Hot Couture

MANILA, Philippines - Fashion and beauty, fantasy and folklore, or whimsy and madness, escapism and ignorance — words that barely capture a small cross-section of the rarefied world that is haute couture.  In many ways, the couture shows tell a tale of extravagant detailing and exquisite design on the runways, even further removed from reality than the usual designer offerings.

But as they say, fashion should always be reflective and responsive of the times. But in the wake of recent terrorism, the attack on Charlie Hebdo for instance (in Paris, the hotbed and progenitor of couture), where does this specific kind of fashion sit? Is haute couture irrelevant, or worse, ignorant of the times?

In many small ways it is, but haute couture in its very definition has always been about the dream. Couture is the art and discipline of making clothes, a celebration of beauty and craftsmanship. In troubled times, couture is a corollary to fantasy and escape. Be it a global recession or unending rounds of geopolitical strife, couture can sometimes serve as a sharp contrast to the bleakness of the mundane — the inspiration that fuels the beating heart of fashion. The light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak

In a parade of minutely stitched and painstakingly embellished pieces, haute couture is the highest echelon in the industry of fashion. These clothes have price tags that are only made available to the microscopic elite, but we, as the pedestrian majority, are free to enjoy and be inspired by its spectacle. YStyle walks you through the hits and the standout moments for the Spring 2015 Couture Week.

BEST IN SHOW

The ground rules of couture have always been about its intricacy of details, fabrics of the utmost luxury and the sensibilities of hand craftsmanship — the makings of a true fashion moment born of the laborious processes of les petites mains, or the small hands, at any atelier.  Yes, we’ve all seen the Dior video on Refinery29 and how it took 200 hours to make Look #53, the electric pleated skirt and top worn by Kinga Rajzak on the runway.

Raf Simons took inspiration from three decades — the romance of the Fifties, the courage of the Sixties, and the liberty of the Seventies — for his retro-inspired take on modern contemporary for Christian Dior.

At Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld reinvented Coco Chanel’s classics for the umpteenth time in modern tweeds and deliciously herbaceous embellishments that feel perfectly bucolic (of the distinctively couture kind).

Giambattista Valli, unencumbered by heritage at his own namesake label, took inspiration from the viewpoint of Coco Chanel by way of Janis Joplin with a line of delicately embellished looks fit for modern day royalty.

John Galliano’s historic debut at the Belgian label Maison Martin Margiela offered the perfect confluence of Galliano’s showgirl aesthetic tempered with the house codes of artisanal deconstruction.

Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren drew inspiration from the madness of Van Gogh with oversized proportions and whimsical detailing that took haute couture to its favored heights.

Maria Grazia Chiuru and Pier Paolo Piccioli expressed folkloric fantasy for Valentino, drawing inspiration from the artist Marc Chagall, his Russian background and his Jewish heritage. For this season, it was less evening grandeur and more resplendent daytime clothes with the signature haute handiwork of the Valentino house DNA.

VEILED SHOTS

A subdued take on hair and makeup was seen in a majority of the couture shows for spring 2015 in favor of statement veils and hats. At Giambattista Valli, mesh reminiscent of lace point d’esprit took center stage by covering the upper half of each model’s face, tied at the back in a bow. Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel echoed this styling cue by pairing luxury beanies with fishnet mesh over the eyes.

ACCESSSOR EXCESS

Raf Simons for Christian Dior brought their shoe game for Spring 2015 Couture Week with full latex legging boots and ankle booties in acid colors, all shod with a chunky acrylic heel. Practical? Hardly. Couture fabulous? Definitely.

Schiaparelli’s design team grounded the house DNA this season by focusing on the fit and silhouette of the clothes. The prints, bags and jewelry were their modes of play, to showcase the surrealism in Schiaparelli’s repertoire — be it trompe l’oeil ribbons, cupid hearts, or pin head bracelets.

MANE EVENT

At Christian Dior, hair maestro guide Palau reimagined the sleek ponytail into couture proportions by adding an aerodynamic hair ornament. Palau took sections of hair and divided the top into a slick bun, matched with long hair extensions attached to a metal hoop. Hair couture envy indeed.

Karl Lagerfeld commissioned Sam McKnight to extend his bucolic vision for Chanel Spring 2015 couture. The loose braided hair was garden perfect with fresh blooms woven into the plaits, secured with either a hat or a veil.

With Guido Palau and florals once again, Valentino reimagined their trademark twisted halo braids with fresh inserts. The look was utter romance, folkloric fantasy, and signature Valentino.

SETS APART

In the grand tradition of the Chanel supermarché F/W 2014 or Karl Lagerfeld’s version of Atlantis for S/S 2012 (replete with Florence Welch serenading the audience as Venus born from a white clam), the audience is no stranger to the extravagant sets that stand as backdrop to the haute couture presentations.  A well-conceptualized set not only serves to deepen the narrative for its respective collection, but also serves to heighten the sense of drama.

For Chanel, it took a gardening garbed Baptiste Giabiconi to initiate the mechanized bloom of 300 paper flowers that decorated that set at the Grand Palais. It was a synthetic paradise born from the mind of Karl Lagerfeld.

At Schiaparelli, the set for the show was designed by photographer Jean-Paul Goude (of #BreakTheInternet Paper magazine and Kim Kardashian fame). The set was covered in hues of signature Shiap pink with a surrealist bent of reflective walls for effect.

Ever since he lined a runway with a million individual flowers for his debut collection for Christian Dior in 2012, Raf Simons has been known for intricate sets to go with his equally exquisite runway presentations. For 2015 couture, at the Musée Rodin, the designer showed his retro-futuristic collection against an elaborate network of silver scaffolding with pink carpeted stairs.

HAT TRICK

For Spring 2015 Couture Week, designers and their respective styled teams turned to millinery for a showcase of their mastery of metiér and to show how far they can demonstrate their haute handiwork.

For Chanel, a luxurious take on beanies was shown — fashioned out of mohair and tulle, embellished with pastel flowers, of juxtaposed with oversized straw hats wrapped in mesh.

Stephen Jones worked with the Schiaparelli design team, opening with a tasseled Moroccan fez and heightening the whimsy throughout the collection with wire frame tiaras.

And at Viktor & Rolf, oversized straw head pieces brought their collection to couture heights.