The sound of sparking cigarettes and Christian Louboutins stomping through the Garage Turenne signaled the beginning of spring 2010 Paris Couture Fashion Week. The world’s fashion elite flocked to the city to preview some of the world’s top fashion houses debut their latest couture collections.
A great anticipation had been shadowing the lead-up to the event, with concern suggesting that the current economic climate would force the re-invention of couture, to target a wider audience. After Alexis Mabille opened the couture calendar with his “geometric surgery” exhibition, it was clear that the concern was valid and the classicism of couture was dead.
The movement was enforced most dramatically at Valentino, where new designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli clearly addressed a different audience from that of the original, mature Valentino client. “We think that to keep a future in couture, it’s necessary to bring a new customer who wants’ something cooler,” Chiuri said. Picioli added, “We have to experiment with new silhouettes because we want to call the young girls.” This being said, a shorter hemline was the most prominent movement seen this spring, with the chop not only seen at Valentino but at Armani Prive, Christian Dior and Chanel.
Fluorescent fabrics and neo brights were another trend that challenged the classic tonal elements of couture. The most vivid of violets was presented at Givenchy while Alexis Mabille played with shades, vertically bonding bi-colored looks of cerise pink, royal blue and crimson. Chiuri and Piccioli of Valentino rejected tradition and incorporated an array of fresh fluorescents into the collection, with a red, draped chiffon dress presenting as the only faithful piece to Valentino tradition. Even at Chanel, there was no little black dress to be seen.
One trend that has been continued throughout couture collections for years is the plethora of pantsuits. This year, the trend was not forgotten, only reinvented. At Givenchy we saw high waisted, exaggerated pants with an attention to the waist. At Chanel we witnessed the redesign of the traditional suit, replacing A-line skirts with micro-pleated shorts and culottes. Pants were replaced by shirred silk leggings at Valentino, while Armani Prive was the only fashion house that remained faithful to the traditional elements of the trend.
Rumored to have triggered the shift to modernism of couture is the obsession with ‘space-age futurism’ that is sweeping the international fashion culture. Many of the Parisian fashion houses have adopted the trend at this year’s Spring Couture Fashion Week, including Chanel, although creative director Karl Lagerfeld rejects the term ‘futurism’. “I don’t believe in avant-garde clothes for a future that will never happen. Fashion is always now,” he said. Avatar-style design elements were seen across the board, with even further theatrical headpieces. Jean Paul Gaultier took direct inspiration from the movie’s tribal-eco message with exquisite embellishments, shy metallics and fringing, while Elie Saab incorporated pale, washed-out colors and flower-appliquéd dresses. These new design elements also complimented the futuristic textures seen at Anne Valerie Hash with sequins, paillettes and piles of matte. Lunar inspiration was seen at both Armani Prive and Givenchy, with the use of luminescent fabrics and all-in-ones that were sequined in graphic patterns.
After an amazing week showcasing the latest collections of Paris’ design elite, the movement from classicism to futurism and from mature to chic has arrived. Welcome to the new couture.
Words: Leni Andronicos
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