Valentino Couture Paris 2013 A/W

Why are Valentino collections often so up and down? I have included only the looks I loved rather the the horrors of the outfit in head to toe latte coloured satin, the bizarre skirt suit in brown or the hard ankle length dresses which would be a challenge for anyone under 5’10.  The pieces below are the highlights and they are truly beautiful: gothic, romantic, wintery, like a December afternoon in the Victoria & Albert museum.  Add to that the riches of double cashmere, laser cut astrakhan, rivers of crystals and seed pearls. And although I’m not a fan of the Gretel hair plait, the simple make-up was perfection.

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Jean Paul Gaultier Couture Paris A/W2013

I love clicking through Gaultier collections, they are always so out there y0u can only look and smile. This season was all about the female as predator, more particularly a feline one, hence all the spots and stripes, the feathers worked to look like fur, the lurex lace, the striped leather, and throughout the tights in a crazy leopard print that was replicated over the hair. There was big quilting like padded armour, a sort of amazonian breastplate shape that swirled out across the shoulders, neatly cinched waists, and I loved the big collared coats and the jaunty hats.  The looks came in a huge range of colours too, including red, black, purple, cream and baby blue.

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Armani Prive Couture Paris 2013 A/W

I loved this Greta Garbo/Katherine Hepburn style collection. This was old Hollywood starlet travel wear, arriving on set with 30 pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage. This was for a woman as confidant in a trouser suit as she is a full gown. Entitled Nude, the collection was all sensuous elegance, with a lovely light palette and beautiful details of lace, beading and feathers.  Armani at his best.

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Elie Saab Couture Paris 2013 A/W

Elie Saab is Elie Saab: beautiful beading, elegant lengths and romantic colours. It is not breaking any barriers but if you don’t look  at these dresses and feel their allure, then you are a colder soul than I. These dresses are perfectly made, perfectly fitted to the body and sumptuously decorated. I love the grey and blush tones in this collection and the wine and navy make a lovely accent in this grown up fairy tale.

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Chanel Couture Paris 2013 A/W

Deep breath, I actually like this collection!! Unbelievable, I know, because I’m not sure I’ve ever said that of a Chanel collection before. In the show he mixed it up with a background of a cityscape that was mythical and futuristic at the same time and clothes that reflected this in period details vying with 3D effects.  Surprisingly it worked, and minus the usual odd model choices I loved the black, grey and white tones, the cool hats which are an original idea to me, and the coats which looked flattering and desirable.

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Christian Dior Couture Paris 2013 A/W

There has been a lot of talk in the fashion press about the future for couture, with the money moving from Russia to the Far East and with the ever present pressure to promote a brand and be in the spotlight rather in the more exclusive and subtle shadow. For me this shift is epitomised by Raf Simons,  for whom this collection’s buzz word ‘Freedom’ meant carte blanche for a free for all of styles and cultural references that was not couture in the classic sense.  Some people will applaud this but not me.  There were some really unredeemable dresses shown: the full fur one particularly stands out, as does the full length white dress which looks like an undergraduate end of term effort. For all his avowed homage to the house of Dior, I fail to see the understanding of its history, quality or signature class. The staging against the slide show of stills from the collection may have been interesting, but I really didn’t like the crop of models they used for this show at all, and it makes the ‘firing’ of Jourdan Dunn for her unacceptable bra size seem all the more odd. I didn’t like the long gloves either, nor the one earring look; is this Paris’s best effort for the runway?

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Versace Couture Paris 2013 A/W

It’s no surprise that this collection, despite being a return to couture, is all about the Versace fascination with the body beneath the clothes. There was a lot of skin on show, and when it wasn’t skin it was underwear, and when it was actual clothes it was with seams that traced the contours of the models as they walked.  Pleasingly the sensual tailoring had a cool deconstructed edge to it with torn shoulders and asymmetrical lines. The palette was maroon, midnight blue, silver, dirty red, all wonderfully sultry and autumnal, and the mixture of leather, lace and tulle made it modern and intriguing.  It could have been a sombre affair but Versace’s typical sexy allure made sure it didn’t get too dark.

Source: Style.com