From John Galliano bestowing upon us a true fashion moment with his artisanal face coat for Maison Margiela to Alexandre Vauthier sending an absolute train wreck down the runway, Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week Spring 2017 has been a roller coaster ride. Without further ado, here are the highs and (many) lows of the season, according to our opinionated forum members.
Hits & Misses: Haute Couture
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HIT: Atelier Versace
"This is her best couture outing in a long while. I love her experimentation with detailing and construction, especially in the case of the metallic crochet and the multicolored chain mail." [AnaD]
"WOW! Stunning! I can already see these dresses at the Oscars." [Oxymore]
"This is just perfect and quite opposite to what Atelier Versace had showed before: it's not tacky, poorly made or ridiculous looking. This one is well balanced yet strong and sexy. And just wonderful." [perhydrol]
See all the looks from the Atelier Versace collection.
Image: Courtesy of Vogue.com
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MISS: Givenchy
"It's like he's stopped caring..." [billiejbob]
"The dresses on Liya & Mariacarla are great but I don't care for Givenchy Haute Couture. This is just a PR and red carpet only fantasy. It's not challenging, newsworthy in any type of form and the fact that he is showing it alongside menswear says it all." [Lola701]
"He used to be so inspiring." [pollyanna90]
See all the looks from the Givenchy collection.
Image: Courtesy of TheImpression.com
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HIT: Schiaparelli
"Amazing collection! I loved the color palette and the modern silhouettes. As well as the winks to the house's past (the lobster)." [ultramarine]
"I love that many of Elsa Schiaparelli's original trademark detailing is embedded in most of the looks, and I'm a sucker for colorblock, so the first couple of looks are everything to me." [chloesaab]
"I think this is a fabulous collection. Pretty much all the looks are immensely wearable and beautiful and unique. We'll see a ton of this on the red carpets and it'll instantly be recognizable as Schiaparelli." [happycanadian]
See all the looks from the Schiaparelli collection.
Image: Imaxtree
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MISS: Christian Dior
"Not good. It's even more Valentino-esque than Valentino ATM." [Scotty]
"Nice clothes and nothing more. Maria and her team don't even try to understand the DNA of Dior. That's why this collection looks like a really limited Valentino one because there's only one kind of dress and the New Look silhouette. At this point it's not even funny." [perhydrol]
"It doesn't look exclusive at all...it looks like a mass-market prom dresses collection for a standard department store. Which is tragic taking into consideration this is Dior Couture!" [jeanclaude]
See all the looks from the Christian Dior collection.
Image: Imaxtree
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HIT: Chanel
"For the first time I can say I liked a collection from Chanel. Especially the last dresses." [clarissea]
"This is both the cleanest and most impeccably-tailored collection Chanel has produced since Spring 2009. Everything just fit the models perfectly and made their posture more sophisticated! The day suits were amazing and some cocktail dresses were beautiful!" [ToniOrtega]
"There are many beautiful gowns in this collection. I really liked it. Finally." [thatsfierce]
See all the looks from the Chanel collection.
Image: Imaxtree
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MISS: Iris van Herpen
"Gurl, just get the f*** out of your 3D printer for one second..." [IloveDiorHomme]
"Why does she keep making the same things again and again..." [ominao]
"Those kind of tricks don't work anymore. Actually, they only worked in 2010. Fashion for the museum: boring, pretentious and useless..." [Lola701]
See all the looks from the Iris van Herpen collection.
Image: Imaxtree
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HIT: Maison Margiela
"I could start crying by how much I am in love with this. I haven't felt this excited about a Galliano for Margiela collection since his first couture one. Kate [Moss] made out of tulle on a white coat is incredible." [dodencebt]
"I needed to see this. I've been so down and uninterested in fashion lately, but seeing this collection lit a slight spark in me. The amount of craftsmanship and stand-alone pieces are so inspiring." [TheoG]
"His best collection to date!! I'm not even sure if he'll ever be able to surpass this!! The cohesion in this is amazing! It's true-blue Galliano with all the deconstruction and artistic influences. As people have mentioned, that white coat with Kate Moss' face is iconic!! Brava!" [ToniOrtega]
See all the looks from the Maison Margiela collection.
Image: Imaxtree
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MISS: Francesco Scognamiglio
"No sophistication in the choice of fabrics and in the execution. And that YELLOW DRESS is already the worst thing of the season: poorly made, bad fabric and bad execution... It seems like doing Couture wasn't actually a good idea for him." [Lola701]
"This looks like an ugly version of last season's Giambattista Valli show. These are some of the ugliest, most unflattering clothes I've ever seen. Everything looks frumpy, poorly made and cheap!" [AnaD]
"You know, I never knew that chain mail could be puckered or wrinkled. Kudos to him for teaching me something new. The rest is just one big 'oy vey'." [Spike413]
See all the looks from the Francesco Scognamiglio collection.
Image: Imaxtree
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HIT: Elie Saab
"No matter how many times I see similar stuff from Elie Saab, it's always a delight to see his work. This is an amazing collection." [chloesaab]
"Gorgeous collection." [DutchHomme]
"This is very Middle East for him. I mean, he is coming from Lebanon but for the past 7 years, he hasn't been that obvious about being inspired by his own culture. It has always been opulent with a touch of orient but those girls just look like rich clients or royalty. Beautiful collection." [Lola701]
See all the looks from the Elie Saab collection.
Image: Imaxtree
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MISS: Giambattista Valli
"99% of this is gonna haunt me in my dreams. I wanna post to the hideous dresses thread, but I honestly can't choose. These horrendous dresses belong to the Barbies I used to play with in 1989. So tacky and horrible." [mistress_f]
"What an eyesore. All of it." [Magic Spells]
"He used to create layers of tulle in such light and airy sensibility. His clothes were romantic and sophisticated. If this [is] what sells then good for him. But, he has been showing the same thing repeatedly for many years now both RTW and HC. It's become tiring and boring. Nothing really excites me anymore." [TaylorBinque]
See all the looks from the Giambattista Valli collection.
Image: Imaxtree
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HIT: Armani Privé
"It's his usual fare, but the seemingly Buddhist monk/priest-inspired color palette is really, really beautiful." [Spike413]
"It's very beautiful. The right amount of beautiful without being overly saccharine (Maria Grazia could take a lesson). Definitely in my favorites for Couture week so far." [RedSmokeRise]
"The colours and patterns he used this season are really beautiful." [AnaD]
See all the looks from the Armani Privé collection.
Image: Imaxtree
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MISS: Alexis Mabille
"Ugh, I really don't know what the fashion world has done to this guy for him to keep punishing us with these ghastly creations. At this point, one can conclude that he is deliberately doing this. I also wonder who his customer is and who keeps bankrolling all of this; who are his backers? I'm more curious than anything." [ogepma]
"Who in their right mind would wear this? Furthermore who is backing this guy and letting him unleash this mess on the runway?" [AnaD]
"So...You scroll the pictures and you're kinda stunned by the ugliness of it. And then, you see the designer's outfit and it all makes sense. Only someone who thinks that wearing such a cheap looking shirt is alright can design such a horrible collection. Maybe the worst of the season." [Lola701]
See all the looks from the Alexis Mabille collection.
Image: Imaxtree
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HIT: Valentino
"These are the kinds of clothes you just HAVE to see in motion! These still images do nothing of the wafty and willowy spectaculars I saw during the livestream. I loved this collection, quite effervescent in its simplicity and focus to details. Some dresses were just beyond beautiful! This was elegance personified!" [ToniOrtega]
"The clothes were breathtaking. I felt that the location was too light and white and kind of swallowed up the garments but that was the only thing that bothered me. Stunning work, beautiful lines and immaculate construction!" [Nepenthes]
"Absolutely gorgeous in motion. So light and ethereal...absolutely agree to whoever said Valentino got the better half. I'm so over kitschy embroidery." [CharlottefromCA]
See all the looks from the Valentino collection.Image: Imaxtree
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MISS: Alexandre Vauthier
"Why is this even in the couture week? I only see trash. I used to like his trashy and tacky style, but this is way too much..." [thatsfierce]
"Good lord, how the couturiers have fallen." [Moofins]
"My God... that red dress/train with the jeans shorts almost made me puke..." [lukevault]
See all the looks from the Alexandre Vauthier collection.
Image: Imaxtree
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MISS: Zuhair Murad
"His references are always completely obvious. Why hasn't anyone called him out on it? Fashion moves fast but the Versace collection he ripped off was only last season. Is he significantly cheaper than the bigger houses? Is that the reason why people go to him? Can someone explain this." [GivenchyHomme]
"ELIE SAAB, ATELIER VERSACE, DIOR BY GALLIANO, BALMAIN BY DECARNIN...You can still try but you can't fool us Zuhair. Try harder next time. This guy is maybe the worst designer in the world (up at the top with Kanye West) but kudos to him for making such a huge business without any talent." [Lola701]
"Copy and paste couture, but he'll still find his way onto red carpets." [AnaD]
See all the looks from the Zuhair Murad collection.Image: Imaxtree
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MISS: Jean Paul Gaultier
"I'm severely disappointed, I would have thought it would be an impeccable collection with one-of-a-kind pieces and great detail given he doesn't do RTW anymore and what we know he's capable of doing. It's all more styling than anything." [CommanderTMugler]
"Oh Jean-Paul...I can spend hours looking at your vintage pieces [which] are incredible and your old shows but it's always painful to see your current collections. He should really team up with a strong young designer out of a fashion school who could bring him a fresher version of his vision of fashion. It's so dated...and it's [a] pity because it's a designer I truly love and who CAN do wonderful things. And he has amazing ateliers moreover to make any dream come true..." [IloveDiorHomme]
"He should've just [gone] back to the St Laurent archives of his memory-bank and just been done with it. It looks like a hodgepodge of outfits that go from 'maybe' to 'no'. After last season's HC collection, which I thought was gorgeous, he seems lost here." [eugenius]
See all the looks from the Jean Paul Gaultier collection.Image: Imaxtree
