While haute couture has a reputation of distancing itself from the fashions of every day life, last week’s premier of the Spring/Summer 2014 couture collections have revealed a shifting motif. Even the most acclaimed fashion houses such as Chanel and Dior are adapting to a younger clientele. The best of the best have managed to achieve a sense of freedom, lightness, and approachability without straying from the artistry and craftsmanship characteristic to haute couture.
Two weeks out of the year – one in January and one in July – the most respected names in the fashion industry gather in Paris for la semaine de la haute couture to debut their visions for the coming season. What makes Haute Couture Fashion Week stand apart from the others is that all designers must be invited and accredited by the Fédération Française de la Couture. Regarding the differences in the garments, couture collections are designed with a focus of creativity and artistry rather than the marketability and wearability of ready-to-wear collections. Everything is sewn and detailed by hand. These designers spend six months creating and producing, meticulously deciding on the slightest details from the fabric, to the set, to the music – all for about ten minutes of showtime.
Curious about just how much craftsmanship goes into a single garment? The following are the opening and closing looks of Ralph & Russo, making their first appearance at Paris Fashion Week and becoming the first British brand to show a haute couture collection since 1915.
The embroidery of the dress and cape to the left took 1800 hours to complete and the bridal gown on the right required the work of fifteen people and 200 meters of fabric.
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Epitomizing the free spirit of the younger, contemporary clientele, the Chanel models entered the room through a grand staircase with feet as light as the sheer, sparkled, feathered, and tweed fabrics they wore. A recurring silhouette was a cropped top over a corsetted waist and tailored skirts from hip to knee. In contrast, the models wore sneakers – the vehicle of freedom. The models skipped and twirled demonstrating the movability of the looks.
Other designers who featured flats include Georges Chakra‘s jeweled sandals on the left and Christian Dior‘s jeweled sneakers on the right.
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Aside from the freedom represented by flat shoes, several designers were inspired by the butterfly. Among Yiqing Yin‘s fascination with the fragility of the moth, Jean-Paul Gaultier‘s free spirited image of a butterfly showgirl, Valentino‘s mystical butterflies, and Alexis Mabille‘s venetian fairytale butterflies, one common theme remains: freedom.
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Do you dream of attending or even showing your own designs at fashion week? We may not have the coveted reputation of Paris Fashion Week, but Charleston Fashion Week is on the rise. Coming up on its eighth year, Charleston Fashion Week is the premier fashion week of the south. Baker Motor Company Charleston Fashion Week 2014 is from March 18-22. If you’d like to join the fun under the tents in Marion Square get your tickets now! If you want to be involved behind the scenes, there’s still time to apply to volunteer – the deadline has been extended to February 10th!