Dior celebrates haute couture craftsmanship, while unmasked Cara Delevingne irritates
Stars flocked to the Musee Rodin headquarters, including actress Rosamund Pike and The Crown star Claire Foy, who posed for the cameras, exclaiming: “It's beautiful. I am amazed.”
Another VIP in attendance, model and actress Cara Delevingne, was criticized for not wearing a mask.
Here are some highlights from Monday's spring-summer 2022 couture collections:
DIOR CELEBRATES ITS ART
Designer Maria Grazia Chiuri wanted to show how the craft of the “petites mains” seamstresses, some of whom have worked in the Dior atelier for decades, was as important as the art or fashion itself.
This muse was a springboard for a display of sumptuous and archetypal couture.
An example of this was the abundant white beaded tapestry embroidery that adorned a structured coat of ecru wool twill. Here, rather than being ornamental, the elegant embroidery actually created the garment's silhouette through sheer heaviness and swag.
Elsewhere, a high-waisted ash gray crepe skirt made the same statement: It seemed almost alive thanks to the myriad of long embroideries that rustled and swished on the pixie model.
Speaking through the clothes, Chiuri seemed to be saying: Art and craft are the same.
Embroidered hosiery was also a big theme for spring, with Dior's army of seamstresses working to embellish various statement pieces. Unfortunately, the sheer weight of paillette embroidery did not always cut the most flattering shapes in some of the hosiery, even though all were finely executed.
Rosamund Pike poses before the presentation of Dior's Spring-Summer 2022 haute couture collection in Paris. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
In terms of style, there were hints of the 1960s trend, with features such as Peter Pan collars appearing on sexy sheer organza blouses, or slim-fitting Bar silhouette tuxedo suits with bold black satin lapels for men.
CARA DELEVINGNE WITHOUT MASK IN DIOR
Strict measures have been put in place at Paris Fashion Week to comply with French government guidance amid a surge of new infections fueled by omicron.
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— Taxolawgy Fri Nov 29 10:58:17 +0000 2019
COVID-19, which has brought the fashion industry to its knees, has seen countless shows cancelled, even ending entire seasons, with fashion shows only being rescheduled on condition that guests show proof of vaccination and wear face masks while seated. . It is the same rule for everyone, whether they are celebrities or journalists. France is currently recording the highest daily coronavirus cases in Europe.
Actress Rosumund Pike set a good example by carefully donning her face mask as soon as she sat down, even despite wearing an intricate Dior haute couture headdress. Nearby, “The Crown” star Claire Foy also donned a mask after passing the photo shoot.
Model and actress Cara Delevingne, however, turned heads for all the wrong reasons: not wearing a mask as she gazed at the creations from the front row.
SCHIAPARELLI ASKS FOR ANSWERS FROM A HIGHER POWER
Daniel Roseberry said of his couture collection that he wanted to respond to the "widespread feeling of exhaustion" and that sense of "lucky luxury" that the pandemic has given many.
In particular, Schiaparelli's designer wondered at the drawing board how the house's characteristic surrealistic motifs, first adopted by the late great Elsa Schiaparelli between the two world wars, can be relevant in a world where reality itself was constantly changing.
The answer? She ascended to the heavens, channeling the heavenly. It was, he said, a case of "a movement towards the elemental" to understand chaos.
This couture collection thus became the realm of the couture priestess, who donned exaggerated circular hats and headpieces, wore gold, black and white, and floated shimmering and resplendent.
Gold jewelry, a specially created shade of 24-carat leaf, floated around a model's bust in all directions as if suspended by supernatural powers. Column silhouettes soared in white spliced bodices that flared at the bust like a space-age flower, or in a giant bib with black jeweled graphics.
Some of the silhouettes bordered on pastiche, like the protruding spikes emanating incoherently from a model's bust.
But the fastidious construction of many dresses, one had golden tentacles that spilled out like a jellyfish, surely made up for it. The palatial setting, Le Petit Palais, with its myriad of moldings and busts also added to the Greek drama.
GAULTIER REMEMBER THIERRY MUGLER
French fashion designer Thierry Mugler, whose theatrical designs were worn by celebrities including Madonna, Lady Gaga and Cardi B, has died at the age of 73. The announcement on his official Instagram said that he died on Sunday.
A contemporary of Jean Paul Gaultier who admired his work, Mugler was known for his architectural style, defined by broad shoulders and a tiny waist. Much has been said over the years about the tensions between the two fashion greats, rumors that according to Gaultier belong to the past.
In a bittersweet message Monday, Gaultier told The Associated Press that his old acquaintance has now “gone to renew the angels and demons up there. The sky was his color.
“Enormous talent,” he added. “Always in search of perfection with his unique style!”
AZZARO SHINES AND SHINES
Olivier Theyskens brings out the romanticism that we all carry inside. In Monday's embellished affair, the Azzaro designer went all out with sequins and glitter and stood out with unapologetically high fashion.
The brand, whose brilliant razzmatazz attracted stars like Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren in their '60s and '70s heyday, seemed to have found the right ambassador in Theyskens.
The designs were fluid in every sense of the word. First in the way the shimmering loose tuxedos dripped down the body. Second, for mixing men's and women's clothing in mixed androgynous designs.
The house's iconic '70s maxi dresses were given a makeover, in one case with a minimalist aesthetic and a plunging neckline that ended in a midriff ring.
Little details, like the sparkly beaded embroidery on the shoulder, stayed true to the brand but were subtle.
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