Runway

Valentino: Deep inside the Rocco suite of the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli wove an enchanted fairy tale of such magic and frothy lightness that Valentino Garavani rose to his feet and embraced the dynamic duo post-show. The house’s “once upon a time” centered around a secret garden theme, complete with hand-painted floral frocks, lavish gowns encrusted with guipure, porcelain pearls, and crystals, and the ubiquitous birds of whimsy. Those winged creatures perched pretty in yards of black tulle on a bustier gown that took 600-plus hours to craft at the atelier. Others were spotted embroidered onto a porcelain silk gown, caged by a transparent cape in black piping that captured a time gone by yet remained modern. For a seasonal shot of Valentino red, look no further than a superb caped shift for an insta-update to the house’s staple skirtsuits. Bien fait, darlings.

Maison Martin Margiela
The label was officially awarded entré into the elite world of haute couture at the end of last season, rendering yesterday’s showing its second among the upper echelons of the fashion world. This wasn’t another parade of elegant gowns, so pervasive at couture shows: the anonymous team of designers began the show with masked models parading a pair of short black sleeveless collared dresses, one of which had a mid-section striped with white paint stripes.

Elie Saab
Floral, pastel and off-the-shoulder, all pervasive touches du couture this week? Check, check, and check. The interpretation chez Saab was all about weightless gowns with detailed embroidery over tulle, rendering the designs decidedly tattoo-esque. The result? Frock and mod practically became one, as fluid, femininely patterned lithe figures traipsing down the runway. To wit: a dress done in a sublime lavender, scattered with lace. A three-quarter-sleeved gown got peppered with white flowers from the neck to the top of a voluminous translucent skirt, the flora-inflected trim appearing to float ethereally around the model’s legs. Some of the dresses were quite legère in places best kept discrete. Slips required, darlings. Capes both short and long proved to be sophisticated statement pieces, draped elegantly on the shoulders. Of course, embroidery is what Saab does best; that attention to detail certainly wasn’t lost throughout the collection. Also worth j’adoring: a floor-length, full-skirted, one such number sporting intricate beading and black fleurettes that sparsley trickled down onto a nude skirt with just the faintest hint of lace. To make heavy beading appear to merely float over the body? A heavenly gift only Saab could possess.

More than just the latest forest-inflected Couture show, with plenty of florals flourishing down the runway at Chanel: Karl always has a trick up his sleeve, of course! While the collection underscored some themes other couturiers have been pushing this season, Karl’s idea of romance is a tad darker than his counterparts’. Also of note: the strong emphasis on the shoulders, with collars to contemplate. Birdsong followed the models, nymphlike as they wound through a set of oak and pine trees that had been imported into the venue in a sort of Shakespearean dream.

Full skirts, tea-length dresses, black and white, animal print, pastels and floral. Giambattista Valli’s couture collection hit all of the trends we’ve been seeing from the runways.

It’s snowing in Paris, but Raf Simons’ couture showing for Dior was all about spring in full swing. Floating down a winding runway lined by greenery and trees: gowns in a predominately pastelle palette fastened with beaucoup des fleurs. Whether trickling down a sheer faux-slit of a leggy column dress or worked fully into the sheer organza of a deep-v swing dress with matching sheer floral gloves, petals peppered the entire collection. Strapless gowns with voluminous skirts were another big statement (as was the case for many a leading lady on the Golden Globes red carpet). Of the non-botanic variety, standouts included an asymmetrical below-the-knee silk strapless periwinkle dress with black bodice, plus a canary yellow gown with a sideswept bubbled peplum and long skirt connected via wisps of sheer mesh. Odds are Raf will have critics and the tapis rouge-bound alike singing his praises again this season…

Bienvenue à Paris, cheris! Haute couture took off last night in Paris with Atelier Versace’s star-studded show. Princess of Monaco, Charlene Wittstock, kept the paps busy with her gaggle of bodyguards. She later caught up with the bodyguard himself, Kevin Costner, who was attending with his wife, Christine Baumgartner. Also sitting front row were actresses Olivia Munn and a newly brunette Melissa George.

Tibi: Angular graphics grooved with slouchy layers and hits of colorblock in Tibi’s offering for that innately buyable Pre-Fall season. Black and white presided over the alternations of minis and stovepipes, with a few knee-grazing shorts and skirts cut to the same general hemline in the mix.