Images: Imaxtree
Per usual, the haute couture season has entertained us a great deal and the designers did not disappoint for Fall 2018. The calendar kicked off with Clare Waight Keller paying homage to the late Hubert de Givenchy and his muse Audrey Hepburn with an immaculately presented collection. Maria Grazia Chiuri went back to basics with her fourth Christian Dior haute couture unveiling, while attendees of the Sonia Rykiel show witnessed the brand’s debut haute couture outing. Karl Lagerfeld recreated the banks of the Seine in the middle of the Grand Palais, complete with the Institut de France building as the backdrop, as Lagerfeld’s new fave Adut Akech stunned as this season’s Chanel bride. Alexandre Vauthier gave us major 80s femme fatale, John Galliano presented an innovative, avant-garde Maison Margiela collection, Viktor & Rolf commemorated 25 years in the biz and Pierpaolo Piccioli sent a plethora of hair-raising creations down the Valentino runway. But all this doesn’t come into play when our forum members are around. Our very own no-holds-barred army of critics has been busy giving their unfiltered verdict toward each and every show. Here are their hits and misses of Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week Fall 2018. Buckle up!
Haute Couture Hits & Misses (Fall 2018)
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HIT: Armani Privé
"Absolutely love this collection. This could be one of my favorite Privé collections. It's very controlled, true to aesthetic but it has enough drama for such ample amount of elegance and sophistication. The use of feather is fabulous. I really want to see someone in the black velvet and feather skirt look." [TaylorBinque]
"Very, very elegant, and the collection holds up even with all those looks. Maria Grazia should take note, this is how you design a large collection. I love how he designs, his garments are so refined, elegant and beautifully made, Privé is for me one of the few brands that I consider to be keeping culture alive today." [AnaD]
"There are too many looks but it's gorgeous, I'm always pleasantly surprised when he goes for something a bit different than the usual repetitive stuff." [Wintergreen]
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MISS: Christian Dior
"So underwhelming." [kenndale]
"WOW. She's just reached a new level of blandness when I thought that it was impossible. Bravo!" [helmutnotdead]
"Hard pass! MCG is so obvious with her Dior direction. HC for the more mature audience, RTW for the younger ones. That's great and all, but older women don't need dumbing down. A bit of creativity, personality wouldn't hurt. Even Anna Wintour would scoff at these dresses. It's taking matronly to a whole new level." [Benn98]
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HIT: Chanel
"Very beautiful collection! So energetic and focused! The pictures or stills doesn’t do justice to it. You need to see it in motion to really appreciate it... The slits and unzipped details are very cool. It created an almost three dimensional thing around the clothes as we don’t normally focus on the lining and it was very interesting!" [Lola701]
"Very beautiful in motion. A lot of gorgeous pieces to dream about and if I was rich, I would die for many pieces from this couture collection." [Fashionstuff]
"I love this collection. Karl's proposition of multi-dimensional zipper is very interesting, particularly when it comes to the construction of the skirts (the way the long skirts are unzipped to reveal a miniskirt underneath is sexy in the chicest way possible). The decision to cast Adut as the bride is also very inspired." [Ken Doll Jenner]
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MISS: Schiaparelli
"An absolute embarrassment." [dior_couture1245]
"It's lacking in comparison to his other work, everything looks rehashed and disorganized, and the collection as a whole lacks cohesion. This is so disappointing." [AnaD]
"This is like HC vomit. It’s literally throwing up everything that’s already existed before— but as a worse, discount version of the real thing. Why would any woman who can buy anything waste her time with this?" [Phuel]
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HIT: Maison Margiela
"Oh my! The selfie anklets! Another winner for Margiela. Love the colours, sheer elements, and the cropped jackets look so cool!! What separates John from many other avant-garde designers is his uncanny ability to fold wearable fragments into these artisanal collections." [Benn98]
"Very avant-garde like fashion should be." [Perickles]
"Almost every look here has a similar silhouette to ones he's already presented in past Margiela collections, some are exactly the same actually, but...it's all reimagined, like in a futuristic digital nightmare, everything is actually very nightmarish but in vivid colors, it's so weird and messy and (looking at the details) unsettling, I LOVE all of it." [mistress_f]
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MISS: Alexandre Vauthier
"How ridiculous can you get?" [maxlinden]
"Poor Blanca wearing that feather monstrosity." [Littleathquakes]
"Yikes." [AnaD]
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HIT: Viktor & Rolf
"It’s a nice way to celebrate their 25th anniversary with the greatest hits." [Koibito]
"Viktor & Rolf played a huge part in my fashion upbringing, especially their earlier collections. Although none of this is new, it put a HUGE smile on my face to see their most memorable pieces revisited." [tricotineacetat]
"This is obviously a milestone collection, so it's great seeing all the iconic looks again. We have seen them all before, but this made me really happy." [AnaD]
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MISS: Azzaro
"He is such a one hit wonder. I'm kinda surprised to see him here. It's not with these kind of clothes that Azzaro will regain some of the sparkle they had under Vanessa Seward. There's a serious lack of sophistication and I don't even want to mention the originality. It's obvious." [Lola701]
"I'm getting some serious Lindsay Lohan Ungaro flashbacks. The taste level here is severely lacking." [GivenchyHomme]
"This looks like it's from 13 years ago or so, and even then I would've hated it." [mistress_f]
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HIT: Jean Paul Gaultier
"It says a lot about the current fashion climate when JPG remains as one of the best regarding tailoring even when using similar 'difficult' fabrics to those of the Dior collection. His attention to detail and the impeccable tailoring is what keeps me coming back to his work. There isn't a thread out of place. Even when having models moving way more than the funeral that is Dior." [EstefaniaAbaddon]
"Theatrical as always. And gorgeous as always." [Fashionstuff]
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MISS: Giambattista Valli
"Practically the same as all his couture collections, maybe this one is worse. The tulle gowns are his favorites, they are so similar every time and in every HC collection he does." [Fashionstuff]
"Wow, I detest this. It's all so big and droopy and fluffy and just so much. Seriously lacking in taste." [StoneSkipper]
"Here we are again. Too many looks for a few ideas and too much fabric for one single look. I don't know how this is possible. It's very weird." [ghostwriter10549]
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HIT: Stéphane Rolland
"This is pretty damn fabulous. It makes me just want to try everything on and swan around swishing my skirt." [AnaD]
"A really unexpected offering from Rolland. More than any other couturier, he is really attached to his clientele. The majority of his clients are from the Middle East and sometimes his shows lacked in that touch of experimentation and were kinda safe in the type of clothes that he has been used to doing. This is far from perfect but I love how raw it looks and almost savage in a way." [Lola701]
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MISS: Ralph & Russo
"Zara for couture costumers." [ghostwriter10549]
"It looks like an algorithm designed this." [Vitamine W]
"Cheap and mismatched!" [AnaD]
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HIT: Iris van Herpen
"She has stuck with the same design since forever, but it's a really beautiful collection." [Inlimbo]
"Even if I think that the possibilities are very limited with her, I really like it! The blue dress and the pink or peach version are stunning." [Lola701]
"Just stunning! The headpieces are amazing." [Nomar]
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MISS: Ronald van der Kemp
"Always so campy and elaborate! And there are some truly unimaginative looks in here. I see some Valli, YSL mixed with a heavy dose of artificial gaudiness for the sake of gaudiness." [Benn98]
"Looks like a try hard version of JPG." [EstefaniaAbaddon]
"His process is interesting because he is using leftover fabrics but this looks cheap as hell. It's very comical, the colors are garish but it could have been great if it wasn't for the weird cast and the atrocious location." [Lola701]
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HIT: Givenchy
"I'm delighted to eat crow. I never thought Clare was right for this job, but I have to admit I was seriously wrong. This whole collection is fantastic." [lelaid]
"Finally some real elegance back in couture!! This was majestic, albeit some looks were too severe for my taste. I like how Clare is really carving her own identity, especially since her predecessors were such heavy-hitters! The Moon River soundtrack was breathtaking and heart-wrenching in a way, especially since this was one of the first (not sure if it's THE first) Givenchy shows after Hubert's passing." [ToniOrtega]
"No gimmicks, lots of amazing dresses, austere (so perhaps more adult oriented), sharp tailoring - what's not to love here? For 'youthful' hot messes there's already a gigantic market out there, I'll gladly take this." [mistress_f]
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MISS: Sonia Rykiel
"This mess, haute couture? Really?" [GivenchyAddict]
"Not really sure we needed Sonia Rykiel couture TBH, and Julie has yet to convince me otherwise." [lelaid]
"Ugh, the couture business is making money again and now every storied house wants to cash in. I think this collection is mostly unnecessary, at times an exercise in bad construction and the melting pot of references is unfortunate. The Margiela wedding look is just baffling." [dodencebt]
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HIT: Valentino
"10 10 10! We have a winner!" [maxlinden]
"I loved this, there are some very beautiful gowns mixed with that huge hair by Guido." [zacatecas570]
"I actually really love it! These days, it's only at Valentino, where I find myself really drawn by the details of the clothing." [simon]
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HIT: Fendi
"Perfect! I loved the allure, the humor, the techniques and the decadence. The juxtaposition between the wildness of the furs and the classicism of the silhouette is beyond. Gorgeous color palette! The unexpected touch with the sequin leggings and the simple gowns is glorious." [Lola701]
"I love how restrained this is compared to previous seasons in terms of fur. All of the pieces are very light-handed, the opening looks are fabulous in their exuberance and color, the sequin leggings are unexpected and very chic when paired with the sheer chiffon. A leap in the right direction, if you ask me, in terms of how Fendi should do haute couture in the future." [dodencebt]
