Day 2 at Haute Couture Week with Declan Chan
Jul 14, 2021
Location: Shangri-La Paris
My second day at Couture started with Louis Vuitton again, which was an appointment to rediscover the Cruise 2022 collection. Nicolas Ghesquiere’s long-lasting fascination for sci-fi and futuristic style never ceases to impress me, which saw anachronistic prints, sporty and functional moulds, militaristic silhouettes in vibrant colour and the use of vinyl recalling Courreges’ iconic Space Age obsession. The whole thing came together in a utopian harmony – a cyber vesitaire to travel into time and space.
The schedule continued with the Dior Resort showroom. The venue is situated at this “in and out” space, within an avenue Montaigne building, under a large skylight. This location somewhat reflects the collection theme, a crossover between sportswear and couture. These two opposite universes were boldly brought together to celebrate modern femininity, movement and Greek history. Exquisite wet look dresses were exhibited next to oversized white sneakers, Bar Jacket meticulously embroidered by local tailor Aristerteidis Tzonevraski displayed in front of a line of athletic ensembles.
Dior also offered me the pleasure to contemplate part of the Lady Dior Art 7th edition. This was a collaborative series where artists invited to express their artistic vision on the house iconic bag.
Next, I went back to Place Vendôme to visit Chaumet. In the luxurious Ritz hotel, the house of high jewellery revealed its new collection Torsade De Chaumet. These anniversary creations are a tribute to the mythical address, 12 rue Vendome, where Chaumet was the first jeweller to settle. Inspired by the movement of the frieze adorning Vendome symbolic column, these designs revisit, with novelty and dynamism, the Torsade, the house emblematic motif.
At 4pm, I had a rendez-vous at Schiaparelli salon that, lucky for me, happened to be nearby. Irreverence has been Roseberry’s keyword for two years now. It imbues in everything that he creates at Schiaparelli while staying respectful and true to the original surreal identity. Usually, couture shows close with a wedding gown, while here, “Matador Couture” starts with its grandiose white taffeta dress welcoming visitors to the extravagant world of Schiaparelli.
After that impressive greeting were four rooms full of provocative glamour, unrestricted sense of humour and creativity. We saw everything from dramatic golden broderies to metallic moulded 3D eyes, noses, lips, a six-pack corset here, a flower breastplate there, bull horn neckline, satin lip-shaped bustier, pointed toe thigh high boots, etc. Roseberry certainly marked a highlight on this Couture season.
In the early evening, I attended the Armani Privé show at the Italian Embassy in Paris. The collection was full of fresh pastel floral tone colours, and very light and luminous fabric. It was a very joyful collection to wrap up the evening.
After all the shows and presentations, I went to a riverside picnic hosted by Sofia Sanchez de Betak, who had launched a collaboration with artist Andre (who was the founder of the club Le Baron) for her brand Chufy. The result is a fun resortwear brand which is perfect for a French summer.
Want more from Declan Chan? Check out his Day 1 highlights from Haute Couture Week!
