< Back to Trends

LUXE TREND 53
HAUTE COUTURE F/W 2019 — THE EMPIRE (tries to) STRIKE BACK

As a fellow creative, what has always excited me the most about Haute Couture is that it offers a blending of limitless creativity with ingenuity and skill. The mythical houses of French and Italian Haute Couture built their reputations on the name of one or two designers and on the silent efforts of countless assistants whose dedication to their craft push the boundaries of the original design vision. New designers who join these houses rely heavily on the skills of these assistants and some specialized ateliers to provide them with extraordinary workmanship.

So rare have some of these skills become, several years ago Chanel was prompted to buy Lesage (embroidery) and Lemarie (feather appliqués) and save them from certain demise. What we perceive as the magic of Haute Couture is owed to a large extent to the creations of these two houses, and to a small number of ateliers whose specialization and expertise are the equivalent to a Visual Special Effects studio in the movies.

There were plenty of visual special effects in last week’s Haute Couture collections. From leather embroidery to — too many — feathers, to jeweled appliqués, Fall/Winter 2019 is all about decorative maximalism. And as often is the case, Special Effects hide important plot holes in a movie, there were quite a few of these holes in this season’s Haute Couture collections. As a stark design counterpoint to the collections of Haute Joaillerie — also presented in Paris the last couple of weeks — the designers at Paris Haute Couture opted for a departure from romanticism. Political statements at Dior and revolutionary tendencies at Margiela and Schiaparelli revealed a disconnect between the specialist designers between Couture and Jewelry. High Luxury is seeking a more consistent voice.

The good news, there is design consistency and high quality where expected. At Valentino, the bold color story that began several seasons ago continues to dazzle. Although I was sure I saw some of these dresses in previous seasons, I chose to appreciate the extreme craftsmanship that continues to create tour-de-force magic in fabric and appliqué. Pier Paolo Piccioli knows how to create feminine, head-turning clothes, for those women who live in glass cloches. The seeming fragility of these creations makes them impossible to envision wearing in the real world, unless you ride in a limousine lined in swan down, and if you are a customer of Couture, you probably do.

Speaking of fragility — and ultimate modernism — lets all bow in appreciation to Ms Iris Van Herpen, who continues to impress us with her feats of engineering. This season, Ms Van Herpen was inspired by Anthony Howe, an artist of kinetic art. What a brilliant and dazzling Couture/Fine Art collaboration this became with Mr Howe’s mobiles as interpreted in fabric and 3D printed constructions by Ms Van Herpen. The innovative mix of metal and fabric was reminiscent of Paco Rabbane’s daring creations in the ’60s, with Ms Van Herpen’s Barbarella a modern-day ethereal poet, rather than a space-age warrior. Some of the dresses in iridescent and transparent silk organza established a trend also seen in other Haute Couture collections.

Madame Grès, the woman who was inspired by the draping of ancient Greek statues to create masterpieces of mid-20th century Couture, was the uncredited inspiration at Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Dior collection. The Business of Fashion titled the collection, A Symphony of Sculpted Shadows. It was perhaps the most assured collection Ms Chiuri has shown for the House. Still pushing her Feminist message, Ms Chiuri incorporated more of her personal style in this collection. She also appears to have allowed the storied ateliers of Dior to create their own magic in construction and embroidery effects. There were still familiar elements of monastic frumpiness in the black suits with the long skirts, but the transparent tops and leggings made the collection more Joan Jett than Joan of Arc.

At Schiaparelli, Bertrand Guyon, the designer who put the brand back on the map, was replaced by Daniel Roseberry from Thom Browne. Mr Roseberry scrubbed the social media of the House — possibly inspired by a similar act by Hedi Slimane when he took the helms of Celine — and began the hard task on making his own mark on the brand. The collection offered little in the area of innovation; it did, however, manage to make the brand more youthful than it was under Mr Guyon. I can’t help to think that it was a collection of an outsider’s view of what Haute Couture is — as evidenced in some weight-defying dresses and other extravagant and irrelevant flights of fancy.

Clare Waight Keller’s collection at Givenchy played with sculptural construction techniques such as boning and hoop skirts. Ms Waight Keller allowed herself some decorative indulgence in the use of feathers to create interesting — albeit not novel — effects in the gowns that closed the show. Still, where this designer excels is at the rigorous refinement she brings to her fabric selections and her overall approach, as well as to the reverence she exhibits in the history of the house.t.

At Chanel, Virginie Viard hit the books, so to speak, as the show was presented in a set of a giant library. The collection was too timid for Haute Couture, especially given the volume of exciting fashion Lagerfeld gave us in the last 30-plus years at the House. It was safe and definitely in “good taste” but it will take a few more tries until this designer feels confident enough to stray from the codes and show us how she will dress the next generation of the Chanel woman. If this collection is any indication as to the current state of the Chanel ateliers, Lagerfeld would not have allowed for the mourning period of his death continue as long as it has.

Galliano continues to drive Maison Margiela into a legacy that might be hard to follow after his departure. While nothing has been announced as to the continuation of that creative collaboration, one senses that the designer might be seeking some new challenges. For this latest Artisanal Collection, Galliano demonstrated his expertise in layering textures, colors and effects to create inimitable Fashion. The fabrics and layering effects achieved in this show were quintessential Galliano, and they underscored the adherence to Chic that permeates all his stylistic explorations. Where the Spring Summer Artisanal collection fell a little flat due to its graffiti and pattern reference, this collection was futuristic and a modern classic, similar to a Ridley Scott film set in a stylish future.

Finally, Fendi without Lagerfeld to guide the styling of the collection tried continued in the same trajectory set by the master. Fendi is indeed the Industrial Light and Magic of Couture. Fendi chooses to use challenging materials for their collections and their creations are best appreciated up close. This collection was an exploration of pattern inspired by Vienna Secessionist art and their surprisingly apt Roman equivalents. Although Silvia Venturini Fendi did not have Karl’s capable hand in styling — there were a few odd choices, such as the leggings — she has assimilated his curiosity for technological innovation and for designing for an appreciative audience of fashion cognoscenti.