Jean Paul Gaultier: Couture AW18
Warning: Smoking Kills. But Le Smoking can be positively life affirming. Jean Paul Gaultier based his couture show on the idea of tuxedo dressing and tuxedo attitude, both for men and women. The designer, who stepped away from ready-to-wear to
Fendi: Couture AW18
This house’s prowess with fur and leather is legend, but when it comes to couture, designer Karl Lagerfeld pushes craftsmanship to the limits of what’s humanly possible. At his behest, the Fendi atelier hand-painted fur coats in colourful abstractions inspired
Elie Saab: Couture AW18
If you are a woman in need of a big dress, call Elie Saab. The Lebanese couturier specialises in red carpet gowns and wedding dresses for international royals. His catwalk is lined with bejewelled clients, who shop directly from the
Maison Margiela: Couture AW18
“Nomadic glamour,” intoned John Galliano on his Maison Margiela artisanal pre-show podcast (a brilliant innovation - the designer explains his motivations and techniques in his distinctive, dramatic drawl). “We’re all nomads now,” he said and created layered-up looks as if
Giorgio Armani Privé: Couture AW18
Mr Armani was on a mission. “Conveying to the younger generation the true meaning of couture,” was the maestro’s intention. This 94-look collection was an epic exercise in show and tell. This is how it’s done, kids. Haute elegance, haute
Chanel: Couture AW18
No visit to Paris couture week is complete without a stroll by the Seine. Chanel recreated an atmospheric stretch of riverbank complete with handsome booksellers and a vast 100m long, painted backdrop of the Institut de France - one of
Dundas: Ready-To-Wear SS19
Vamp alert! Peter Dundas is on the prowl with a collection of teeny, tiny after dark looks, shown at the Musée Bourdelle in Paris. Importantly, he addressed the nagging problem of what pants to wear when your skirt skims your
Dior: Couture AW18
Maria Grazia Chiuri likes to ask questions. When she started at the house, her big one was how to handle the Dior legacy? “We have to speak about femininity, but what does that mean today?” In answer, her quest has
Schiaparelli: Couture AW18
If you want reality go to Zara. This is haute couture - a world where pink flamingo feathered masks and floor length matching capes are served up with your morning coffee. From the very first look, Schiaparelli creative director Betrand
Givenchy: Couture AW18
History is nothing to be ashamed of. That was the message of Givenchy artistic director Clare Waight Keller who staged her couture show in the garden of the French National Archive - a place where the past resides. She named the
Vetements: Ready-to-Wear SS19
To the outskirts of Paris, underneath a concrete flyover where a long table had been set up as if for a wedding feast. But what kind of dystopian nuptials were these? Vetements boy (in sinister balaclava hoodies, camo denim and
Miu Miu: Resort 2019
“Hotels are so mysterious,” mused Mrs Prada as she stood in the dusty grandeur of the Regina, lobby. This historic Paris hotel provided the atmospheric setting for her Miu Miu Resort show. Sit on one of its gilded lobby sofas for
Max Mara: Resort 2019
Max Mara may be a global mega brand with stores in 100 countries, but when it came to putting on its cruise show, there was no place like home. It makes sense when home is Reggio Emilia and a vast contemporary
From The Issue: Tales Of Change By Claudia Croft
THINGS YOU SHOULD CHANGE: PART 1. Once upon a time, I met a woman and she smelled old. Not nursing-home old, just dated, like a Spice Girls album cover or a tongue piercing. It’s good to have a signature scent,
Best Of 2017: Claudia Croft Talks To Christopher Bailey About Burberry’s September 2017 Collection
No brand, other than the monarchy, has traded more successfully on its British heritage than Burberry. But with the nation going through a soul-searching time, any label rooted in Britishness must also look inward and reassess. For Christopher Bailey, the