshing to see minimalism enter bridal wear.
The collection plays tricks with your eyes! As someone who sees the shows on style.com all I see is light garments that shimmer as the model moves and sometimes when I zoom in I get to see a little bit of the detailing. Its only when I researched further, did I find out the iridescent effect of every garment came from the hundreds of tiny sequins that were stitched on to the fabric. That was what mesmerised me the most, that some of the work was so subtle, you only realise it when you close up images.
Another much talked about collection was that of Viktor & Rolf for using latex to create the garments. The nude coloured dresses were almost like second skin and sometimes it was hard to differentiate! A dress that was made from folds of latex had a hand painted bird that looked like it was holding the folds. The entire collection was extremely light, and the hand painted birds, ruffles and bows that were used for the detailing were my favourite. Even though this seemed more of a promotional activity for their new perfume, the clothes definitely were in sync with the era of modernised haute couture.
While most of Alexandre Vauthier's collection was quite sensual with the braided leather skirts and chokers with spikes, however, there was an element of lightness in some silhouettes. In particular, a shirt dress, that was reinterpreted in satin by dropping the hemline all the way to the ankle and a slit that was thigh high. Perfect for a girl who lives by the 'I don't give a shit' mantra but loves her couture too.
Footwear too played an important role in these shows. At Schiaparelli, there were flats with crocodile leather straps and plumes used to decorate them. Viktor & Rolf used ballerina shoes. Dior and Chanel had the couture sneakers. The flat shoes symbolise liberation. Enough of the six inch high heel drama. Make way for flats people!
The clothes and footwear in last week's shows send a strong message. No longer do women have to be uncomfortable to be fashionable. Not in footwear and not in couture. It is truly a new era of high fashion.
Let’s start with the Valentino collection. A very light and breezy gown opened the show with musical notes that took 1600 hours of embroidery. But from far, it actually looked like the notes were printed, so you can only imagine how light the gown must have felt when Katy Perry wore it to the Grammy's. Next, were these ethereal ballerina tutu style dresses in which one of them had a snake made out of feathers that slithered from the shoulder, wrapped itself around the waist thrice and made its way towards the thigh. I wonder how many hours that must have taken?!
Moving on to Dior, as I mentioned in my previous post, this was yet another collection that looked light as air, but at the same time was one of the most labour intensive ones produced by the couture house. The minimalist aesthetic was a strong one here, but there was intricate hand embroidery done in almost every garment you saw on the runway. We also saw the new couture jumpsuit and jumpsuits have always been so casual. But, in this new era of couture, women are no longer required to be uncomfortable in their clothes. Women today don't spend their day playing dress up. Time is of the essence. Even an haute couture client who may be hosting a benefit has to walk around and mingle with her guests. If she wears a dress that weighs heavier than her, how on earth can she walk around?
At Chanel, the sportswear movement was prevalent throughout. There were sporty skirts and boxy crop tops with fitted corsets underneath. Not the kind of corsets that leave you gasping for air, but the kind that you actually run around in. Then there were cycling shorts that had sequins and little motifs embroidered on them just like the flirty, dropped waist, lightweight dresses. Silhouettes with feather seemed light as air as did the wedding dress that closed the show. We Indians are so used to wearing lehengas that weigh ten kilos, its refreshing to see minimalism enter bridal wear.
The collection plays tricks with your eyes! As someone who sees the shows on style.com all I see is light garments that shimmer as the model moves and sometimes when I zoom in I get to see a little bit of the detailing. Its only when I researched further, did I find out the iridescent effect of every garment came from the hundreds of tiny sequins that were stitched on to the fabric. That was what mesmerised me the most, that some of the work was so subtle, you only realise it when you close up images.
Another much talked about collection was that of Viktor & Rolf for using latex to create the garments. The nude coloured dresses were almost like second skin and sometimes it was hard to differentiate! A dress that was made from folds of latex had a hand painted bird that looked like it was holding the folds. The entire collection was extremely light, and the hand painted birds, ruffles and bows that were used for the detailing were my favourite. Even though this seemed more of a promotional activity for their new perfume, the clothes definitely were in sync with the era of modernised haute couture.
While most of Alexandre Vauthier's collection was quite sensual with the braided leather skirts and chokers with spikes, however, there was an element of lightness in some silhouettes. In particular, a shirt dress, that was reinterpreted in satin by dropping the hemline all the way to the ankle and a slit that was thigh high. Perfect for a girl who lives by the 'I don't give a shit' mantra but loves her couture too.
Footwear too played an important role in these shows. At Schiaparelli, there were flats with crocodile leather straps and plumes used to decorate them. Viktor & Rolf used ballerina shoes. Dior and Chanel had the couture sneakers. The flat shoes symbolise liberation. Enough of the six inch high heel drama. Make way for flats people!
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| Dior sneakers |
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| Chanel sneakers that can cost up to 3,000 Euros |
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| Schiaparelli flats |
The clothes and footwear in last week's shows send a strong message. No longer do women have to be uncomfortable to be fashionable. Not in footwear and not in couture. It is truly a new era of high fashion.
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