The concept of haute couture evolves with the times and does not truly belong to any specific era. The Giambattista Valli 2023 Autumn/Winter haute couture collection for this season takes place in a monochromatic room filled with rose petals, embarking on a romantic and sweet dreamy journey to celebrate "classic modernity." Layered sheers, ethereal feather fringes, exquisite beaded lace, and luxurious satin skirts infuse modernity into classicism. Returning to the essence of craftsmanship, mastering complex techniques to achieve new weightless volumes or surpassing the boundaries of structure allows each garment to express its own personality and uniqueness.

It’s Paris Couture Week, and as expected, the highly-lauded occasion commenced with Daniel Roseberry presenting his latest surreal statement for the House of Schiaparelli. Roseberry debuted 30 looks each centered around themes of true art. International Klein Blue, first mixed by the French artist Yves Klein, came within a collection featuring painted models and allusions to Alberto Giacometti’s sculptures, standing tall and ethereal. Black diamond embellishments formed trompe-l’œil sculptures of Venetian statues on a cream coat, with its darts, pleats, and collar all echoing the gravitas of a marble figure.

Balmain held its show/festival at Jean-Bouin Stadium in Paris. “We all saw climate change this summer. We all saw fires around the world. And coming back with a show in September, thinking about whether our pants are going to be high-waisted or low-waisted—it seems a bit futile to me.” So said Olivier Rousteing before the show.

Paris Couture Fashion Week 2022 launched a battle between being conservative and radical. We can see Balenciaga’s hi-tech diving suits, Iris Van Herpen’s pioneering pieces, Chanel and Giorgio Armani Prive’s nod to the pas, and of course, the ethereal and gorgeous pieces of Elie Saab.

The avant-garde fashion house Viktor & Rolf released its A/W 22/23 Haute Couture collection inspired by the cult 1922 vampire movie “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror”. This season, the designers Rolf Snoeren and Viktor Horsting divided the show into halves: The first half of their show featured the same structured, high collars with looks that appeared to be levitating above the wearer’s shoulders; the second half showed them collapsed, draping the models in swathes of ruffles.

All the fashion houses display their featured wedding dresses at Bridal Fashion Week 2023, from the minimalist tailoring of satin to the Art Deco style of floral embroidery and jacquard texture. Romance and nature will always be the theme for wedding dress design. To meet the requirements of modern independent women, designers are trying to make wedding dresses into ready-to-wear wardrobes.

Spring 2023 Bridal Fashion Week ended successfully in April. Changeable silhouettes, materials and details satisfied bridals’ desire for happiness. Asymmetric cutting, sweet heart-shaped neckline, sexy gauze, multilayered ruffle, voluminous dress, sophisticated embroideries and beads and Bohemian loose-fit dress took the center stage. Romantic lace fabrics and motifs also presented an outstanding performance. Lace, trim and embroidery are the common elements of Baroque aesthetics, which also become the major elements of wedding dress.

This report analyzes the application of patterns on womenswear runways and compares the proportion of each element in A/W 21/22 and A/W 22/23. Plaids and flowers still dominate the runway shows. Animal skins, especially leopard spots, continue the momentum in A/W 21/22; mineral textures, landscapes, and human figures have been uptrended through innovative techniques; more Chinese elements are added into folk motifs.

This report analyzes the application of patterns on womenswear runways and compares the proportion of each element in A/W 21/22 and A/W 22/23. Plaids and flowers still dominate the runway shows. Animal skins, especially leopard spots, continue the momentum in A/W 21/22; mineral textures, landscapes, and human figures have been uptrended through innovative techniques; more Chinese elements are added into folk motifs.

This report mainly focuses on outdoor-style patterns on A/W 22/23 runways. Bright plaids, five-pointed stars, and light spot gradient are trending upward clearly. Chains, skin touch, and human figures are applied widely and show a small-scale increase.

Held in the Grand Palais Éphémère, Chanel A/W 22/23 couture was an homage to the quintessential house signature - tweed. It is said that Gabrielle Chanel would walk by the River Tweed in Scotland, where she would gather different flora and use their colors as a reference for her artisans to create fabric. The haute couture show exuded an elegant, bright, and positive mood; multi-pocket safari jacket and soft woolen outerwear interpreted masculine silhouettes; couture qualities were brought by patterns, materials, and details; leathers and jewels sent out a gorgeous retro atmosphere.

Paris Haute Couture Week returned to the physical runway in a high profile. From Elie Saab’s Eden florals to Charles de Vilmorin’s colorfulness, designers focused on the tailoring to accent the body outlines and displayed multiple moods. Challenging creations elevated the beauty and realized the goal of haute couture.