Who is haute couture for? To a few clients with well-stocked wallets who occupy the front row of the fashion shows. But also, and above all, to celebrities who will wear the tailor-made creations in Cannes or at the Oscars ceremony, and will ensure the brand’s influence among a wider audience. For this spring-summer 2024 season, presented in Paris from January 22 to 25, three houses have delivered collections particularly suited to the red carpet exercise.
“I receive a lot of requests for this type of eventsays Kim Jones, Fendi designer. I, who hate being on the red carpet, try to suggest outfits that allow you to be comfortable. » And to shine! For this collection inspired by both the family heritage of Fendi and the futuristic vision of Karl Lagerfeld, who remained as artistic director for fifty-four years, Kim Jones imagines shimmering dresses.
Relying on the virtuosity of the workshops and extensive textile research, he creates metallic sheaths invaded by sequins, coats composed of metallic fringes which create the illusion of silvery fur, fluid and transparent dresses so fine as pearls embroidered pieces seem to float on the body. These few finds and the quality of the execution do not quite succeed in erasing the feeling that something extra soul is missing from this collection copiously applauded by the actresses Zendaya or Reese Witherspoon, in the front row.
A crystal “robot” dress
Schiaparelli’s spectacular designs always make a splash on red carpets, and this season should be no exception. Inspired by Elsa Schiaparelli’s uncle, Giovanni Schiaparelli, who was director of the Brera Observatory in Milan, designer Daniel Roseberry turned to the sky and its fantasy inhabitants. Baptized “ Schiaparalien »the collection is a succession of strange creatures, but resolutely haute couture.
There is a black mesh corset, worn under a metal and plaster “exoskeleton” structure, entirely covered in gold leaf; a “robot” dress embroidered with crystals, CD-ROMs, electronic wires and old Motorola phones, or even a dress with exaggeratedly rounded shoulders, entirely embroidered with velvet fringes. The models, with bleached eyebrows and almost non-existent makeup, give this collection a mysterious look, as if from another world.
Not all stars walking the red carpet are necessarily ready to wear such confusing outfits. And many of them are turning to the sure value that Armani Privé represents, the couture line from Giorgio Armani. Glenn Close, Juliette Binoche and even Gwyneth Paltrow, seated in the front row, know that they can count on the immutable style of the 89-year-old Italian master.
Here he favors references to the Orient (long kimono-style jackets, floral patterns like Japanese prints, high-waisted satin pants tightened at the ankles, second-skin dresses in fine lace) or nods to Roaring Twenties (the delicate passages of lace and fringed pearls). Shades of midnight blue, pale pink or jade green add sparkle to this colorful wardrobe where the common point is shine: pearls, sequins, sequins, stones… not one of the 92 silhouettes escapes these sparkling artifices . Because even if we are fans of sobriety, when we are dressed in haute couture, it has to be seen!