Autumn couture 2024 (part 2 of 2)
Olivia Bullock and Abby Li report on the Fall 2024 couture collections by major fashion maisons
Jean Paul Gaultier
Green designer on the block Nicolas Di Felice took the helm for this year’s Jean Paul Gaultier autumn couture collection. Referring to Gaultier, Di Felice said, “He represented Paris, a city where everything is possible. He was really the first one to celebrate different people.” Considering the brand’s role as the go-to for sexy club wear, the collection was dominated by slick black dresses and sheer lingerie- like shirts. The standout look was a chainmail dress made from 40,000 hook-and-eye fasteners.
Julie de Libran
Presented across the living room and garden of her home in Paris’s Left Bank, Julie de Libran’s autumn couture collection showcased a fusion between elevated everyday and demi couture. “Silhouettes embody the passing of the feminine torch, just as I myself wore the clothes of my grandmother, and then my mother,” the designer said. “A perpetual cycle that testifies that clothes have multiple lives and carry stories with them.” Her all- ages cast displayed garments with jacquard, embroidery, frills and flowers, accentuating the effortless chic that de Libran is renowned for.
Natan
For Natan’s show, designer Edouard Vermeulen emphasised movement. Airy but structured fabrics were adorned with the richness of colours, the radiance of sequins, and the playfulness of waist details. The craftsmanship was almost overwhelming – in one moment viewers were impressed by Vermeulen’s bold use of neon and in the next they were stunned by spectacular draping.
Schiaparelli
In the basement of the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, creative director Daniel Roseberry assigned the striking phoenix as the key showpiece of Schiaparelli’s latest couture show. Hourglass dresses, full arm-length gloves and sheer crinoline veils graced the runway. “I wanted people to feel the collection was referencing a different time… and there was something else about the ’50s that felt so fresh and simple,” said Roseberry, who once again presented a masterpiece of haute couture.
Thom Browne
Thom Browne took it back to basics (sort of) for his latest couture collection. With muslin as the star of the show, the collection took a deconstructed and sporty turn. Multiple looks featured red and blue striped accents, in addition to pleated tennis skirts, lace-up track heels and knee-high boots. Elsewhere in the collection, one garment with gold beading on a rouleau button-front fitted jacket and pencil skirt required the manpower of 42 people and 11,000 hours of craftsmanship.
Viktor & Rolf
Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren once again went down the slightly absurd route for their latest couture collection. “We wanted to take this concept further,” they said. “On the one hand, the human body; on the other hand, the most abstract shapes. Couture as an exaggeration on abstract-ism.” Featuring geometric garments in every shape, size and colour, the colleciton confirmed the designing duo are masters of the weird and wonderful.
Zuhair Murad
Zuhair Murad opted for a raw, realistic collection aimed at embodying all aspects of a woman. The collection presented heavily embroidered garments glistening with pearls and jewels, with pearls placed to mimic champagne bottles and jackets elevated with embellished hoods. Murad designed for a particular type of woman, explaining, “Sometimes she’s serene, sometimes she’s emotional, sometimes she’s a little crazy – but she’s passionate about her life and wants to enjoy it. That’s the woman I want to talk about with this collection.”
Also see: Autumn couture 2024 (part 1 of 2)
