Haute Couture news and archive

Brioni reopens Nazareno Fonticoli haute couture school

Italian luxury menswear fashion house Brioni, part of the Kering Group, is reopening the Nazareno Fonticoli haute couture school in Penne, a town in the Italian province of Pescara. Originally founded in 1985, the school is named after Nazareno Fonticoli, the Italian master tailor and entrepreneur who founded Brioni with his business partner...

Fashion

Is Pierpaolo Piccioli heading to Fendi?

In the ever-shifting landscape of designers and fashion houses, whispers of change are once again buzzing along the front rows of Paris fashion week. The latest murmurings suggest a seismic shift may be on the horizon for one of Italy's most revered labels. Industry insiders are speculating that Pierpaolo Piccioli, the visionary who elevated...

People

Could Ludovic de Saint Sernin be Jean Paul Gaultier's next guest designer?

The rumour is growing: Ludovic de Saint Sernin could be the next guest designer for the Jean Paul Gaultier spring/summer 2025 Haute Couture collection. The Puig-owned brand has ceased to offer ready-to-wear since its namesake designer stepped down from the helm, and has instead continued to present in the form of a fashion show during the Paris...

Fashion Featured

Haute Couture FW24: The Bridgerton Effect

Shondaland’s ‘Bridgerton,’ based on Julia Quinn’s romance novels, is one of the most successful Netflix series of all time. Its unique mix of racial harmony, passionate romances and palace intrigues, not to mention the sumptuous clothing, all set to a contemporary musical score, has delighted viewers for three seasons. Bridgerton Credits:...

Fashion Featured

Recollection, relevance and reality at the Haute Couture Week in Paris

In many ways, the fall/winter 2024 haute couture season was defined by its absences. There were the usual no-shows from brands like Valentino and Fendi, the lack of a creative director at Chanel and, perhaps most surprisingly, the absence of many of the media-grabbing stunts that have often overshadowed the craftsmanship that couture once stood...

Fashion |In Pictures

Street style: The most breathtaking dresses of Haute Couture Week

Haute couture took centre stage in Paris this week, as fashion houses including Balenciaga, Schiaparelli, Thom Browne and Chanel showcased elaborate gowns and pieces created with intricate handwork. Yet, it wasn’t just on the catwalks of the French capital that stunning dresses were spotted - attendees also turned out in force. Here are some of...

Fashion

Without Alaia, Valentino and Fendi, there are gaps in the couture calendar

The Parisian haute couture calendar was brought forward this year to accommodate the forthcoming Olympic Games. However, amidst the flurry of high-fashion presentations, the absence of Alaïa, Fendi and Valentino has been duly noted. Also notable is that Chanel showed haute couture without its former artistic director, Virginie Viard, who made an...

Fashion

Chanel at fashion week without designer Viard

Awkward! Chanel held its haute couture show on Tuesday just three weeks after the very abrupt departure of creative director Virginie Viard after almost 30 years with the brand. Viard worked alongside the legendary Karl Lagerfeld for years before taking over at the helm after his death in 2019. She oversaw record sales of nearly 20 billion...

BusinessFeatured

Revolve to acquire couture house Alexandre Vauthier

Revolve, the California-based online fashion retailer, is reportedly acquiring French haute couture brand Alexandre Vauthier. The 15 year-old company, which entered administration at the beginning of the year, has been looking for a buyer since February, said the Business of Fashion. Vauthier, which wholesales ready-to-wear and sells haute...

Fashion

Dior sportswear, Van Herpen's living sculptures at Paris couture week

Sports kit and Greek goddesses from Christian Dior vied for attention with living sculptures from Iris Van Herpen as haute couture went high concept at Paris Fashion Week on Monday. Paying homage to the Olympics a month before the Games in Paris, Dior presented some glamorous if improbable sportswear, including gold-feather swimsuits and a red...

Business

Couturier Alexandre Vauthier seeking buyer

Parisian couture house Alexandre Vauthier is reportedly looking for a buyer after a judicial administration procedure was launched by the Commercial Court of Paris earlier this week. The process, which comes against the backdrop of a difficult financial period for the fashion industry as a whole, began in mid-November, when the house was put...

Fashion

Passing on know-how: IFM and Esmod students present at Stéphane Rolland couture show

Will "transmission" be the new buzzword in 2024? By featuring the first part of his Spring-Summer 2024 Haute Couture show with twenty young students from the fashion schools IFM and Esmod, couturier Stéphane Rolland called attention to the challenge facing the world of Couture and luxury: the transmission of craftsmanship. After ‘eco-friendly’,...