HAUTE COUTURE WEEK FALL/WINTER 2025: DAY 2

editors ELIANA CASA, MAREK BARTEK and MARIE-PAULINE CESARI

CHANEL
review by MAREK BARTEK

all images CHANEL provided by the brand

Chanel’s Fall-Winter 2025 haute couture show began in near silence. A soft room lined in mirrors, quilted cushions, and a pale carpet. It was less of a runway, more of a memory. The setting recalled the private salons, where fittings take place away from view.

The garments followed that same instinct. A collection was grounded in texture and tactility, held close to the body. Tweeds in soft neutrals, shaped into coat-dresses, skirt suits, and long, narrow gilets. Silhouettes borrowed from the countryside, with hints of hunting jackets. There was a sense of ease in the way everything moved. Nothing was too sculpted or stiff. Fabric did most of the work. A white coat-dress trimmed in braids looked almost knitted, a mohair suit in plum felt worn in, like something carried through seasons. Some pieces blurred categories. A jacket cut like a jumper, trousers painted and embroidered. Details often came into focus only on second glance.

Wheat, central to Gabrielle Chanel’s symbolism, appeared across the collection. Along the neckline of a wedding dress, on buttons or as soft geometry, repeating through embroidery. Feathers and chiffon added lightness without turning ornamental. Even the illusion of fur was tempered, created from tweed and handled subtly.

Evening looks arrived without transition. A black and white dress with flounced chiffon. A satin pinafore covered in tiny florals. A flash of lamé, warmed by orange light. These moments came and went without crescendo. The collection held a consistent tone from beginning to end. No sudden shifts. No narrative turns. It felt deliberate in its simplicity. A house between eras, drawing from its own vocabulary while keeping its distance from interpretation.

Matthieu Blazy’s debut is still to come. This collection, shaped by the in-house team, didn’t reach for reinvention. But there was clarity in its execution. A reminder that at Chanel, the foundations run deep, even when the future is still taking shape.

STÉPHANE ROLLAND
review by NIA TOPALOVA

all images STÉPHANE ROLLAND provided by the brand

Stéphane Rolland’s muse this season is Ida Rubinstein - “a muse in search of an Iberian dream-sensual and spectral.” 

Rolland’s Autumn-Winter 2025 Couture collection took place at the historic Théatre des Champs-Élysées, reflecting on the creative encounter between composer Maurice Ravel’s mechanical and abstract rhythm, and dancer Ida Rubinstein’s dreamlike nature. From this duality emerged a wardrobe where Spain became both mechanical and mystical, with precisely structured volumes breathing with a lightweight sense of tranquility.

A live performance by the Divertimento orchestra, directed by Zahia Ziouani, accompanied the architectural silhouettes, in shades of black, white, ivory, gold, and passionate red. The long gowns in satin, gazar and chiffon were adorned in coral and crystal embroidery, while samurai-inspired capes were covered in black and translucent sequins. 

“The collection oscillates between tension and ornament, between restraint and opulence, between the spirit of ballet and the machine. Like Rubinstein and Ravel, it is a meeting of opposites-a Haute Couture symphony where modern rigor, almost Japanese in style, is overtaken by Spanish fantasy. The bride appears, a white icon crowned with a dome embroidered in gold. 

The final note of this symphony.” – Stéphane Rolland.

RONALD VAN DER KEMP
review by NATALIE GAL

all images RONALD VAN DER KEMP provided by the brand

Seeing the designs of Ronald van der Kemp is always a special experience, particularly for us, as he is a Dutch designer who studied in Amsterdam before making his way onto the scenes of Milan, New York, and of course, Paris. What made the show all the more exciting was the significant collaboration with Thayná Caiçara and a group of indigenous artisans and embroiderers from Brazil.

Van der Kemp transported us to an "enchanted garden," with pieces that felt as though they had stepped out of a new edition of "Midsummer Night’s Dream." The collection, titled ‘The Call of the Wild’, was a clear homage to Mother Nature and her overwhelming beauty. It was, in true couture fashion, eccentric, over-the-top, and majestic.

Among the standout pieces were the Thayná Caiçara fine jewelry rainforest bird choker and a full-on moving tree sculpture dress built on a corset. A captivating coat with cape sleeves featuring individual handwoven art collages made from various vintage trimmings, feathers, and petite trinkets. Or the "twiggy-style" mini dress adorned with crochet lace and pearl beading. Not to mention the biomimicry bomber jacket with mousseline strips in brown, cream, and salmon.

The entire collection felt like a powerful reminder of nature's grandeur, whether it was the misty rainforests, the kaleidoscopic waves of colour from tropical birds, or the indigenous traditions deeply rooted in the balance between human and nature. This collection serves as a reminder of what we stand to lose if we forget to care for our natural world and refuse to treasure it.