Haute Couture SS 2014: Of lightness, and…sneakers?
updated the 7 October 2015 à 00:04
A new Haute Couture is shown on the Dior and Chanel runways: More modern, more liberated, and yet, as always, absolutely dreamy.
Last Monday, in the Rodin museum gardens, we witnessed the presentation of the Dior Haute Couture collection. The very first silhouette already sets the tone: a short, diaphanous dress with sculpted folds, which floats like a mist hanging upon the model. The following models echo the same message; the lines seem simple and fluid, and yet it is “the most complex collection ever made,” says the designer Raf Simons.
In this one collection alone lies all the magic of haute couture. In each outfit we see the delicate craftsmanship of the embroidery: flowers, petals, tiny pearls trapped in the folds of sails …and on the feet of certain models, sneakers – couture of course, and just as elaborate as the dresses. White and blue inks dominate the canvas, with a delicate play on transparency of the various perforated materials. With these seemingly unstructured, unbelievably light silhouettes, Raf Simons breathes new life into sewing, and proves that the garment actually best reveals itself when it takes life from a body in motion.
Tuesday, and we are in the Grand Palais for Chanel to present her line of haute couture. The decor is, as usual, the highlight of the event. This time, Karl Lagerfeld presented his collection in an otherworldly night club, to which sulphurous Sébastien Tellier is the conductor. Cara Delevingne then, with a light step, descends one of the two huge staircases;she, too, with sneaker-clad feet.
In terms of accessories, we see neither jewellery nor bags. The designer wanted a collection centred around the cuts and shapes. The lines are structured, the size corseted, the skirts short, and the whole look is surmounted by a bolero. The colors are light, primarily in whites, beiges and pastels.
The work on the materials here is colossal as well. The tweeds are actually embroidery, completely handmade. For their eveningwear, there is great liberty with sizes, the long and fluid robes adorned with crystals, feathers and iridescent sparks. Finally Cara emerges once again, this time as a bride, still shod in the famous sneakers.
Cécile Baraize
