Celebrity Life

As Couture Week comes to an end, here's our selection of the best shows we saw this season. 

Although having a certain celebrity couple consisting of an actress and a rapper-turned-semi-religious-figure at the front row of Schiaparelli was not the pop culture moment it had hoped to be, the Couture shows proved that fashion can be a strip of light in this covid-induced limbo. 

Here are some of our favourite shows from Couture Week Spring/Summer 2022 

SCHIAPARELLI

Schiaparelli’s Haute Couture has become somewhat a pièce de résistance during the couture season. This time around, Daniel Roseberry delves into the mesmerising and, a bit frightening, worlds of sci-fi and takes us with him. As of late, Roseberry limits himself to the trinity of golds, blacks and whites in his palette, which, in turn, allows him to keep the audience’s focus on the extraordinary architecture of each piece. The gilded cage of a dress – with its stoned tentacles wrapping the body – created a vision of some Aztec deity (this author couldn’t help but think of late Thierry Mugler’s corsetry work). Some looks quite literally feature golden Saturn rings attached to cinched bustiers.

CHRISTIAN DIOR

It was all too vague, at first, to tell what exactly was the inspiration behind Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Haute Couture collection for Dior. Turns out, that was precisely the point. The designer chose her latest show to become a celebration of human connection and togetherness – the two components so inherent to the making of any couture collection. Chiuri creates an immaculate symphony of greys (hi, Kim Jones’ Fall 2022), creams and whites, with silhouettes so pure and embroidery so delicate, it feels like a light midsummer slumber. Chiuri’s signature off-shoulder dresses have undergone another transformation – this time – through adornment with pearl embellishments or styling with shimmery leggings underneath.

ALEXANDRE VAUTHIER

Alexandre Vuthier’s Spring 2022 Couture collection transported his loyal fans into the world of perpetual partying – power suits strode alongside feather-trimmed liquid gowns and slip dresses. Vauthier stays true to his signature palette of blacks, teals and reds with occasional pops of white, grey and baby pink. The collection is a dazzler. The Old Hollywood references are apparent: there is the crystal-studded padded dress à la Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn’s iconic grey power suit and Vauthier’s glamorous take on the flapper dress, updated with airy petals of chiffon and a gathered bodice. The show-stealer is, by far, the black velvet bodysuit with a feather-embellished sequined cape – an elevated take on a variation of the 1920s circus costume.

CHANEL

For a heritage brand like Chanel, every collection inadvertently becomes a retrospection. This time around, Virginie Viard looks at the 1920s as the source of her inspiration. To grant the collection a summery feel, Viard transforms the classic flapper dress into a garment more modern and dynamic by switching heavy beading with bits of chiffon. The roaring twenties staple – ostrich – is a prominent fixture in the line-up; the feather-embellished skirt with a side slit appears under a sculptured one-shoulder top, where camelia patterns are laid with black-and-white sequins. Bottom-heavy silhouettes dominated the Chanel runway, not only in the form of flapper elements, may I add, but also as white silk tulip skirts, paired so tastefully with stoned and frilled crop tops.

ULYANA SERGEENKO

Couture Spring 2022 seemed to have been an opportunity for the designers to dive into their roaring twenties fantasies. Russian designer Ulyana Sergeenko veered away from the quintessential 1920s costume and, instead, embraced the works of cubist artists and art deco aesthetics in her collection. Skirts, dresses and bustiers adopted geometric motives in the forms of embroidery that accentuated hourglass silhouettes. Sergeenko’s penchant for heavy-handed glamour made itself known as beads and crystals trickled down the black silk corset of a sleeveless dress styled with a boa made out of silk and chiffon.

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER

Glenn Martens's interpretation of of Jean Paul Gaultier's heritage for the Spring 2022 Couture collection was a dream. Canons of Gaultier’s own devisal – tiger prints, aerodynamic stripes, corsets – were masterfully interwoven with Marten’s subversive sensibilities; take the knit dress with sharp coral protrusions, for example. The collection seemed like Le Bal of the 22^nd century – emerald-green silk dress with the gathered armour-like bodice and cloud-shape skirt stole the show. Styling of satin corsets with denim seemed fresh and not at all watered down the high-octane feel of the show, while the colourful dress comprised of multiple layered sheer panels that revealed the stomach was the epitome of the Gaultier-Martens creative conversation. 

VIKTOR & ROLF

High-fashion vampires walked down the Viktor & Rolf Couture runway this season. Rolf Snoeren wanted to lean into the Nosferatu lore in interpreting the creature’s signature neckless look. The result was enticingly bizarre outfits ranging from suits to colonial dresses and coats. Snoeren and Hosrting devised a delicious, campy ambiance, fully utilising the literal references of the iconic horror films without stripping them to barely-recognisable motifs and – instead – offering a straightforward interpretation of the vampiric memorabilia – like Sadie Frost’s white funeral dress from Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Nosferatu’s very own cape.

VALENTINO

Pierpaolo Piccioli once again proves to be the couturier of the future. Valentino’s Creative Director shatters the elitist perception of high fashion by curating an inclusive show that features a diverse range of bodies, ages and genders (something pioneered by the late Manfred Thierry Mugler in the late nineties). The show had Valentino’s signature chiffon, ruffles, explosive greens and fuchsias. Piccioli declared that fuller people have what it takes to carry couture, as demonstrated by the chocolate-brown dress hand-embroidered with two kilos of glass beads. It was refreshing to – also – see men appear on couture runways, especially in the chainmail-inspired embroidered two-piece.

ZUHAIR MURAD

For his Couture 2022 show, Zuhair Murad opened the doorway to the Imaginarium of Rafael Sabatini, where Captain Blood traversed the seven seas. Murad applied his ingenuity and feel for glamour to create a pirate-inspired fairy tale, where the spectres of models walked in Tricorn hats dripping in jewels. Pirate bandana made an appearance in an ensemble with a suave pleated gauze gown, conveying the sense of romanticism and longing for adventure. The 18th-century-inspired tenues de soirée read ethereal and daring – at the same time – with tattoo-esque prints plumbing the depths of unapologetic sensuality without even the faintest hint of vulgarity.

FENDI

Kim Jones was the latest couturier inspired by the sci-fi world: Dune and Star Wars to be exact. Fendi’s métier was an ode to Rome imagined through a lens of some sort of space odyssey. The models embodied celestial goddesses in satin, velvet and sheer evening gowns. The floor-length number with tulip-shaped sleeves bore the image of the Virgin Mary, which inspired solemn melancholy. Baroque prints on some of the shorter pieces conveyed that alluring darkness – so characteristic of the monumental science fiction works à la Prometheus. There was a chiton-inspired midnight-blue silk dress trimmed with beads and a white mini dress with a print of an ancient Roman statue – both, among the rest, paying homage to the House’s heritage.

The post Runway Report: Best of Couture Week Spring/Summer 2022 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

On paper, a slinky black dress styled alongside a statement gold necklace is predictably humdrum; nothing to write — or text; or any manner of communication — home about. Until the equation is casted on one Bella Hadid. To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the 24-year-old supermodel, once again, proves she has the Midas touch. Everything she does is magic! Everything she touches turns to gold!

Bella Hadid stole some breaths at this year's Cannes festival in Schiaparelli, with the yoke of her dress entirely cut out and replaced by gilded trompe l’oeil lungs — creeping, crawling and branching off down paths of bronchioles that also look a little like roots. Tree branches. How your synapses connect in your brain when you have a thought.

As for us mere mortals who will not have the opportunity to be styled-and-coifed in Schiaparelli haute couture save for very vivid fever dreams, here are some extra-large necklaces that could stand-in as inspiration. For your consideration: Go big or go home!

(Hero and featured image courtesy of Schiaparelli)

The post Big Statement: 10 very large necklaces inspired by that viral Bella Hadid look appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Paris Haute Couture week went digital for the first time in history in 2020.

This year has been tough for fashion, with cancelled shows, big events and international travel at a standstill. Whilst designers, studios and ateliers have returned to work, it's impossible to ignore the great big reset, both needed and wanted, in the world of style.

Since couture represents the highest echelons of luxury, and the most expensive sector of the industry, which is accessible to only a handful of the 1%, this season can be sort of confronting in another way. Haute couture however corners the notion of ultimate fantasy, extreme beauty, painstaking craft and the great escape -- the latter being something we could all delve into at the moment. And designers are indeed inviting us to dream, inspiring our imaginations to run wild. Instead of traditional shows and celebrity front rows, we have films and arguably the change in format can reveal another dimension from brands depending on how creative they choose to be. Ahead is our pick of the Paris Autumn Winter 20/21 couture collections.

Christian Dior

A 14 minute cinematic undertaking directed by Matteo Garrone at Christian Dior is one of the season’s most ambitious. A pair of uniformed bellboys carry a trunk of miniature designs through an enchanted forest inhabited by a host of ethereal characters straight out of Greek Mythologies. Mermaids, marble statues, narcissus, gods and goddesses donning Maria Grazia Chiuri’s couture is just the fantastical breath of fresh air we need.

Chanel

The short film shot in high contrast showing Chanel’s key couture looks was followed by mini docs focusing inside the ateliers by Loic Prigent. Here, rebellious opulence came in ruched taffeta satins, adorned belts and details that sparkled like jewellery: “a punk princess coming out of ‘Le Palace’ at dawn,” as Virginie Viard says. Floral appliques made for sculptural pieces and those wide collars created a sense of vintage regal drama. There’s a big focus on showing off the embroidery capabilities of the atelier here, but for us it was those slimline silhouettes and sparkling tweeds that really stole the show. A very contemporary take on couture at Chanel this season.

Schiaparelli

A lovely narrative of design with Creative Director Daniel Roseberry as the camera follows the designer, donning a mask and heading to the Place Vendome headquarters in Paris -- a nod to the current times. He sketches wonderful creations of the season on the green streets of the city, the capital of haute couture. The references to Elsa Schiaparelli’s signature surrealism were evident in his stylised drawings, and Roseberry’s interpretation were wonderful. Overall, the film gave a quirky, intimate insight into his process.

Ralph & Russo

2020 marks 10 years of this London-based couture house. Creative director Tamara Ralph coloured the collection with vibrant tones reflecting nature’s palette: sunshine yellows and golds, hot floral pinks, sky blues and lavender. The video released by the brand is a behind the scenes view of the atelier and craft, showing Ralph’s development of watercolour and modern digital prints. Ultra feminine silhouettes come with intricate flourishes such as 3D organza blooms, embellishments and swathes of floral taffeta. Again nodding to digital tech futurism, the label introduced an avatar for the season: the strong and sexy Hauli.

Valentino

The brand is set to broadcast a special show and live performance from Rome’s Cinecetta for Haute Couture Fall Winter 2020-21 by Pier Paolo Piccioli with Nick Knight. A exploration of human and digital interaction “ transcended through grace and lightness” and an expression of the inner values of Couture: creativity, imagination and emotion. The event will be live on digital channels and presented in person to a small selection of Italy-based fashion editors. An abstract teaser by Nick Knight might set the mood first.

The post How Couture Houses Went Digital in Paris appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

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The annual Screen Actors Guild Awards just took place, with familiar faces like Charlize Theron, Millie Bobby Brown, Sophie Turner in attendance celebrating the achievements of actors and actresses in film and television. Winners included Jennifer Aniston for The Morning Show, The Crown for Ensemble in a Drama Series, Joaquin Pheonix for his portrayal of the Joker; representing the votes of more than 160,000 professional performing artists. Not only was it a huge night in entertainment, but fashion looks also made a splash on the red carpet. One of the highlights from the night is the 2000's flashback when Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston shared a moment together backstage.

Peep the gallery above to see some of the best red carpet looks, and start preparing for the upcoming Academy Awards.

The post Here Are All the Best Looks From the 2020 SAG Awards appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Haute Couture Week wasn't just about the gowns this season, as the Fall 2019 shows in Paris proved this week. Catwalk hairstyles were daring and theatrical: we take stock of the highlights.

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There were plenty of structural styles on show, with Franck Sorbier leading the way with a series of near-vertical ponytails. Givenchy championed an aerodynamic style that saw the hair coiffed into swooping, architectural forms with a punk edge, and Guo Pei took a twisting, turning approach to statement updos.

Waist-length braids were wrapped around themselves and tied into sophisticated low ponytails at Yuima Nakazato, while Jean Paul Gaultier fixed his ponytails high on the head and teamed them with a center parting. At Iris van Herpen, the hair was twisted back on itself to create elegant bow shapes that rested at the nape of the neck.

There was a return to crimping, with the style making a comeback at Julien Fournié, and at Viktor and Rolf, where it was pulled into towering vertical sections and teamed with bangs. RVDK Ronald van der Kemp channelled the vibe with bushy, '80s-style curls, while Schiaparelli proved itself to be a playful outlier by matching one model's teal and blue tresses to her colourful outfit.
 
This article is published via AFP Relaxnews.

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Haute couture reaches dizzying heights of whimsy, fantasy and craftsmanship in the latest Paris collections.

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Rising from the ashes not too long ago, Schiaparelli now holds one of the fashion worlds most coveted spots alongside its oldest rivals Chanel, Christian Dior and Givenchy

The post French haute couture dresses: Schiaparelli inducted to fashion’s elite list with Chanel appeared first on LUXUO.