Couture Spring 2013: Valentino, Versace, & fairytales

Last week was the incredible haute couture fashion week held in Paris. The exquisite Valentino show was a fitting end to the couture season; a joyous celebration of the infinite possibilities of the unfettered imagination.

“We really wanted to create a dream, something really fantastic, magic, fairy tale. Couture is a dream, and we love to dream. Why not?”said Maria GraziaChiuri during the fittings.

Chiuri and her partner in design, Pierpaolo Piccioli, were looking at the idea of formal and secret gardens, with mazes, ancient mosaics, and romantic flower plantings. “The ritual of couture is to be secret!” said Piccioli.

Donatella Versace credited the magnificent soaring domed-glass ceiling of her show venue—originally built in 1878 as the headquarters of the Crédit Lyonnais bank—as the inspiration behind her glittering atelier collection. “The glass and the steel,” she explained, “the fragility and the strength.”

It was appropriate to show this collection in a temple to Mammon: Versace used her Midas touch to turn everything to gold. The dark wool of the opening looks was threaded with a pinstripe—woven in real gold. And Versace took denim to new levels by dusting that with gold dust too. The dramatic hoop and drop earrings, meanwhile, mixed that precious metal with diamonds, rock crystal, and semiprecious stone pendant drops. “Very simple, very subtle,” said Versace of her deep, solid gold cuffs. “You wear two at a time!”

“Haute couture is always a place where you can experiment. We try to make things happen that have never happened before.” said Versace