Paris Haute Couture Week: A melange that isn't limited to Chanel

PARIS — YStyle was invited to several shows this season and got a glimpse of haute couture — at least, the ones on the official list of the Fédération Française de la Couture. What does it take to be on the official list? Besides having a workshop in Paris that employs at least 15 people, one has to be agreed upon by the members of the Fédération to be exemplary in other ways. The French Ministry of Industry grants the official title and the list is reviewed annually.

Atelier Versace

It was a rather unusual set-up in the first Versace couture show in Paris last week. The invitation read 10:45 a.m. At 10:30, journalists were told to wait as the photographers had first dibs on the collection — they were already inside, photographing the collection. When it was time to enter, editors of Vogue whizzed past the velvet rope to go backstage; some promptly emerged with Cameron Diaz and Diane Kruger. All made their way to the front of the stage to watch as the show began. The show, devoid of chairs, was quick and to the point.

Pragmatic and clean lines at Adeline André Images from nowfashion.com

There were shoulders with metal, jutting slightly out of what looked like a lasercut light gold version. The shoulders accentuated gowns, as did metallic highlights that emphasized those key areas: the breasts, the torso, the hem of succulent Vercase-esque boyshorts for the daring and long-legged. The body-clinging silhouettes, fully beaded to a shimmery glamour, included winged hips, slits up to there, and the most modern roses on the bodice. On a white leather biker jacket, the effect clearly summed up the House’s codes — in your face, the kind of look that can only be Versace: both glamorous and kick-ass. The embroidery and emblems on the byzantinesque golds, bright yellow, orange and green added to the visual impact.

Adeline André

There was a very simple, almost pragmatic air in the Adeline André couture collection. The designer, who has been a member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture for over a decade, has never been one for the kind of glamour we have come to expect with couture shows. Over the years she has consistently shown a collection of almost minimalist looks. This collection, mostly devoid of color, was also absent of overt trends and straightforward era-inspired looks.

Sea creatures were all over Iris Van Herpen.

Coats and coatdresses were almost like uniforms — the only detail slight slashes that imitated pockets. Her signature three-hole sleeve was evident in sober longsleeved white dresses. Draped jerseys with open backs added that stylish appeal in a very lucid collection.

Iris Van Herpen

It was a wow-worthy collection utilizing plastic and leather, of what looked like jellyfish, a manta, and giant sharp fishbones that you wouldn’t want caught in your gums. The designer clearly expressed her creative sea-vision in minidresses with a fluid texture and long stone-green skirt that might have been made of shagreen. Shoes had intriguing sharp Jaws-fangs at the sole, and what might have been a monstrous Gothic church dress was a creature that dwells in the bottomless ocean floor. An olive-gray leather dress, strung and corded together, could be the starting point of a cult-following-type ready-to-wear collection. In fact, each unique piece could.

Yiqing Yin

In the Philippine STAR’s exclusive interview with Yiqing Yin a few months back, she told us in detail about her process and techniques. This season’s couture collection showed us again the ways she transforms a piece of fabric: elaborate folds with encrusted with crystals, heavy draping, and ruching and pleats inserted with precision. Strategically-placed cutouts were complicated and modern, while a dress of fur looked resolute in its craftsmanship, even for just the designer’s second couture collection.

Julien Fournié

The first inspiration was the orchid. It was reinterpreted to form a bustle, or sprung out from the shoulder or collar. Its petals were sheared and deconstructed on a dress; on occassion it was the print on a bodice. The next were lines which lengthened the torso or created a sporty feel in cutout shapes. Beads might have been drops of dew, or perhaps pollen, and we missed seeing more of them. There was a decidedly part-tropical, part-Brazilian feel, not least due to the melange of colour and amount of exposed skin.

Stephane Rolland

The collection was apparently inspired by the works of artist Michel Deverne, and this was apparent in the collection’s shapes and embellishments. First shown were layered silk collars peeking out of jackets and dresses, accordion-pleats rose out to form dramatic waves. On the left edge of a long white dress, blending into the skirt, the effect was a surreal 3D. More angular on red and then petal-like in ecru on a long black dress, the looks had a slightly ‘70s feel. This collection was not for the timid, particularly in the dresses with their sharp, dramatic shoulders.

Stephane Rollan goes for bold, 3D drama.