“We speak the same language,” said Christian Dior to René Gruau, who was given complete artistic freedom at illustrating and inventing a new advertising style for the Mr. Dior’s fragrances, and subsequently created the house’s most iconic imagery in the ‘40s and ‘50s.

Gruau had been a source of inspiration for Mr. Galliano in the past, for an illustrator and artist-themed collection. For this season’s haute couture he chose to do a reprise of the ‘50s in which Dior’s New Look was an obvious source point for dresses and flared skirts contributing to particularly delicate, and above all interesting, silhouettes.

 

Gruau’s imagery manifested itself on cloth and in embroidery as graphite smears, pencil strokes and scribbles, and dégradé colours that ranged from watery patels to intense deeply seducing reds by layering tulle and ostrich feathers to imitate painterly gestures.

Giorgio Armani used an interesting mix of nylon, metal and silk-spun fabrics to present a futuristic vision  – one that was once shared by Pierre Cardin and Thierry Mugler, each in another decade.The show shimmered and not just because of the beautiful reflective organza. It had a quality that felt like it would push fashion – even if by a tiny bit or more – forward.

 

At Givenchy, Ricardo Tisci, cast only Asian-oriental models to present his Japanese dancer Kazuo Ohno and robot toy-inspired collection. The designer showed silk and feathery creations, in white, pale lime-yellow and pink with incredibly crafty 3-D applications – papery organza, chiffon covered beads or ostrich feathers – on very tricky-to-work-with transparent fabrics. 

Givenchy chose for an intimate presentation geared toward the clients instead of a regular fashion show. When in Paris I shared a car with two Beijing natives that came especially for the haute couture presentations and they expressed their excitement for Givenchy, craving the creativity and craftsmanship that apparently only Ricardo Tisci provided for them.

 

Another interesting casting was male model Andrej Pejic starring as Jean Paul Gaultier’s bride, a gender statement at the end of a long line, wll of which have been made before by Mr. Gaultier.

 

At Elie Saab there were delicate evening looks that could and would most probably seduce Oscar nominees Michelle Williams, Amy Adams or Hailee Steinfeld. The palette grazed, like most of the couture season, pastel and powdery shades and signaled lightness in mood – tea-rose pink, mauve and raspberry.

It was the demure second look of the collection, presented on Sigrid Agren and embroidered with beads and rosettes of mousseline, belted at the waist, that seemed particularly right for a starlet who wishes to come close to the soft allure that Audrey Hepburn had when winning her Oscar.

 

There was an overall creative energy that went about the couture shows that is increasingly more difficult to find amoungst prêt-a-porter designers. Couture does not have the restrictions placed upon it like the availability of fabrics; competition from fast fashion chains and pricing issues and allows designers to come up with relevant fashion. 

 

If one bears in mind that there is an increase in demand for Couture, it is safe to say that Couture is not so dead after all, and that it once again functions as a necessary motor for (the ideas expressed in) fashion.