Celebrating the new High Fashion

Gladys Rodríguez-Dod
Exclusively By Rex Fabrics
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This time I am going to present other designers Haute Couture fashion shows of the caliber of Giambattista Valli, Alexis Mabille or Jean-Paul Gaultier, whose ingenuity and creativity always surprises us, as well as my good friend Franck Sorbier’s. Aside from being a genius in the field, he is one of the most enchanting persons in the fashion industry. Always presenting a unique sophistication in very well conceived and developed designs, Sorbier uses the best textures and the most complicated styles, overflowing with fantasy, but never forgetting that it has to be elegant and chic.

For this Autumn-Winter season, other designers have joined forces so as to offer diverse points of view, some with full of vitality lighter, fresh and modern styles. Names such as Alexandre Vauthier and Ulyana Sergeenko are in this category.

Two runway shows were the source of much talk during the Haute Couture week in Paris: Vionnet and Schiaparelli. It surprised us all!

Although VIONNET has been presenting prêt-à-porter collections for quite some time, the house also is now opting for Haute Couture… and very successfully indeed. The designer, Goga Ashkenazi, called this show “demi-couture”, simply because the designs are less expensive than others but created with the same traditional techniques representative of Haute Couture. My favorite design was a navy blue lace evening dress with sleeves just below the elbow.

SCHIAPARELLI is in a league of its own, being a one-of-a-kind collection created by Christian Lacroix. He has come out of retirement to launch it ―his main interest now is designing for the theater― inspired by the time when the famous designer reigned in Paris before and after the Second World War. With the perfect setting of the Pavillon de Flore del Musée de Arts Decoratifs as backdrop, one entered through a reenactment of the bamboo cage Jean-Michel Frank designed for his atelier’s entrance with cherry blossom trees and small monitors placed in the branches emitting the chirping sound of birds. Wearing precious designs, mannequins were shown in this mix of technology and nature, even including a jumpsuit, ideal to take refuge in some bomb shelter during the war. The black dress with flesh color details is ideal for any elegant evening.

JEAN-PAUL GAULTIER launched designs with out-of-proportion curves, exotic prints and extraordinary and avant garde jackets; but his chiffon evening dresses in purple like the bishops robes, with embroidered details around the neckline and showcasing attractive belts, was where he scored points in excess. FRANCK SORBIER dazzled with designs inspired in the era when romance and poetry governed around the world, particularly the lace ones in colors such as the wine tones. They are… heaven!

When ALEXIS MABILLE first presented his Haute Couture he chose Angelina’s, in the Tuileries ―the best hot chocolate is offered there!―, and we all came to the conclusion that he was a creator who knew how to manage fantasy to the maximum, once we saw how he succeeded in having the models parade through the tables throughout the restaurant. This time his inspiration is the work of the painter Giovanni Boldine, seizing in his fashions the movements that stand out in Boldine’s paintings. His white dresses with black details are elegant and sensual at the same time.

“What women want from me are flowers and colors”, said GIAMBATTISTA VALLI, who took great care in choosing tones and flower appliqués for his designs. Inspired by porcelains, such as Capodimonte, Wedgewood, Sevres and Meissen, the fashion show turned out to be spectacular. And ALEXANDRE VAUTHIER, Beyoncé’s and Rihanna’s favorite designer, offered a very sexy and chic collection. His strapless designs, which showed the most sophisticated folds in shades such as light gold or beige, are a song to the curves of a woman. Who will not feel like a star walking down the red carpet wearing one of them?