HAUTE COUTURE WEEK SPRING/SUMMER 2025: DAY 3
words ELIYA WEINSTEIN, EMMANUELLE PLANTIER and FIONA FROMMELT
editors MARIE-PAULINE CESARI and MAREK BARTEK
ELIE SAAB
all images ELIE SAAB provided by the brand
Elie Saab turned the Palais de Tokyo into a romantic setting for his SS 2025 couture presentation. Inspired by an impressionist garden, this show was indeed a masterpiece brought to life. The romantically dim red-lit room transformed into a pastel pink and warm orange hues and we watched the runway unfold to the classic and naturalistic music.
This was an ethereal experience, merging couture and art. The silhouettes were strong yet delicate and always echoed the impressionist garden. A pastel color palette and fluid lines defined the dresses, corsages and trousers, while grand jackets, capes and sheer gloves added another layer of beauty. The craftsmanship and design was intricate, manifested through the implementation of flowers such as roses and lilies and the use of shimmery beads, pewter braids, frills and petals sculpted from silk, and details carved by silver and gold. Mainly using tulle, chiffon and other luxurious materials, an unexpected twist was offered through the use of denim, which ultimately moved the collection into a different sphere, adding another layer of sheer beauty and excellence.
VALENTINO
all images VALENTINO provided by the brand
For his first Haute Couture collection as the Creative Director of Valentino, Alessandro Michele opened a reflection on the properties of the list, and praised it for its poetry and versatility. With bright red letters spelling “Vertigineux” above a dark runway, the romanticism and baroqueness of the garments contrasted with the futuristic look of the set. A remarkable tour de force for Michele, whose magical storytelling unveiled in front of our amazed eyes, once again attested of his endless creativity.
Just like the disorderly lines of a list, the influences collided and intertwined to create a dreamy atmosphere where long white ruffled skirts are worn with sleek electric blue t-shirts. Inspired by Venetian parades, the collection held a picturesque feel that touched us with endless beauty. Large antique ruffled dresses deployed a narrative anchored in the doges era, while a contemporary pink and black evening dress with an architectural feathered hat told tales of today. An absolute highlight was a long trained tulle dress paired with a fascinating jewelled face mask completely covering the model’s face,infusing a mystical sense to this outstanding collection.
VIKTOR&ROLF
all images VIKTOR&ROLF provided by the brand
Attention! Viktor&Rolf are going minimal with their colour palette! This season, while the volumes, drapes, and diversity of forms were still there, the tones were mainly dominated by ecru, black, and white. Naturally, the signature doll traveled to Paris, too. Attached to one of the models, the doll wore a long layered pleated dress. Viktor&Rolf’s beloved bow was also present in the carefully draped silhouettes made of “gazar de soie”. Exactly 25 years ago the designers created a collection entirely of silk gazar, marking its significance to couture. The unstoppable duo imagined themselves to be AI, presenting 24 variations of the same beige trench coat, white shirt and a pair of blue pants, with a speaker announcing each look – “A beige trench coat, a white shirt and a blue pair of pants” – over, and over… and over again.
ZUHAIR MURAD
all images ZUHAIR MURAD provided by the brand
As winter storms in Paris rage on, Zuhair Murad’s SS25 Haute Couture collection sends us to an exotic island paradise. Beginning in a palette of white and buttery pastels, captivating dresses evoked a classical sense of femininity in their form and elegance while transporting us to a bold tropical dreamscape.
Murad’s silhouettes combined classic couture draping and cut with inspirations from floral forms. Colours began to bloom through ornate embroidery, twinkling rhinestones and meticulous beading, depicting the wild wonders only found deep in the jungle. Birds of flower, hibiscus, and lush rainforest foliage enveloped the body while silk, pleated chiffon and silk organza billow and drape behind it. Intricate beading and sculptural botanical cut outs with voluminous fabrics made for a striking and vivid contrast.
The palette became deeper and on a black silk backdrop, symmetrical patterns evoked the beauty and majesty of dancing butterflies. Princess necklines, subtle cutouts at the torso and slits high up the leg freed the body to the warm summer air. The final looks were finished with black bows that defined the waistline and mesh opera gloves, shifting the mood to the calmness of the evening as the sun sets.
JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
all images JEAN PAUL GAULTIER provided by the brand
Jean Paul Gaultier’s breathtaking show opened with a very much needed wake up scream. The scream then transformed into a fairytale of shipwrecks, mermaids, and sailors — a beloved theme in Gaultier’s work.
To create “Le Naufrage”, Ludovic de Saint Sernin fused elements of his own collections with elements of some of Gaultier’s most memorable ones. Silhouettes constructed with fluid forms created a strong sense of both grace and tension. A reimagined headpiece from Gaultier’s Spring 1998 Les Marquis Touaregs was spotted, but this time the ship was wrecked, perfectly fitting the name of the collection “Le Naufrage”. Inspired by Gaultier’s work for Hermès, Ludovic reworked the crocodile look created in collaboration with a latex artist who used vintage skin from the archives and moulded it onto the skin.
The finale was spectacular as always, the White Swan, or the shipwrecked Bride, gracefully closing the show, fully adorned in leathers.