Haute couture week news and archive

Dior requests compensation from Valentino for Rome couture show

Valentino’s most recent Couture show, which took place on July 8 at Rome’s Spanish Steps, has reportedly caused a nearby Dior store to file a complaint for disruption. Initially reported by WWD, the retail manager of Christian Dior Italia was said to have written a letter requesting compensation of 100,000 euros in light of the supposed...

Jul 11, 2022

Fashion

In the footsteps of JP Gaultier, Olivier Rousteing humorously questions gender

Pointy breasts made famous by Madonna, but also female corsets with penises and moulded busts of pregnant women: the designer Olivier Rousteing questioning gender with his collection for Jean Paul Gaultier. Men in colourful skin-tight jumpsuits or sailor-patterned jumpsuits, perched on strong platform soles, opened the show on Wednesday evening...

Jul 7, 2022

Fairs

Paris Couture Week to feature live catwalk shows

Paris Couture Week taking place in July will feature eight catwalk events, with limited guests, according to the provisional calendar published by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode this week. Luxury fashion brands Christian Dior, Chanel, Giorgio Armani Privé, Balenciaga, Jean Paul Gaultier, Azzaro Couture, Zuhair Murad and...

Jun 8, 2021

Fashion Featured

Kim Jones unveils Fendi Haute Couture debut

British fashion designer Kim Jones, who was appointed artistic director of Fendi in September 2020, has unveiled his debut haute couture collection for the Italian fashion house. Drawing from seemingly diverse inspirations, from the visual language of Bernini's marbles to Virginia Woolf's time-travelling, gender-blurring novel ‘Orlando’, the...

Jan 28, 2021

Fashion Featured

Alber Elbaz returns to fashion with AZ Factory

Alber Elbaz marked his return to fashion with his start-up AZ Factory with a personality-filled digital presentation during Paris Haute Couture Week. Offering what he calls a “digital entertainment take on luxury,” Elbaz used his presentation to share not only his fashion creations but also the ethos of the company, “smart fashion that cares”. “...

Jan 27, 2021

Fashion

Iris van Herpen inspired by fungi for haute couture collection

Iris van Herpen showcased her latest collection ‘Roots of Rebirth’ during Paris Haute Couture Week, with 21 looks inspired by roots and spores. The collection explores the symbiosis of high technology with artisanal craftsmanship of couture, referencing the “intricacy of fungi and the entanglement of life that breathes beneath our feet,” said...

Jan 27, 2021

Fashion Featured

Chanel looks to wedding parties for spring haute couture

For spring/summer 2021 haute couture, Chanel’s Virginie Viard was inspired by wedding parties and the spirit of family. Explaining her vision for the collection, Chanel’s creative director Viard said in the show notes: "I knew we couldn't organise a big show, that we would have to invent something else, so I came up with the idea of a small...

Jan 27, 2021

Fashion Featured

Christian Dior explores tarot cards for haute couture SS21

Catwalk shows with audiences might be off-limits this Haute Couture season, but that doesn’t mean fashion houses aren’t going big. Christian Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri showcased her spring/summer 2021 collection with a tarot card inspired 15-minute film shot at a Tuscan castle by Italian director Matteo Garrone. Taking inspiration from the tarot...

Jan 26, 2021

Fashion Featured

Haute Couture Week kicks off digitally in Paris

While Covid-19 has forced Haute Couture Week to host digitally for its spring/summer 2021 couture season, the official schedule confirms that 28 houses are set to participate. Haute Couture Week takes place from today, January 25 until January 28 and will feature Chanel, Dior, Giambattista Valli, Giorgio Armani Privé, Iris Van Herpen, Valentino,...

Jan 25, 2021

Fashion Featured

Paris Fashion Week to go digital due to Covid-19

The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode has confirmed that Paris Men’s Fashion Week and Haute Couture Week will still go ahead, however, there will be no invited guests this season due to Covid-19 restrictions in the country. In an e-mail to FashionUnited, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode explained that all shows and...

Jan 11, 2021

Fashion

Gaultier postponing Sacai couture collection

With the couture shows now cancelled, Jean Paul Gaultier has had to delay Sacai designer Chitose Abe guest designing his next collection. Abe will now unveil her collection for Gaultier next January during the planned next couture season. Couture Week was one of several Fashion Week's to be cancelled thanks to coronavirus, in addition to Paris...

Mar 30, 2020

Fashion Featured

Paris Men's and Haute Couture Week cancelled

The board of directors of the Fédération de la haute couture et de la Mode have cancelled Paris Men's Fashion Week and Haute Couture Week as coronavirus continues to ground international travel and plague France. Just today, the country's prime minister warned of an extremely high surge in coronavirus cases. Paris upcoming shows cancelled due to...

Mar 27, 2020