HIGHLIGHTS FROM PARIS HAUTE COUTURE WEEK
words by FRANCESCO PIZZUTI
Haute Couture Week once again proved that fashion’s most rarefied realm remains a place where imagination knows no material limits. From surreal experiments and sculptural fantasies to personal and emotional narratives and technical breakthroughs, designers pushed couture beyond its boundaries. Let’s take a look at some of this week’s most compelling moments.
SCHIAPARELLI
images courtesy of SCHIAPARELLI
No collection could have announced couture week the way Schiapaerlli did. Daniel Roseberry challenged the very idea of what luxury materials should be, transforming latex, silicone and sculpted rubber into objects of astonishing beauty, while also using organic elements to challenge the distinction between the two worlds. From silicone torsos above glowing skirts and writhing octopus tentacles to a hidden Ghost-Face mask stitched onto the back of a gown, every look balanced surrealism with technical brilliance, proving imagination remains couture's most precious material.
ROBER WUN
images courtesy of ROBERT WUN
Robert Wun reminded us that few designers understand storytelling quite like he does. Turning to childhood memories and fairy tales, his latest couture collection unfolded like a dream suspended somewhere between innocence and unease. Childlike paint splashes embroidered onto monumental gowns, balloon sculptures, stuffed animals and birds frozen mid-flight became poetic symbols rather than gimmicks, creating one of the week's most emotionally resonant and visually unforgettable presentations.
ASHI STUDIO
images courtesy of ASHI STUDIO
Ashi Studio’s gowns appeared creature-like in the most spectacular way. A Different Skin transformed its models into mythical beings emerging from an enchanted forest, wrapped in porcelain fragments, distressed lace, feathers and sculptural silhouettes. Victorian references met surreal fantasy, resulting in a hauntingly elegant collection that lingered in the mind long after the show ended.
VIKTOR&ROLF
images courtesy of VIKTOR&ROLF
Viktor&Rolf proved that couture can still be deeply conceptual without sacrificing beauty. Exploring the dialogue between restraint and excess, The Gilded Age mirrored burlap with gold, austerity with decadence, presenting paired garments that differed only through material. Staged as an endless ritual of dressing and undressing, the collection quietly questioned whether luxury exists in craftsmanship, fabric, or simply in perception itself.
IRIS VAN HERPEN
images courtesy of IRIS VAN HERPEN
Experimental has always been Iris van Herpen's language, but Sonic Starquakes pushed even her own boundaries. Inspired by celestial vibrations and plasma, the collection became one of the most technically ambitious of the season. The standout was undoubtedly the Helix Nebula dress, the world’s first dress made with plasma, where the glowing element responded to human touch, allowing electricity itself to become part of couture.
BOLORIA
images courtesy of BOLORIA
Olivier Theyskens' debut for Boloria favoured quiet emotion over spectacle, introducing a new house through atmosphere rather than grand gestures. Inspired by the idea of the floating world, elongated silhouettes drifted across the runway in muted Belgian tones, their impeccable tailoring softened by fluid draping and delicate fabrics — romantic, melancholic, and powerful.
JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
images courtesy of JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
Duran Lantink's haute couture debut for Jean Paul Gaultier was pure form experimentation masterfully taken to the extreme. Corsets twisted sideways, torso bulging out, gowns projected into impossible dimensions and silhouettes seemed to defy anatomy altogether. Drawing on Marie Antoinette while embracing technologies such as 3D printing, the collection questioned what garments can become when tradition and technological innovation collide.
ZUHAIR MURAD
images courtesy of ZUHAIR MURAD
With romance and precision, Zuhair Murad embraced fantasy through Secret Garden. Butterflies became recurring symbols of transformation, appearing across waves of fabric and even covering the models' lips, reinforcing themes of mystery and hidden beauty.
GERMANIER
images courtesy of GERMANIER
Kevin Germanier continues proving that sustainability and couture are not opposing ideas but perfect collaborators. Les Sulfureuses exploded with colour, shimmer, and dramatic silhouettes built from unexpected materials, including a sea of spry painted pencils. Like fireworks suspended in mid-air, each look celebrated transformation.
CHANEL
images courtesy of CHANEL
As guests softly lip-synced to Kiss Me, the collection unfolded with the effortless refinement the house does so well. Yet what kept drawing the eye were the shoes. Elegant and gorgeous tiny pieces of art that made for one of the season’s most memorable moments.
GEORGES HOBEIKA
images courtesy of GEORGES HOBEIKA
Inspired by James McCrae's poem Instructions Before Visiting Earth, Georges and Jad Hobeika offered a collection centred on wonder and presence. Fluid columns, sculptural tailoring, luminous embroidery and snail shells appearing as jewellery celebrated the extraordinary hidden within everyday life.
BALENCIAGA
images courtesy of BALENCIAGA
Balancing Cristóbal Balenciaga's architectural legacy with his own softer romanticism, Pierpaolo Piccioli delivered a certain emotional grandeur. And then there was the City Bag: reborn in gleaming metallic couture form, transformed from an iconic accessory into something that belonged as much in a museum as on the runway.
DIOR
images courtesy of DIOR
Dior's latest haute couture outing found one of its strongest expression above the shoulders. Paying homage to the work of American sculptor Lynda Benglis, the collection embraced fluid, organic forms with extraordinary headpieces that echoed her sculptural practice somewhere between art and armour.
