Comings and goings at Paris’s Haute Couture houses • FRANCE 24 English

Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] High fashion in the heat. Uture week here in Paris has just wrapped up and we’re going to be discussing the outlandish looks, the latest industry news and the celebrity cameos that have made it sparkle. Well, for that I’m joined by fashion editor Samantha Sig. Hi Samantha. Hi. Before we talk about the big catwalk shows, there was a special side event that kicked off uh proceedings. It was called the Baldi or the summer ball, tell us about this. What was it? Who was there? Well, it was in it’s in its inaugural season. And what it was is um it was a fundraiser quite similar to the Met if you will for the Muse Desar Decif. And it was directed by Sophia Copala who was in town and she was enjoying you know the spectacle with her friends um Penelopey Cruz, Kristen Dons. It was absolutely spectacular. It was a great way to raise money for the museum and of course everyone looked spectacular and her husband um Thomas Mars of the band Phoenix provided, you know, after dinner entertainment. Not too shabby. Sounds very starry. Well, now to the hotly awaited catwalk collection. Starting with Chanel. Well, it’s a transitional time for the house after the departure of via Viad as it prepares to welcome a new creative director Matthew Blazi for the ready toear shows in the autumn. Well, in the meantime, the Chanel studios behind this Udkouture collection. Take a look. [Music] I need to speak to the world. [Music] [Laughter] [Music] and some big celebrities from the world of fashion and Hollywood too, I believe. Absolutely. Chanel Couture show is probably the most coveted ticket of the entire week. You know, we definitely had Kristen Danced. Um, we have Sophia Copeland, Naomi Campbell, Penelopey Cruz, you know, Kieran Knightly. Those are just some of the names that showed up. I mean, people and celebrities from all over the world were present at the Chanel show. I’m very excited to see what they’ll be doing come autumn. And another house that’s looking ahead to a new era is Balenciaga with the departure of the celebrated Demasalia. How was his sendoff? His sendoff was, I think, quite perfect. You know, I think that he has in his 10 years at Balenciaga, he’s changed the landscape of fashion and of luxury fashion and what constitutes as luxury fashion. you know, people came out to support him. There were, you know, on front row there was Nicole Kidman, Kyle McLaclin, there was Michelle Yo, and on the catwalk, you know, Isabelle Yubar, who’s a longtime muse to the house, Kim Kardashian, who wore a beautiful white slip dress referencing Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on Hot Tin Roof and also of course Naomi Campbell and Ava Herzgova who were both walking the show. Big names there then. Well, next we saw the Scarer show where I think Cardi B arguably stole the show in her look. She’s a huge fan of the label, right? Especially since uh Daniel Rose’s been in charge. She’s often at their shows. She is. She’s actually such a delight whenever I see her um at the Couture Show. She is dressed to the nines. She looks perfect. And you know, I mean, Scaparelli is a very beautiful brand for her. It fits her well. It fits her brand very well. And she always, of course, looks incredible. The collection itself was undeniably one of the most exciting ones I think of the season. You know, this year instead of so much color, it was definitely a focus on black and white with hints of red in there. And you know, everything kind of turned a little upside down. That surrealist tongue and cheek feeling that she definitely is on board with now. So, this is not a leg legacy house so to speak, but I think it’s becoming a contemporary legend. A Dutch designer Iris Van Herp and her shows are always a highlight. Tell us about this one. Her shows are incredible. They’re conceptual. They are multi-layered, multi-dimensional. It often, you know, draws from the world of science, nature, um, art, and technology. And in this season, it’s really a great celebration of fashion and nature. So, you know, she opened the show with this beautiful movement, you know, dance piece, which is always a big thing that informs her aesthetic, but also her dresses were lit by 125 million bioluminescent algae. They were alive and basically they light up when they, you know, when there’s movement. So, it’s it was kind of really amazing. I just felt like I was literally watching nature on the catwalk. Wow. That has to be a first indeed. Let’s hear more from Iris Van Herpen about the environmental inspirations for this show. Well, the living look is a metaphor for the whole concept of the collection. Uh the collection is about our relationship with the ocean. Uh how vital it is. It’s the largest and most important ecosystem on our planet and it’s not in a good state. So this living look is really about creating that relationship with something that you care for. We have to take care of this look in order to keep it alive. [Music] Iris is Van Herpen. Very much an exciting leader in the new generation of couture there. Well, now to a relative newcomer at Paris Couture Week, Robert W. He only arrived a couple of years ago. What do you think of his collections? His collections are always so dynamic. The silhouettes are sharp. you know, the materiality is so exciting and so I actually really think that he’s going to be I wouldn’t say one to watch. He’s already there, but definitely I can’t wait to see more of his stuff on the on the c on the red carpets and whatnot. I think what he does is he really pushes the boundaries of what couture can be in terms of the aesthetic and in terms of the styling. Okay. Well, here’s more from Robertw on his ritualistic approach to creating a collection. I think uh it really starts from the idea of where I want to define what is the purpose of clothing anymore. And it really came from my experience at the Mac Hotel. Um during my gala, you know, I was there helping to dress uh dressing some of u the artists there attending the carpet and that kind of hits the idea of what it means to be so when you care so much about looking good and dressing up to attend an event. really makes me want to do a collection to define that idea. Well, speaking of new blood on the couture circuit, we have the first Syrian designer to be officially included in the calendar. Ram Ali, that’s quite the achievement for him. How do you see his his collection? You know, he’s been showing off calendar for a couple of seasons now. So, for him to be invited as a guest of the calendar of couture is incredible. It gives us, you know, a new point of view. It’s really a diverse point of view that we don’t often have as much in the couture schedule. Um, he’s brought his Syrian heritage into his collection. Um, and a lot of really beautiful embellishments that use the couture technique to help um, solidify his collection. Certainly bringing a more international aspect to the shows. Well, lots of new developments then in the industry, but Samantha, for you personally, what was the standout show? What did you love? For me, definitely my favorite show is probably the most anticipated show, which was Glenn Martin’s debut for Maison Margela. It was absolutely phenomenal. It blew my mind. You know, we know what he can do already because we’ve seen what he’s done with Diesel and what he did with Y Project, but he’s now taking this to a the next level. you know, the tactility, the upycling, the, you know, it’s just such a joy because we’re so stuck to our screens that everything’s kind of flat. But when you see how incredible he’s used the technique and how he’s really pushed how the boundaries of what you can do with upycling and materials and silhouette, definitely by far my favorite show. Wow, sounds exciting. Well, some big houses were also notable by their absence uh this season. And I’m thinking of Dior specifically uh where Maria Gratzia Curi of course waved goodbye to her position as artistic director in her hometown of Rome though not in Paris. What’s next? Well, you know, I really enjoyed her her collection there. It was a cruise 2026 and she presented you know couture looks there. It was a great send off to her and it’s a great way to sort of you know close the chapter where in her hometown. What’s next is definitely going to be so exciting. you know, JW Anderson, um, he’s now the new creative director of the brand, looking after men’s, women’s, and couture. So, he presented the men’s brand, um, you know, a couple weeks ago to great fanfare. But I cannot wait to see what he’s going to do with Dior. Um, he has such a warmth and humanity and creativity and charisma to his designs, and, you know, we’ve seen how he’s transformed Lee and really modernized it. I can’t wait to see what he does with Dior. It will be very interesting to see how the house evolves in this new chapter. Well, let’s wrap up the show with a stunning showcase of the singular vision of designer Rick Owens. Now, there’s a retrospective of all of his career, his collections at the Pelle Galiera Museum, the fashion museum here in Paris. What can we see and learn about him in this exhibition? The exhibition is a great insight into the compelling world of Rick Owens. you know, everything from his old bedroom in California to, you know, his um his muse and his wife, Michelle Laame. There’s so many beautiful things. It’s not just about the collection. It’s about, you know, how he’s really taken his aesthetic and transformed the physical space. You know, he’s draped a lot of mannequins with, you know, black fabric. He’s really transformed it. I think it’s really insightful and I think anyone who goes in there would understand why Rick Owens commands such a dedicated loyal following. Yes, certainly someone who’s made his mark in a in a relatively short space of time. Thanks for the tip, Samantha, and thank you so much for that roundup of the shows this season. We’ll leave you with a look at Rick Owen’s iconoclastic looks in that retrospective at the Paliga. That show runs until January next year. Otherwise, do check in with us here on Arts 24 for more fashion, arts and culture and on our social media, too. [Music] Wow. [Music]

As the Haute Couture collections wrap up in the French capital, we take a look at some of the highlights in a season where arrivals and departures have cast a shadow over many of the major houses’ collections. Fashion editor Samantha Tse talks us through a transitional collection for Chanel, as the label awaits the arrival of its new artistic director, Matthieu Blazy. Echoing the Met museum’s glitzy annual gala, the Bal d’Eté in Paris brought together celebrities like Keira Knightley, Sofia Coppola, Penelope Cruz and Diane Kruger to raise funds for the Louvre’s Decorative Arts Museum.
#HauteCouture #FashionWeek #IrisvanHerpen

Read more about this story in our article: https://f24.my/BJAx.y

🔔 Subscribe to France 24 now: https://f24.my/YTen
🔴 LIVE – Watch FRANCE 24 English 24/7 here: https://f24.my/YTliveEN

🌍 Read the latest International News and Top Stories: https://www.france24.com/en/

Like us on Facebook: https://f24.my/FBen
Follow us on X: https://f24.my/Xen
Bluesky: https://f24.my/BSen and Threads: https://f24.my/THen
Browse the news in pictures on Instagram: https://f24.my/IGen
Discover our TikTok videos: https://f24.my/TKen
Get the latest top stories on Telegram: https://f24.my/TGen

2 comments

Comments are closed.