The euphoria of beauty. Haute Couture Week in Paris

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Bloody drama by Christian Dior, Hollywood glamor by Giorgio Armani, Coco in Love by Chanel, weightless furs by Revillon and Madonna commenting on the Jean Paul Gaultier collection. From Monday to Wednesday, Paris hosted the grandest fashion show on the planet - Paris haute couture week season spring-summer 2006.

Show of the Revillon collection

What can be called symbol of the Paris Haute Couture week? Paris in the glow of burning cars? Or extraordinary Christian Dior collection show on Monday? Like blood splattered dresses and deathly pale faces of fashion models - the fruit of inexhaustible fantasy and feverish imagination Jonah Galliano.

Christian Dior collection show

Regardless of how you feel about this rather wild and beautiful show with hints of the bloody French Revolution of 1789, it was an outstanding show. Despite the effect of drama and moral discomfort of the public, Galliano presented such gorgeous outfits (ultra-sadistic sexy bustiers, a lot of lace-ups, fluffy chiffon skirts) that the guest of the show, Mischa Barton, was literally drooling.

The final of the show finally finished off the audience - a terrorist group in leather clothes, noble ghost ladies in platinum wigs a la Marie Antoinette and the sudden appearance of Galliano, skillfully brandishing a sword and in masterfully torn leather uniforms - a romantic warrior, and that's all!

"I wanted to show you something bold, amazing imagination," explained John Galliano to his friends Penelope Cruz, Marisa Berenson and boss Bernard Arnault after the show. And it turned out high-class show, the dream of any couturier and public, eager for spectacles, for sure even the picky Marquis de Sade would be delighted

At the same Giorgio Armani day presented a collection that was completely opposite in design: "haute couture on the verge of reality". That is, models for ladies who want to look classically luxurious during the day (fitted jackets, straight trousers and pencil skirts) and stunningly glamorous in the evening (evening dresses with asymmetrical slits on the skirt or a fluffy silk cascade skirt, flesh-colored bustiers that create an effect naked flesh strewn with Swarovski crystals).

Giorgio Armani collection show

However, if you do not focus on corkscrew hats and dresses with skirts that unfold like a beach umbrella, then we will see a collection that is just pleasant to the female eye.

Since Armani presented his the first couture collection Prive last year, according to the maestro, he got rid of many inferiority complexes (it's a bit strange to hear such phrases from the lips of a 70-year-old fashion emperor, isn't it?). This means that the master has found the very notorious harmony between the colors of the striped trouser suit and the lacing on the cuts of the jacket of this very suit.

A ski slope set against the backdrop of the Arabian desert is another metaphor for haute couture week. Nothing is impossible here. And just in this way, the ice against the backdrop of sand dunes and the scorching sun is demonstrated Valentino collection … The dunes were real, and snow-white satin dresses with lace and lacing on the sides were used as ice.

Valentino collection show

"I wanted lightness and nothing more," - said mysteriously roman couturier … Perhaps he meant that he gave his best, finishing every fold, seam and microscopic fastener that looks as weightless as grains of sand.

The effect was wonderful, especially with dresses of the color of sundown and pale absinthe green. Although there were small flaws (or raisins?). What can you say about light summer dresses that are attached directly to the bra? Or jackets that are so fitted that you anxiously begin to wait for them to come apart at the seams?

It is strange that Valentino, widely known for his militant perfectionism, made such mistakes. Or is this the same casual elegance that young starlets and debutante actresses strive for?

Meanwhile Karl Lagerfeld in the transparent glass hall of the Grand Palais, he demonstrated the Chanel collection, which critics called "Coco in Love". The collection is light and graceful, muted romanticism, that gentle side nature of Lagerfeldwhich Charlemagne prefers not to show.

Chanel collection show

An unobtrusive, rounded silhouette, bolero jackets and soft jersey dresses. There are also rhinestone hairpins and flat-soled high boots. "The main thing is a gentle form", - explained Lagerfeld after the final release in jeans and stylish Ugg boots.

Why does this collection claim to be "special"? Who will you surprise at Haute Couture week? Because the show was a match for rocket science. Here a strict cut and an abundance of decor come together. Starting with a little black dress and ending with a wedding dress - a baby-doll dress, lavishly trimmed with lace, feathers and embroidery.

It seems to be a classic, but at the same time fresh and very youthful. The guest of the show, rock singer Avril Lavigne, has definitely "laid eyes" on a wedding dress with roses, and her neighbor Victoria Beckham would gladly exchange her black sexy suit for one of the airy elegant Chanel dresses.

In addition to Lagerfeld, Christian Lacroix turned to the roots and origins. Bright Spanish costumes, flowers from the meadows of Provence, with which the background perfectly contrasted - a black and white view of the city of Arles. “I thought it would be nice to go back to the beginning,” explained Lacroix, whose fashion house is gearing up to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

Lacroix collection show

Instead of the usual Lacroix wild energy of colors and decorations, delicate lace dresses, soft draperies and a predominantly straight silhouette are presented.

Lacroix collection show

The main themes of the Week worked well - feminine neckline, ruffles and flowers finally completed the image of "Beautiful Senorita" in black and white. Any model of the collection looks advantageous, even an eccentric balloon skirt - a kind of Lacroix charm is felt everywhere. Either the French-American aesthetic is confused by the seasons, or he is full of hopes that his ingenuity will be appreciated by the elegant intellectuals who own Visa Infinity.

On Wednesday, the last day of the Week, no one expected any sensations, and at the Jean Paul Gaultier show, photographers were mainly interested in the guest - Her Majesty Madonna - the couturier's bosom friend. But the Great Girl's Dresser was not easy either. Gaultier presented the "Athenian" collection, where the models are named accordingly - Lesbos, Aristotle, Sophocles …

Jean Paul Gaultier show

Densely draped dresses, chiffon blouses with wide pleated sleeves and a kind of "hybrid" - exclusive jacket from Gaultier With a wide neckline and chiffon inserts, classic plain tuxedos are combined with slim skirts in gold and silver brocade.

The witty designer simultaneously demonstrated simple and graceful models on a par with extravagant outfits like a long dress with an awkward top and a naked belly. And in the finale, the designer made a broad gesture - strewn those present with white rose petals. Of course, his friend Madge got the most.

Played his game well Elie Saab, a talented designer originally from Libya.46 evening dresses for every taste and color with a hint of Spanish and Edwardian styles and a simplified silhouette that slipped through the Chanel and Lacroix collections. Obviously, Saab's models are perfect for ladies going to the Academy Awards, and the fact that few ladies can afford such an outfit only adds to its appeal.

After three days, during which a grandiose fashion event of an international scale took place, it became clear to all the weak half of humanity that the Parisian Haute Couture Week - one more, quite useful proof of how the most talented and creative men in the world love, adore and appreciate us women.

Evelina Zozulya

27.01.2006