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LUXE TREND 48
HAUTE COUTURE- F/W 2018- 2019- PLEASE BRING SEXY BACK
 

If we were to judge from the recent Haute Couture collections, the opera cape is about to make a big comeback. The absence of current divas notwithstanding, a dramatic entrance is indeed necessary for any environment, especially in jewel tone silk taffeta. Since we have collectively determined the ‘80s are worth reliving in one form or another, it seems only proper that the opera cape would serve as another symbol of luxurious excess.

All this, of course, is a sarcastic introduction to a Couture season that was as unimpressive as most of the runway models that paraded, sadly and somnambulistically, down Parisian catwalks. In watching and rewatching all the collections, I was left to wonder: What happened to the good old-fashioned sex appeal in high fashion? Between the nylon recycled robots at Margiela and the High Priestesses at Valentinoand Givenchy, I began wondering if Haute was indeed getting too Haute? Are these top designers "getting any" or are they becoming too serious?

Yves St Laurent understood that without empowered sex appeal, female power was diminished. He sculpted the new power suit, in its many ready-to-wear and Couture forms, as a symbol of the modern feminine. YSL's gowns were often an exercise in simplicity, and with their plunging necklines or naked backs exuded a sexiness that worked in tandem with good taste. Transformed through the erotic lens of Helmut Newton, YSL became the ultimate symbol of modern female sexual empowerment.

Yves loved the nightlife, especially during the early years of his rise to fame. Even YSL fragrances were conceived as juices whose composition was transformed by the wearer’s addition of dance-fueled sweat (YSL Pour Homme, for example). YSL’s was the image of an immaculately and powerfully chic woman, was the image that created the Haute Couture mystique of the late ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.

Pier Paolo Piccioli is continuing to succeed in garnering worldwide fashion acclaim. Even Mr Valentino was moved to tears at the end of the Haute Couture show and gave Piccioli a standing ovation. This season, Piccioli’s story for Valentino was a continuation of last season’s extravagant Couture collection. Vibrant colour combinations, impossible embroideries, capes, and flowing dresses, created a rising fashion crescendo, and a collection conceived to ultimately belong to a museum. Piccioli’s collection had Drama with a capital D. Baroque embroideries and exquisite fabrics were employed in the service of conjuring the Valentino Haute Couture woman who lives at the pinnacle of opulence. The colour combinations made this collection one of the highlights of the week.

Dior. This immaculate — as in inanimate and dull — collection with its monochromatic, flesh-coloured palette was rather tone deaf (style deaf?). Dresses with an abundance of tight bosoms and knife-cut soleil pleating looked unmodern. Chiuri stayed within very familiar themes and a collection that resembled Oscar de la Renta at Balmain. Under Chiuri Dior is losing its fashion leadership and while the designer has generated some interesting ideas, there is an overall lack of cohesive direction, leaving a flat impression.

At Schiaparelli, Bertrand Guyon continued to play in Elsa’s fantasy land with often great results. Fabrics and ornamentation worked together beautifully to create a vision of Haute Couture that could have been plucked straight from the 1940s. The sad models brought the tone down to what could have been an exuberant collection. One actually misses the legendary models of the past who looked like they slept in Couture the night before, after partying the night away. It was this kind of animation missing from a presentation like this. Schiaparelli in 2018 is not terribly innovative but services its luxury clientele beautifully.

At Givenchy, it was an homage to the late Master. Following her beautifully conceived summer Haute Couture collection, Clare Waight Keller was inspired to update several legendary silhouettes of the House. Present in this collection were the dresses made famous by Audrey Hepburn, this time updated and aimed to appeal to modern stars. Waight Keller used mostly black and white and concentrated on the cut rather than on ornamentation that could have hidden the Couture tradition this collection possessed. In the end, a touching finale when all the artisans of the House took a bow along with the designer. The slightly heavy hand of this collection could be excused given the fact Hubert de Givenchy passed away just a few months ago..

Givenchy was not the only sombre presentation of the season. The absence of Couture-sized sexuality designers offered little in terms of solid creative direction. Even Jean Paul Gaultier who showed a collection inspired by smoking (the vice as well as the French word for tuxedo) seemed bored by the whole experience of Couture.

Thank god for Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini at Fendi Couture that made sure hardcore Couture club girls have something to wear next season. Forget the furs and the virtuosity of cuts. In what seems to be his favorite fashion laboratory, this season Karl played with everything at his disposal and didn’t bother too much with Chanel. From the models to the music to the clothes, Fendi Couture is so on-trend it’s almost counter-culture. Watching Fendi reminded me of how exciting and fun Couture used to be when we lived in a pre-Social Media era when creative isolationism was not the norm.