Dior and Schiaparelli Bring Historical Reverence to Haute Couture Week in Paris 

Models present creations for Christian Dior during the Women's Haute-Couture Spring/Summer 2024 Fashion Week in Paris on January 22, 2024. (AFP)
Models present creations for Christian Dior during the Women's Haute-Couture Spring/Summer 2024 Fashion Week in Paris on January 22, 2024. (AFP)
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Dior and Schiaparelli Bring Historical Reverence to Haute Couture Week in Paris 

Models present creations for Christian Dior during the Women's Haute-Couture Spring/Summer 2024 Fashion Week in Paris on January 22, 2024. (AFP)
Models present creations for Christian Dior during the Women's Haute-Couture Spring/Summer 2024 Fashion Week in Paris on January 22, 2024. (AFP)

Dior’s couture show at Paris’ Musee Rodin wove an intricate Ottoman tapestry for spring and attracted a tapestry of stars to rival it Monday. Natalie Portman, Elizabeth Debicki, Ali Wong, Felicity Jones, Glenn Close, Kristin Scott Thomas, Juliette Binoche, and Carla Bruni were among the VIP guests on hand to admire Maria Grazia Chiuri’s latest fusion of art and fashion.

An installation by artist Isabella Ducrot adorned the runway walls. The set called “Big Aura” featured myriad oversized dresses, each towering up to 5 meters (16.4 feet) high, that were reminiscent of Ottoman sultans’ attire and hinted at the masterful show theme — the deft uniqueness of couture.

Here are some highlights of spring 2024 couture displays in Paris:

DIOR’S UNIQUE APPROACH TO COUTURE

It began with an understated yet powerful beige trench, worn with the large collar draping over a bare torso and complemented by a raw pearl double choker reminiscent of teeth that added a subtle bite.

Chiuri’s interplays of architectural silhouettes and innovative materials were out in force for a diverse collection that had a lot to say, seamlessly intertwining historical richness with the contemporary.

A draped skirt embroidered with metallic Ottoman-style threads exemplified Dior’s own haute couture legacy. Yet, the show’s scope extended beyond Ottoman influences. It was very much a Dior show.

Above all, it served as a homage to the unsung heroes of haute couture: Dior’s legendary seamstresses. Their artistry was vividly showcased in pieces like a crocheted field flower twine top, a teeming tapestry of intricate blooms that had guests reached for their cameras. It was the piece de resistance.

Further delving into Dior’s rich history, the La Cigale dress, an iconic piece from Christian Dior’s autumn-winter 1952 collection, was revisited. It was reimagined for the modern era, standing out with its sculptural construction and luxurious moiré fabric.

The ambition of the collection was its only weakness, sometimes leading it to skirt the edges of thematic coherence. Detailed embroideries, although masterfully crafted, occasionally strayed into whimsicality. One example was an elegant, long black crepe wrap dress, which, while stylish, seemed incongruous in the display as a whole.

Perhaps this was the point. Ducrot’s installation underscored the theme of unique haute couture auras, garments that transcend fashion to reflect the wearer’s individuality. This pursuit of uniqueness, while commendable, led to a collection that, in its rich variety, occasionally missed a focus. Nonetheless, it remained a powerful expression of couture’s transformative allure.

SCHIAPARELLI’S SURREAL FUSION OF HISTORY

Schiaparelli, piloted by the inventive Daniel Roseberry, inaugurated Haute Couture Week with a celebration of glamour, surrealism, and historical reverence. The collection was a vivid tableau of the house’s 1930s glory days under the late, great Elsa Schiaparelli, fused with a provocative twist that electrified the VIP audience.

Opening with a dominatrix-inspired black PVC-style gown, complete with an Elizabethan choker, the show was a study in historic contrasts. This reinterpretation of the choker, blending the grandeur of yesteryear with a nod to modern aesthetics, showcased Roseberry’s ingenious ability to weave art and high fashion with tongue-in-cheek.

A standout piece, a 17th-century black cape with rope adornments, mirrored the spikes while being set against a bejeweled neck clasp. Beyond its tantalizing exterior, the ensemble underscored Schiaparelli’s commitment to craftsmanship.

Roseberry’s tribute to the house’s founder was masterfully displayed in a pearl suit jacket ensemble with tubular, sculptural arms that redefined the human form. This piece, and others, exemplified his surreal take on classics, a hallmark of Elsa Schiaparelli’s original vision.

The show’s zenith was a dramatic black sheer lace screen top, sprawling out with intricate vein-like details, reminiscent of an insect’s wings — an embodiment of the house’s surrealist roots.

It was a stunning blend of Schiaparelli’s glamorous frivolity and exaggerated silhouettes, reimagined for a contemporary age.

Schiaparelli’s Spring 2024 collection transcended mere couture; after seasons in the creative wilderness, the brand under Roseberry now consistently challenges us with its glamorous frivolity and innovation.

THE DISAPPEARING RUNWAY: A CALL FOR REVAMPED SEATING

In the fast-paced world of modern fashion, some runway shows, including those by Dior and others, may benefit from rethinking audience seating arrangements.

At Dior’s couture show, all four benches of guests were placed at the same height, a stark contrast to the Dior menswear shows where back rows were tiered higher. This setup led to complaints from some attendees, who found themselves able to see only the top half of the couture designs, hindering a complete appreciation of the collection.

The seating issue has sparked discussions among fashion enthusiasts and critics alike, with many feeling that the arrangement feels elitist, privileging front-row viewers while limiting the experience for others.

One back-row guest humorously remarked, “I might have just to review the collection’s top half.”



Going Green? British Fashion Struggles with Sustainability

Models present creations for the Bora Aksu catwalk show at London Fashion Week in London, Britain, 13 September 2024. (EPA)
Models present creations for the Bora Aksu catwalk show at London Fashion Week in London, Britain, 13 September 2024. (EPA)
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Going Green? British Fashion Struggles with Sustainability

Models present creations for the Bora Aksu catwalk show at London Fashion Week in London, Britain, 13 September 2024. (EPA)
Models present creations for the Bora Aksu catwalk show at London Fashion Week in London, Britain, 13 September 2024. (EPA)

In an industrial underground space in central London, models in contrasting period dresses and playful streetwear strutted down a brightly lit London Fashion Week (LFW) runway.

But unlike most other shows, all the floral dresses, trending workwear and double-denim outfits were second hand at the event by charity Oxfam and online used clothes retailer Vinted's "Style for Change".

Bay Garnett, a sustainable fashion pioneer who picked out the pieces from Oxfam's warehouses, called the runway "really exciting".

"When we first did this show eight years ago, it was really not like this," Garnett told AFP backstage, noting the stream of enthusiastic attendees.

Despite the excitement surrounding the Oxfam show alongside another "pre-loved" runway by online auction site eBay, British fashion is struggling with sustainability.

Around 44 percent of all British companies overall have put in place a structured climate action plan, according to insurance company Aviva's "Climate-Ready Index".

By contrast, the fashion world is lagging sorely behind, a situation the Collective Fashion Justice (CFJ) charity said was "an embarrassment".

A recent CFJ report found that just seven of the 206 members of the British Fashion Council (BFC), which organizes London Fashion Week, had set out targets to reduce their carbon emissions.

And only five of these -- or less than 2.5 percent -- had goals aligned with the 2016 Paris Agreement to cut global warming, CFJ said.

The UK is the third largest footwear and clothing market in the world, after China and the United States, according to analysis by the Fashion United platform.

A 2018 report from sustainability consultancy Quantis said the sectors account for around eight percent of planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions.

- Go big or go green? -

Luxury fashion giant Burberry -- a LFW veteran -- is one of the handful of brands publishing scientific targets.

Known for its tartan branding, the fashion house recently raised its emission reduction goals and hopes to be carbon neutral by 2040.

But BFC chief executive Caroline Rush said: "To set carbon reduction targets, you need a team to be able to measure your targets, understand how to reduce them and then report on them."

"For a small business that's quite a challenge."

To help, the BFC now has some 50 businesses that will go through its "low carbon transition" program for designers.

Ideally, advocates say the program should be extended to help brands monitor and report their carbon reduction plans.

Copenhagen Fashion Week has taken its own step to require all brands involved to meet a series of environmental goals.

In the United States, reform could come with a "Fashion Act" under consideration by the New York authorities, which would legally require businesses to cut emissions and take into account those of their entire supply chains.

"I think a lot of the issue is (that) the fashion industry can try to handball its problems to other industries," said CFJ director Emma Hakansson.

She explained that while there are many discussions on the climate impact of the meat industry for example, there wasn't the same pressure on producers of such materials as leather, wool and cashmere.

And yet the latter "are coming from the same supply chains", which use large quantities of water and emit methane.

- Textile waste -

There are a number of solutions to make fashion "greener", some of which will be on display at London Fashion Week.

Designer Ray Chu has created a vegan leather made using recycled tea leaves while Romanian designer Ancuta Sarca uses recycled materials in her footwear collections.

But such innovations could struggle to keep up with the scale of emissions and textile waste.

Some 300 tons of clothes are binned every year in the UK, according to a 2020 British parliament report.

Since then, the popularity of fast fashion brands like H&M and Zara, and ultra-fast fashion brands like Shein and Temu, has only grown.

Such brands sell cheaply made, mass-manufactured clothes at breakneck speeds, only for them to fall apart or be discarded after being worn a few times.

While many brands are turning to recycled materials, or offering clothing repair or rental services, the long-term solution seems to be to "slow down our habits of consumption in general", said Hakansson.

To help with this, people could work towards "cultivating a sense of personal style", she suggested.

"If you don't know what you as an individual like, then you're much more likely to follow these micro trends that are being really pushed on us very hard," Hakansson added.

With greater awareness of the challenges posed by climate change, shopping second-hand has become more popularity, noted Garnett.

"The kids have basically got the idea that... second hand -- it's a cool way to shop. By finding your own style, a one-off piece, it (becomes) like a style choice."