Story ANTHEA NGUYEN
Photos INTERNET

Unlike seasonal fashion shows, Paris Haute Couture Week always holds a special allure, filled with a passionate devotion to the art of bespoke tailoring. Here, fashion icons seem to become an endless source of inspiration.

Blossoming roses

For the Haute Couture Fashion Week 2024, many designers have reinterpreted this inspiration to suit the modern woman on a journey to discover her unique style, feeling confident and free to wear what she likes. As soon as the Haute Couture week concluded, fashion enthusiasts couldn’t help but notice the plethora of roses adorning the design language of Giambattista Valli Couture for Spring 2024. Similarly, the rose’s imprint was also in the fiery red cloak at the Maison Valentino high fashion show. Moreover, transcending the limits of time and natural color, the metallic steel roses and shiny silver in the hands of models walking down the Jean Paul Gaultier X Simone Rocha Couture runway added an extra romantic touch to the show.

The art of ballet

In the 20th century, when luxury fashion houses like DIOR and Balmain drew inspiration from ballet to create their collections, we started to see a shift in aesthetic perceptions. Since then, fashion has played a significant role in the evolution of ballet. Today, as aesthetic trends celebrate femininity, it’s no surprise that everything related to ballet is returning, including details like ruffles, pink hues, lace, bows, and sheer tulle. Once again, fashion designers are elegantly incorporating their own luxurious and sophisticated touches into this art form. Notably, CHANEL and Virginie Viard have collaborated with ballet dancers on their high-end runways. Similarly, DIOR has skillfully blended tweed, tulle, and voile to transform them into favored materials on the men’s fashion runway for Autumn/Winter 2024.

Luxurious capes

For a long time, cape has been a fashion statement, focusing on decorative techniques, fabric quality, and seamless lines. Come Spring 2024, in an era where fashion increasingly prioritizes functionality, capes have “invaded” collections with a contemporary elegance more accessible to today’s fashion aficionados.

From classic cape styles to integration with outerwear, their presence is captivating. Elie Saab has been praised for its pure elegance with intricately handcrafted cape designs, while the DIOR Couture runway introduced classic-inspired capes with a Gothic flair. Next, Armani considered practicality by shortening the length of its capes. Finally, Miss Sohee and other designers have offered a unique interpretation of cape luxury with unconventional cuts and silhouettes.

The hourglass figure

Since the 1920s, when women’s waists were liberated from tight constriction, many believed that the ideal beauty standard, achieved through corsets that accentuated high busts, tiny waists, and voluptuous hips, belonged to the past. Entering 2024, there are numerous interpretations of traditional Western femininity, with haute couture designers focusing on reviving the classic waistline by experimenting with volume and shape.

Dramatic emphasis on protruding hips was evoked at Maison Margiela, where Galliano achieved accurate hourglass figures with corsets and padding. In this spirit, low-waisted dresses flaring from the hips are fashion statements from Gaultier’s archives, reinterpreted by Simone Rocha.