Haute Couture Week opened in Paris this week with Schiaparelli’s traditional show and what may have been Maria Grazia Chiuri’s final collection for Dior. Both fashion houses looked to the past for inspiration, while speculation over major designer moves continues.
Dior’s Spring-Summer 2025 collection drew on "the creativity of past centuries" and aimed "to disrupt the order of time," according to show notes.
Models with Mohawk-inspired hairstyles, their braids woven with feathers, walked the runway in draped skirts, short crinolines, lace, long fringes and capes resembling flower petals.
Trapeze dresses and coats were also featured, inspired by the silhouette designed by Yves Saint Laurent for Dior in 1958.
The show in the gardens of the Rodin Museum was attended by a star-studded audience, including former model and singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, American actors Pamela Anderson and Anya Taylor-Joy and French actress Camille Cottin.
Rumours have been swirling for months that British designer Jonathan Anderson might leave Loewe to take the reins at Dior, with both brands owned by French powerhouse LVMH.
The speculation has been fuelled by Anderson's absence from recent Fashion Weeks in Milan, Paris, and London.
Luxury slowdown
LVMH is set to announce its annual results on Tuesday, figures the industry and analysts will pore over for evidence of how much a global slowdown in the luxury sector has hurt the business.
While Dior's revenues have nearly quadrupled under Chiuri – from 2.7 billion euros in 2018 to more than nine billion euros in 2023 – some critics have charged the famed French house risks going stale and is ripe for a shake-up.
Meanwhile on Monday, British designer Stella McCartney announced that she had bought the 49 percent stake in her firm held by LVMH since 2019, for an undisclosed amount.
In a statement, the daughter of Beatles singer Paul McCartney said it was time for a "new page".
But she said she would continue to advise LVMH chief Bernard Arnault on the environmental issues she has long championed, including avoidance of leather, fur and feathers in her collections.
Star designer McCartney slams killing of 'billions of birds' in the name of fashion
Haute Couture Week began on Monday with Schiaparelli's traditional show, titled "Icarus", which was also inspired by the past.
Corseted models with structured necklines and wide hips, including Kendall Jenner, paraded beneath the gilded ceilings of the Petit Palais.
Haute Couture Week showcases one-of-a-kind, entirely handmade pieces which are primarily intended for red carpets, high-profile events, and galas.
A total of 28 houses will present their collections over the next four days, including Chanel, Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier and Valentino.
The latter will show its first Haute Couture collection under Alessandro Michele, creative director since early 2024.
(with AFP)
