Twice a year, fashion’s heartbeat slows down from the frenetic rhythm of ready-to-wear to the deliberate, contemplative pace of haute couture. In Paris, ateliers open their gilded doors, welcoming an elite audience to witness garments that seem to defy time, reason, and gravity. Couture Week, more than a calendar event, is an unfolding narrative—a reflection not just of craftsmanship, but of shifting values, whispered rebellions, and evolving ideals of beauty.
This past Couture Week was no exception. It stitched together threads of nostalgia, futurism, identity, and resistance. While the runways were, as expected, graced with impossible silhouettes and hours of hand-stitched beadwork, the real allure lay in what these garments told us about the world we live in—and the one we hope to shape.
The Return to Touch: Craftsmanship as Protest
In an era increasingly dominated by digital fashion, NFTs, and AI-generated models, this season’s couture collections made a quiet yet potent statement: hands still matter. The tactile presence of embroidery, fabric manipulation, and sculpted textiles was more than aesthetic—it was almost political.
Take Valentino, for example. Pierpaolo Piccioli’s collection celebrated the “radical power of elegance” through a return to clean, sculptural tailoring and rich hand-dyed hues. The models didn’t just wear clothing; they embodied slowness, intention, and poise. In a world of instant gratification, the message was clear: beauty still lives in time-consuming effort.
This theme resonated at Schiaparelli too, where Daniel Roseberry continued to channel Elsa Schiaparelli’s surrealist roots. Eyes, hearts, and anatomical motifs became embroidered armor, blending the sacred and strange. These weren’t just fashion statements; they were reminders of the human body as canvas, mystery, and muse.
The Theater of Identity
Couture has often been dismissed as inaccessible, a self-indulgent art for the ultra-wealthy. But increasingly, designers are using its platform to explore identity in deeply personal ways.
Iris van Herpen’s collection—part aquatic hallucination, part spiritual metaphor—delved into the dualities of transformation and transcendence. Her use of biodegradable materials and kinetic garments was not just a nod to sustainability but to metamorphosis itself. Her models looked less like women and more like future-beings caught in an eternal evolution.
Thom Browne, in his couture debut, flipped the narrative with an avant-garde storytelling approach. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” his models appeared in architectural garments that blurred the line between clothing and sculpture. The show dared to question the very role of couture: Is it wearable? Must it be? Or is it, perhaps, a poetic expression of the self—whatever that may look like?
Femininity Rewritten
This season, many designers redefined what femininity could be, breaking from the soft, submissive codes that often define couture’s legacy. Chanel’s collection, though classically elegant, added unexpected toughness: boxy tweeds layered with tulle and utilitarian boots. There was a subtle assertion there—an acknowledgment that softness and strength coexist.
Similarly, Viktor & Rolf’s humorously oversized bows and deconstructed ballgowns toyed with traditional ideas of beauty and excess. By exaggerating the very tropes couture is built upon, they turned the mirror back on the audience, asking: Who is this really for? Are we still dressing to please—or are we dressing to provoke, to play, to claim space?
Cultural Conversations
Couture Week is no longer a European echo chamber. Designers from around the world brought their cultural heritage to the runway in thoughtful, celebratory ways. Rahul Mishra, the Indian designer who has steadily become a couture mainstay, brought stories of rural artisanship to the global stage. His garments, brimming with mythical creatures and cosmic gardens, were made in collaboration with hundreds of artisans across India. Each thread was a story—each silhouette, a bridge between worlds.
This kind of cultural inclusivity not only enriches couture but also expands its audience and purpose. It’s not just about fantasy anymore. It’s about visibility, dignity, and storytelling through the lens of diverse experiences.
Digital, but with a Pulse
It would be remiss not to mention the digital undertones of this season—though they were more subdued, even thoughtful. Some houses experimented with augmented reality elements, while others livestreamed intimate, behind-the-scenes footage, inviting viewers into the sacred space of garment creation.
But perhaps what stood out most was the refusal to let tech dominate. Instead, it was integrated delicately—like embroidery on a sheer veil. The future, it seems, is less about replacing the old and more about enhancing it, responsibly and respectfully.
A Space for Dreaming
More than ever, couture feels like a necessary dream in difficult times. With the world facing war, climate crisis, and cultural polarization, this week of imagination became a soft rebellion. In a world that is often harsh, these garments offered sanctuary.
Jean Paul Gaultier, interpreted this season by Simone Rocha, created a collection that felt like walking through a dream journal. There were whispering silks, pearls like dewdrops, and bridal veils that seemed to carry ancestral memories. It was emotional, ephemeral, and intensely human.
