As the curtains closed on Paris Men’s Fashion Week on January 21, the fashion spectacle elevated to unprecedented heights with the commencement of Haute Couture Week the following Monday. A convergence of luxury powerhouses, the week unfolded with a parade of technical marvels that left audiences in awe. Celebrities flocked to the metropolis, eager to witness the visionary creations gracing the runway.
Haute Couture Week, deemed the pinnacle of fashion, is an exclusive showcase reserved for the crème de la crème of garment making, as defined by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. In stark contrast to the ready-to-wear calendar, which highlights promising talent and emerging disruptors in the commercial realm, the couture circuit becomes a stage where fashion’s elite cadre proudly displays their unparalleled skills and savoir-faire.
Among the unforgettable moments were the unveiling of robot babies, whimsical sailor hats that added a touch of playfulness, and undulating gowns crafted from a single strand of wool, showcasing the epitome of craftsmanship.
HuntrMania brings you the highlights of a week that transcended the boundaries of imagination and set new standards for sartorial innovation.
Armani Privé
Armani Privé proved that creating extraordinary pieces can be truly rewarding. Giorgio Armani designed his mesmerizing pastel tulle gowns with crystal bodices and unique peacock feather-inspired headwear, all crafted with his exclusive clientele in mind. His inspiration came from the idea of “Haute Couture en Jeu,” which translates to “couture is having fun.” Armani expressed his desire to be courageous, take risks, and step away from the typical Armani style, as he shared with Vogue Runway.
Pierpaolo Piccioli took a similar joyful approach with his Valentino collection, featuring ornate disco ball capes, striking “naked” dresses in deep black tones, and whimsical turquoise ballgown skirts. He emphasized the importance of not feeling the weight of technique and craftsmanship, stating that couture is about the illusion of effortlessness. Piccioli believes that the technique should be invisible to maintain the magic, comparing it to a magician who remains captivating as long as he keeps his secrets hidden.
Alaïa
Whereas some may describe quiet luxury as Kendall Roy’s Loro Piana cap in Succession or a $13,000 cashmere coat from The Row, for Pieter Mulier, nothing screams quiet luxury more than the act of making something spectacular out of almost nothing.
For Azzedine Alaïa’s Spring 2024 couture collection, the creative director set himself the challenge of using one singular yarn of merino wool to create his 43-piece runway. The result was a compelling display of craftsmanship.
Models floated through the mirror-paneled boutique on Rue de Marignan — some in dresses made from wool woven so thin it bore resemblance to angel hair spaghetti, others in animal prints and jumbo pom-pom cuffs.
“Reduced, reduced, reduced,” Mulier repeated in a post-show video that was published on Instagram. Ironically, it was the absence of gimmicks, spectacles, and material overload that propelled Mulier’s presentation to the forefront of online conversation, proving that, in 2024, less really is more.
Chanel
There was a lightness to Virginie Viard’s ballet-inspired Chanel collection. Her sugared-almond bouclé skirt suits and frothy, wedding-appropriate dresses had her loyal cohort craning their necks and tapping their feet to the Kendrick Lamar soundscape, which the rapper created for the show’s accompanying film, The Button, written and directed by Dave Free. When it came to big-budget productions, Viard won with her oh-so-pretty simplicity.
Christian Dior
Maria Grazia Chiuri also focused on wearability within the craft, with a striking Dior collection of plain cotton and moire (a fabric usually employed in interior design) pieces inspired, in part, by Christian Dior’s 1952 La Cigale dress and his aerodynamic couture, which saw Monsieur Dior liken panniers to plane wings. The key difference in Chiuri’s collection propelling the house into spring-summer 2024? The removal of any “stuffing” to allow women to move freely. Expect to see Rihanna, who was seated front row, making moiré a thing.
Schiaparelli
Robot babies. 3D exoskeletons. Dresses made from motherboards. Schiaparelli’s retro-tech-meets-alien collection flooded social media platforms before the show was even over — a buzz that felt strikingly similar to last year’s animal head hysteria (minus the controversy).
This season, creative director Daniel Roseberry set the taxidermies aside to delve deeper into life after the turn of the century. Surrealism was once again at play — as it always is at Schiaparelli — with space suit-esque jackets, extraterrestrial proportions, and even a life-size robot baby holding hands with model Maggie Maurer.
The designer also appeared to take cues from Alexander McQueen’s playbook. In one of the gowns, which extended over the model’s face and featured Elsa Schiaparelli’s hallmark keyhole insignia, a razor-clam shell material was artfully manipulated to resemble lightweight feathers.
Another dress, aptly named “The Mother,” was crafted from piles of pre-2007 tech, including CDs, mobile phones, and calculators — prehistoric relics now considered obsolete in today’s age of AI and the iPhone.
Simone Rocha for Jean Paul Gaultier
After Jean Paul Gaultier departed from his namesake label in 2020, the house of Jean Paul Gaultier has evolved into a creative playground for some of the industry’s most revered designers, including Haider Ackermann, Olivier Rousteing, and Julien Dossena, to reimagine the atelier’s legacy through their own stylistic lenses.
In September 2023, it was announced that the next guest couturier spot would be filled by Irish designer Simone Rocha, who, following months of teasing via her Instagram, brought her vision to life in Gaultier’s headquarters on January 24.
A designer who has become synonymous with the whimsical melancholy of femininity, Rocha fused her signature style with Gaultier’s provocative, sex-infused language. Archival references were on full display: Gaultier’s famed breton striped marinières and sailor hats were laced with ribbon, curved rose horns (a reference to Gaultier’s conical bra) protruded from the bust of slip dresses, and pannier dresses were crafted using crocheted Irish lace and sheer organza.
Robert Wun
Hong Kong-born designer Robert Wun brought his sleep paralysis demon onto the runway this season in the form of eerily ominous creatures affixed to models’ shoulders (alongside Schiaparelli, insentient beings seemed to be a running theme this year).
Horror has become a central element in Wun’s work over the years. Continuing his cruor narrative from last season, Wun soaked bridal gowns and veils in red crystals to create the impression of blood and hung beaded crystal and pearl rain droplets from umbrella hats.
This Haute Couture circuit saw a handful of designers look to extraterrestrials as a significant point of reference. Wun’s interpretation appeared in the form of androidian helmets, as well as more literal apparitions, including prosthetic hands and fingers of unfamiliar entities wrapped around models’ faces.
Maison Margiela
Rounding off the week, John Galliano’s Maison Margiela was one for the history books. Guests were ushered into a tavern beneath Pont Alexandre III, and were welcomed with an opening sequence performed by model Leon Dame.
The Artisanal Collection, a poetic and raw response to the sterile beauty standards and homogeneity in fashion today, unfolded through the theatrical lens of freakish night riders, cabaret performers, and courtesans.
References to Galliano’s early days at Margiela and his work at Dior were on full display. There were disheveled gauze skirts and crinolines, padded hips, and corsets wrenched so tight they created aggressive, contorted proportions. Yet, even still, the runway featured the most diverse cast seen across the past month (and arguably the past year), with English actress and muse Gwendoline Christie closing the show as an Edwardian-esque porcelain doll.
