We’ve already caught you up with everything you might have missed from the first day of Couture Week Fall 2018 in Paris, and now we bring you all the key points from day two. Read on for the main highlights from Schiaparelli, Iris van Herpen, and more.
Schiaparelli
Schiaparelli Fall 2018 Couture. Indigital.tv
Schiaparelli certainly took a walk on this wild side in Paris, as the heritage Italian house sent its Fall 2018 collection down the Couture Week catwalk. The show, held at the grand Palais Garnier, marked the first time the label presented a collection, entitled “Animalia Fantasia”, outside the atelier which couturier Elsa Schiaparelli once called her apartment.
Luxe leopard prints, rainbow faux furs, bejeweled velvets, and ultra-fluid silks all took their turn in the limelight but the real stars of the show, however, were the elaborate masks paraded out by a few select models. From feathered flamingos to gilded, winged lions, the surreal spectacle was lent an otherworldly edge by the intricate creations. The masks were the work of British milliner Stephen Jones, and offered a poetic, unexpectedly lavish twist that ensured the show will not be swiftly forgotten.
Noureddine Amir
Noureddine Amir Fall 2018 Couture. Getty
It was a first for Morocco when Noureddine Amir was selected by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in France to participate as a guest member of Couture Week. And on Monday, the Pierre Bergé protege (he was spotted by Bergé in 2014, during an exhibition on contemporary Morocco at the Arab World Institute) made his debut as the first Moroccan designer to participate in Paris Fashion Week, with a collection that drew inspiration from the underwater world. The Marrakech-born designer, who graduated from Esmod, launched his career as a costume designer for films in the late 1990s, which explains the element of drama and theatrics present throughout his Fall 2018 “art-to-wear” couture collection. Muslin and ruffles took form of flaura and fauna on sculptural dresses that were mostly black, while muslin spirals and tubes protruded out of gowns, taking the shape of seaweed, urchins, and coral reefs.
Iris van Herpen
Iris van Herpen Fall 2018 Couture. Indigital.tv
For her Fall 2018 couture show, Iris van Herpen explored the concept of biology merging with technology (or “Syntopia” as she calls it, which is also the name of the collection). Models marched underneath a kinetic, glass sculpture suspended above the runway, simulating the movement of wings in flight, by Amsterdam-based artist duo Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta of Studio Drift.
Iris van Herpen Fall 2018 Couture. Indigital.tv
In a line of sculpted gowns, rippling dresses, and coats, the future-forward designer used Victorian-era technology, rendered chronophotography, and a wealth of materials such as mylar, liquid-coated organza, sheer black acrylic sheets, pleats, and laser-cut wool to create the 17 futuristic looks.
Christian Dior
Dior Fall 2018 Couture. Indigital.tv
“Couture is about something hidden. If you go to the atelier, you want to take care of yourself and know that someone will take care of you. We have this big opportunity to work with a different definition of time. Craftsmanship is long; it is a dream for a future,” Maria Grazia Chiuri told US Vogue about her latest haute couture offering for Christian Dior.
Christian Dior Fall 2018 Couture. Indigital.tv
The artistic director, who sought inspiration from Elisabetta Orsini’s book, “Atelier: Places of Thought and Creation” for the brand’s Fall 2018 Couture collection, debuted over 70 looks. Models including Nora Attal, Adwoa Aboah, and Naomi Chin Wing took to the all-white, mannequin-lined runway at the Musée Rodin wearing red carpet-worthy beaded and strapless dresses, slim tuxedo pants, pleated skirts, metallic suits, and tailored coats in a feminine color palette of blush, emerald, navy, and rose.
Ralph & Russo
Ralph & Russo Fall 2018 Couture. Indigital.tv
French aristocrat and fashion icon Jacqueline de Ribes served as the muse for Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo’s Fall 2018 couture collection for Ralph & Russo. The design couple, who were responsible for the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle‘s, engagement dress, churned out a total of 47 high-octane looks, cascading with flourishes such as lashings of ostrich feathers, tassels, and sequins.
Ralph & Russo Fall 2018 Couture. Indigital.tv
The collection itself was punctuated with multi-colored kaftans, cinched-at-the-waist blazers, feathered, strapless evening gowns, and the brand’s trademark asymmetrical, taffeta dresses that we can definitely see Rihanna rocking with aplomb on red carpets to come. As for the models’ beauty look: Hair took the form of de Ribes’ signature bouffant updo, while a swipe of red lipstick and prismatic, purple eyeshadow made for a scene-stealing statement.
Giambattista Valli
Giambattista Valli Fall 2018 Couture. Indigital.tv
The idea of youth is important,” Giambattista Valli told US Vogue ahead of his Fall 2018 couture show. “Because I have a very young customer. They give a new attitude to haute couture—or at least to my eyes.” This translated into a playful offering infused with youthful elements such as exaggerated sleeves, faux fur, tulle, feathers aplenty, and a depiction of a Francis Picabia painting.
Giambattista Valli Fall 2018 Couture. Indigital.tv
The 54-piece collection included bandeau tops and trousers sets, mini dresses, short-in-the-front and long-in-the-back silhouettes, heavily embellished, velvet blazers, and draped gowns that resembled the ethereal Valli design Zendaya wore to the Academy Awards in March.
Now Read: Everything You Need to Know From the First Day of Couture Week
