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.”



Jeweler's Eye-popping Watch is Love Letter to Albania

The timepiece, worth roughly $1.4 million, is set to face off against the best watches from across the world at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix in November. ADNAN BECI / AFP
The timepiece, worth roughly $1.4 million, is set to face off against the best watches from across the world at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix in November. ADNAN BECI / AFP
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Jeweler's Eye-popping Watch is Love Letter to Albania

The timepiece, worth roughly $1.4 million, is set to face off against the best watches from across the world at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix in November. ADNAN BECI / AFP
The timepiece, worth roughly $1.4 million, is set to face off against the best watches from across the world at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix in November. ADNAN BECI / AFP

Albanian jeweler Pirro Ruco labored day and night for five years to capture the essence of his country in a spectacular luxury watch.
Now the timepiece, worth roughly $1.4 million, is set to face off against the best watches from across the world at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix in November, AFP said.
Set under a sapphire dome, the hours are marked by 12 golden folk dancers -- each in different regional dress -- set on Murano glass, the minute and hour hands adorned with eagle talons in homage to Albania's national symbol.
Ruco's rollercoaster rise mirrors that of Albania, from poverty and isolation as the most closed communist regime in Europe, to rollicking capitalism.
Along the way the jeweler overcame jealousy, the secret police and being sent into internal exile to rise to the pinnacle of his profession.
It all began for Pirro -- as he is known in his homeland -- in 1985 when he was asked to make a medal in red and gold bearing the head of Enver Hoxha, the paranoid dictator who ruled the small Balkan nation with an iron fist for more than four decades.
"That saved me," he told AFP from his workshop tucked away in an alley in the capital Tirana.
The medals were awarded to the regime's most loyal supporters and later caught the eye of Hoxha's wife.
The turn of fortune saw thousands more produced and worn by communist cadres across Albania.
"All the congressional delegates had to wear it. I made a name for myself with it," he said. It also saved him from the textile mills where he had been sent because his family had been deemed "rebellious".
'Priceless'
All this, however, was nearly derailed by an anonymous letter sent to authorities accusing Pirro of working with foreign agents.
He was questioned by intelligence agents and his workshop raided.
Down but not out, he was able to bounce back after crafting a ring bearing the image of the late husband of a member of the communist politburo and in July 1990 won a prize for a piece featuring Albania's 15th-century national hero Skanderberg.
But the very next day history intervened. The regime began to crumble and the collapse of Albania's communist rule in 1991 was followed by years of violent tumult as the country transitioned to a free-market economy.
Amid the ups and downs, Pirro stayed busy designing pieces for officials and celebrities.
During a trip to Basel in Switzerland in 2016, something new caught his eye.
"I wanted to make a watch. It was my new dream," he told AFP.
For the next five years, Pirro said he focused on "doing something special, Albanian, and at the same time completely new and never before seen in the watch industry."
The new timepiece which he calls Primordial Passion was designed in collaboration with the Swiss watchmaker Agenhor.
"I never wanted to make jewelry, but art," the jeweler said.
"Sculptures, images of the country, pieces of culture... This watch is the culmination of all that, of this love for Albania," he added.
"It is more than just a watch. It combines the rich heritage of ancient Albanian culture with the notion of chronometry."
Pirro refuses to divulge the methods used to craft the watch, but remains hopeful the painstaking details will be recognized by the judges at the Grand Prix in Geneva.
Several collectors have already contacted him about buying the timepiece, he said, though it would be difficult to part with his creation.
"I set a price because I had to. But for me, it is priceless."