With Armani Prive and Jean Paul Gaultier being the choice favourite,  who else was note worthy at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week?

The intricate work at Chanel was so intense that even the seamstress’ cried(Could have been the flats! Gasp!). Then on the other hand, there was the mood at Dior. It was romantic and powerful like that of a queen who wears only extravagant dresses so opulent and excessive that they changed the standard of measuring fabric from meters to miles. Givenchy took us to a time of magical Samurai princesses with dresses that seemed to turn to cranes. To keep the Givenchy warriors from taking flight they were adorned with massive headgear that kept them grounded. Valentino had perfectly proper pieces that were to be worn by lovers of geometric prints and simple symmetry. Don’t let the description fool you these clean cut pieces had patterns through them that opened up the imagination to a much more lustful silhouette. Lastly Ellie Saab, a brand I didn’t even know until last season, impressed the marquis of Fashion. I am now in “like” with Elie Saab(not love just yet).

Now I have to say… I loved the art side of Givenchy but… I didn’t LOVE the overall presentation  that was, Givenchy. There I said it. Was it the Styling? Was it the “Robust” selection of models? Or a bit of both… I think a bit of both. Please don’t get me wrong, I LOVED the clothes but it was the overall spectacle that I was a bit surprised with. The hats, what were those hats…? I think it was the Pokemon or Yu-gi-oh creatures who wore those hats. No more hats Riccardo Tisci.

Next up(Or First up depending on how you look at it) was Alexis Mabille who showed a choppy collection made of fanciful accessories, magnificent dresses, but it also had odd fitting short dresses that were sewn like a pillow case and hung loosely off the shoulders and flapped while the elegant models walked down the runway. I also felt like I was at a discount stripper Haute Couture show when I saw the last model strip off her skirt. I wanted to throw a toonie (Yes I’m Canadian) at her. Better luck next time.

Overall though, I was enthralled with the Haute Couture collections this year and you can find full write ups of the Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, and the Givenchy collections right here on fashioncollections.org.

Mark St. James
Marquis of Fashion for Fashion Collections: Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week