The Highlights of the Fall 2013 Paris Couture Shows

1) Valentino: Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri’s couture collection was inspired by 16th century wunderkammer, or “cabinets of curiosities,” that displayed natural artifacts, oddities and unique handcrafted objects. A coral motif was woven throughout the collection in lace and printed satin. The intricately detailed, one-of-a-kind gowns were counterpoints to more restrained, almost monastic, ensembles that have become part of the new Valentino code of elegance.
 2) Chanel: Karl Lagerfeld’s couture spectacle at the Grand Palais was a futuristic journey sprinkled with references from Grace Jones’ hats, to Edwardian style boots. Boucle knits were made space-age with shimmering, silver thread, while chiffon gowns were layered with a 3-D grid effect that resembled circuit boards. Erin Wasson closed the hard-hitting show in a long, white jacket buttoned top to bottom that allowed for a frothy train to extend from its tails.
 3) Christian Dior: Raf Simmons aimed to inject freedom, or diversity of choice, into his most recent couture collection. The designer channeled a myriad of travel references specific to the design house and relevant to couture’s global consumer. Fabric treatments and styling effects like shibori (the Japanese treatment that makes fabric spikey) and tribal collars reminiscent of Maasai warriors were juxtaposed with traditional French touches like buttons and pearls. Variety seemed to be the name of the game.

Chanel Does Derelicte For Haute Couture Fall 2013

One of the best things about a Chanel show is seeing how Karl reinvents the Grand Palais. A giant gold lion? A luxe Mumbai banquet? A looming globe? All things he’s done in the past, but for Chanel’s Fall 2013 Haute Couture show he just decided to tear the whole thing up dystopian fiction style and chuck in a whole bunch of rubble, because that’s how the Kaiser rolls. Against this totes Derelicte backdrop though, both the clothes and the house’s regular A-list guests looked all the more glam. It was only Rihanna who deemed the words ‘Chanel couture’ not quite worthy enough to warrant wearing pants, with everyone else in attendance looking excruciatingly chic. Kristen Stewart demonstrated exactly what Karl himself might wear if he was a female in his early 20s, rocking high-fashion hot pants, a sharply tailored blazer and even a pair of fingerless gloves. Clemence Poesy and Milla Jovovich were monochromatic perfection, and the European fashion plates (Alma Jodorowsky, Miroslava Duma and Tallulah Harlech) looked particularly tasty in fine tweeds.