Couture Week

By, Natalie Smith

In Paris, From January 21st to the 24th, French and Italian designers dominated the runways, some of these labels included the famous Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier, Chanel, Versace Valentino, and more.

Atelier Versace’s collection reinterpreted its all-time classics with a 70s bang. The collection lengths ranged from knee length for day, and mid calf for night. The colors were mostly intense ones; bright fuchsia, gold, copper, silver, bright yellow, and light green.

This is the second season for Raf Simons who has been the head of Dior for two years now. Simon claimed to have found inspiration from old Dior shows, digging through famous pieces, and adding a modern twist on them. The lengths of the outfits hit all parts of the leg from the knee to the ankle. The colors included a great amount of deep blues, blacks, beiges, and the occasional yellow, green or pink.

Karl Lagerfeld’s collection for Chanel, launched a collection hinted with it gothic tones and consisted greatly of tweed suits and dresses with low necklines on the front. Someone who's not a fan of Lagerfeld myself, the disappointment of these outfits came as no shock. Lengths of the daytime dresses hit right around the knee and the evening outfits were floor-length. Lagerfeld stayed true to the always-constant black and white classic Chanel but did find ways to add some pinks, greens and blues. The shoes were mostly boots that rested above the knee. 

Giorgio Armani was inspired for this collection by the encounters between the Eastern and Western culture of the world through fabrics, cuts, and jewelry. Armani plays with long dresses and skirts and flared pants. The colors of this collection reflected his attempt at a very diverse cultural vision, these colors ranged from earthy browns to vibrant reds and oranges.

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, the designer team leading Valentino since 2008 wowed critics. The collection was flawless, it used classic cuts and designs and made them look new and bold.  The outfits were all hand-made, a rare quality in collections today. The daytime dresses hit the knees and were complemented by long ball gowns

The colors stayed classic: black, red, white, cream, and the occasional pale pink.