San Francisco Frontiers - Nostalgia and escapism: highlights from Paris Couture Week

Twenty-nine houses showed off collections during Couture Week, which wrapped up on Thursday, following Men's Fashion Week last week.

- 'Past centuries' -

Dior chief designer Maria Grazia Chiuri said her Spring-Summer 2025 collection was inspired by "the creativity of past centuries", making the Italian one of several artistic directors who was looking back for inspiration.

Retro draped skirts or short crinolines, as well as trapeze dresses and coats inspired by Yves Saint Laurent's designs in the 1950s for the venerable Parisian brand, were highlights of a show watched by a star-studded audience at the Rodin Museum.

Daniel Roseberry, chief designer at Parisian house Schiaparelli, sent out models including Kendall Jenner in a range featuring corsets prominently, saying he had been inspired by ribbons he discovered from the 1920s and 30s.

In his notes accompanying the show he said he "wanted to travel through time, to create silhouettes that might conjure up the haute couture of the past".

- Escapism -

For many fans of haute couture, it serves as pure escapism, a celebration of beauty, creativity and craftsmanship.

But just like everyone else, designers have the rapidly shifting and unpredictable nature of our world on their minds.

Zuhair Murad, who has been working with his homeland Lebanon under Israeli bombardment, said his collection was inspired by the idea of a tropical island that would be a refuge from the harsh realities of life.

"The message of this collection is about escaping from our hectic world. I imagined this beautiful island, far from the cities, far from technology, far from the world that we live in right now, a peaceful world," he told AFP.

- 'Out of the bubble' -

But as conflicts rage from Ukraine to Congo and Sudan, French designer Franck Sorbier tackled war and peace directly in a theatrical show that combined music, singing and dance.

Titled "Symphonie Barbare" ("Barbaric Symphony"), it featured bare-chested "barbarian" men and female "warriors of peace" dressed in trapeze gowns adorned with tassels or sequins.

It ended with a "peace" phase and concluded with Sorbier appearing in a black anorak bearing the words "peace and love".

"The idea is not to get stuck in a bubble of haute couture," he told AFP afterward. "Even though we do haute couture, we can still talk about the news and worrying issues, without sounding like we're lecturing people."

Eccentric Dutch duo Viktor & Rolf riffed on technology and the advent of our worrisome AI-powered era by sending out 24 variations of the same outfit, announced each time with the same slightly robotic voice.

"It is a collection of 24 variations of the same dress, taken to the extreme. It is somewhat a human interpretation of the unlimited possibilities of artificial intelligence," Rolf Snoeren told.

- Change at the top -

Amid the ruffles and glitter, the game of musical chairs among top fashion houses continued this week.

British designer Stella McCartney announced Monday her departure from the LVMH group, while Belgian designer Glenn Martens was appointed artistic director Wednesday at Maison Margiela to succeed John Galliano.

Meanwhile, rumours continue to swirl about Grazia Chiuri at Dior, with speculation she is set to cede her place to British designer Jonathan Anderson from Loewe, which is also owned by LVMH.

Chanel is currently in flux, with its latest show crafted by the brand's creative studio following the sudden departure of artistic director Virginie Viard in June.

Her successor, Matthieu Blazy —- who made his mark at Italian leather goods specialist Bottega Veneta —- was appointed in December but is not expected to present a collection before September.

- Legs out -

One of the traditions of Haute Couture Week is that each fashion house closes its show with a bridal look.

This season, several designers from Chanel to Giambattista Valli sent out white dresses that were short at the front and long at the back.

Jean Paul Gaultier's collection featured a full-length feathered gown that was highly transparent, also leaving the legs prominently visible.

N.Wilson--SFF