From a Rabanne takeover at Jean Paul Gaultier to Elie Saab’s decadent gowns, here are all the highlights from day three of Paris Haute Couture Week.
Elie Saab Couture FW23
Balenciaga
Balenciaga was the first big show of day three at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week. Welcoming guests to its address at 10 Avenue George V in Paris, the 52nd couture collection from the label was unveiled to a opera soundtrack. There were some more traditional, safer pieces, such as a classic velvet black dress which opened the collection. As the capsule moved on it became more daring, triumphing with the final trio of looks which pushed the boundaries of innovation. Eliza Douglas then closed the show in an incredible chrome-plated, 3D-printed armour dress, which took a full ten months to be created for the collection.
Elie Saab
Mediaeval regal inspiration met glamour at this season’s Elie Saab couture show. There were square necklines, bodices and full skirts with a colour palette to match the opulent historical theme. The collection featured fabulous metallic accents and deep shades of burgundy, velour, emerald green and black, along with some whimsical pastel shades. A la Balenciaga’s show earlier today, there were some armour-inspired pieces in the collection, as well as gothic elements, and gold accents throughout much of the capsule.
Jean Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier tapped Rabanne’s creative director Julien Dossena for the house’s latest show dubbed “Jean Rabanne Gaultier.” Through the collection Dossena declared that he was “merging the DNA of both houses”. The result was a powerful collection with Grecian-inspired elements complete with metallic laurel leaf headwear.
Viktor & Rolf
A better name for Viktor & Rolf’s collection might have been “swimwear couture”. The label produced perhaps the most minimalist couture show of the season. Everything in the capsule appeared in miniature, or more precisely, swimwear size. Swipe through to see more of the daring collection.
Zuhair Murad
Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad put forward a sumptuous, feminine, gothic collection at Paris Haute Couture Week. According to Murad, he was inspired by “abandoned mansions and dark nights,” for his new capsule. The designer has rarely ventured into such a dark palette before this collection, and there were plenty of motif references too. From silver detailing, spider web-like embroidery, and tulle bows shaped in the silhouette of a bat.
Valentino
An exploration of paradoxes was at the centre of Pierpaolo Piccioli’s latest couture collection for Valentino. Kaia Gerber opened the show in what appeared to be Levi-style slouchy jeans – however they were actually made of couture materials – namely silk gazar, hand embroidered with pearlescent beads dyed in 80 hues of indigo. Elsewhere in the show, the motif of the rose reappeared along with an eclectic mix of sensual materials and metallic embellishments.
