Haute couture represents the very pinnacle of French style and savoir-faire. Such is its exclusivity, that only a handful of houses are granted membership by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode each year. Naturally, this makes for some of the most opulent runway spectacles of the season – dwarfing show sets, star-crammed front rows – but it also represents a chance to celebrate the poetry of fashion and dressmaking, with each hand-crafted garment often taking hours and hours of work to perfect.
So far, this season has been typically transporting. At Chanel, it began with a lost button as Virginie Viard took us down a rabbit hole of confections inspired by the romance of dance, while at Dior Maria Grazia Chiuri presented a melange of richly crafted fabrics backdropped with a set by artist Isabella Ducrot. Meanwhile, at Alaïa, Pieter Mulier opened up the doors to his store for a tight-knit show – an expression of intimacy from the always-emotive designer.
