One of the highlights of the summer in fashion has been Haute Couture Week . Paris is once again the stage where the major fashion houses unveil their most exquisite creations. Atelier Versace was the first to show, opening the runway with its designs. What was their proposal for the Fall/Winter 2016-2017 season?
Versace continues to champion the sexiest femininity in its Haute Couture collection. Donatella Versace's new collection is brimming with sensuality, plunging necklines, strategic slits, draping, and layering . The Italian fashion house's selection features daring and striking designs, perfect for the red carpet. We'll undoubtedly see them at upcoming events like the Oscars.
Versace, Haute Couture fall-winter 16-17
The Italian fashion house perfectly understands the keys to success and knows how to exploit them without losing its magic. Its followers adore the Versace style, created by Gianni Versace and now reinterpreted by his sister Donatella. Its Haute Couture designs are red-carpet worthy, sensual dresses dominated by plunging necklines and daring slits. This season, the chosen color palette is varied and full of contrast. Black, red, and blue stand out in satin designs . Alongside these are sweet pastel shades like aquamarine, pink, and lilac.
The Atelier Versace show featured today's top models on the runway. Bella Hadid, Joan Smalls, Irina Shayk, Stella Maxwell, and Taylor Hill were among the supermodels chosen by the Italian fashion house. Friends of the brand, such as Naomi Campbell and Jennifer Garner, were also in attendance, watching every detail from the front row.
Dior, Haute Couture fall-winter 16-17
A Dior Haute Couture show is always a must-see event. However, we're talking about one of the most important fashion houses, which never leaves anything to chance, and which has been surrounded by anticipation lately. After the departure of its creative director, Raf Simons, everyone was waiting to see who would succeed him. Finally, former Valentino designer Maria Grazia Chiuri has been chosen to lead the new era for the House of Dior.
In this latest show, the fashion house was still without a creative director, and the in-house design team was once again responsible for the collection. Therefore, the collection is intimate, elegant, and a safe bet, featuring iconic elements of the brand such as the New Look silhouette and the predominance of black and white.
Serge Ruffieux and Lucie Meier have chosen to pay homage to the brand's origins in this collection, recapturing the essence of Haute Couture. To do so, they selected an exceptional setting: the house at 30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris. The building where Christian Dior presented his Haute Couture designs to his most select clients in the 50s welcomed celebrities such as Celine Dion, Marion Cotillard, Natalia Vodianova, Olivia Palermo, and Laetitia Casta.
Clean lines, elegant and feminine dresses , embroidery and brocade, and natural accessories (flat sandals tied at the ankle as footwear). Black and white are the main colors, but we also find metallic tones that add a touch of shine and luxury to the designs.
Schiaparelli, Haute Couture fall-winter 16-17
Another highly anticipated brand at Haute Couture Week is the new Schiaparelli. After its return to the scene three years ago, the label is one of Paris's biggest attractions. Its Haute Couture collections, favored by many celebrities for special occasions, are striking for their imaginative designs.
At the house's latest fashion show, some of Schiaparelli's style devotees were spotted, including actresses Rossy de Palma and Nathalie Dormer . It girl Olivia Palermo was also in attendance. They didn't miss a single detail of Bertrand Guyon's new designs for the Fall/Winter 2016-2017 season.
Original, colorful, and luxurious creations designed to make a splash on the red carpet . A Schiaparelli is daring. It has nothing to do with more conventional haute couture designs; its purpose is to make an impact.
Bertrand Guyon, the brand's creative director, drew inspiration from the world of the circus . Just as the house's founder, Elsa Schiaparelli, did with her 'Circus' collection in the 30s, the fantasy and vibrant colors of the circus can form the basis of a haute couture collection. This time, Guyon opted for architectural forms, shimmering details, and a riot of color. The interplay of volumes and the prints also serve as a tribute to Schiaparelli.
Surrealism is once again present in this collection. This time, based on motifs and embroidery taken from the circus.
Harlequins, geometric prints, brocades, animals, multicolored motifs … a circus inspiration that nevertheless does not clash with Guyon's proposal.
The brand's iconic motifs are also present, such as lips, eyes, or hearts with arrows and padlocks.
The designer focuses on emphasizing the shoulders , giving them absolute prominence. Transparencies, draping, and luxurious fabrics, such as lamé silk and velvet, are characteristic of the new collection. As for the colors, shades of pink, black, and navy blue predominate. Touches of metallics, like gold, are also present in brocades and animal-shaped brooches.