Patou: Say it with roses
“A rose is a rose is a rose,” wrote Gertrude Stein, although she did not have in mind the House of Patou, where designer Guillaume Henri used the rose as a source for a powerful expression of hipster romanticism in fashion.
Stein lived and wrote in St Germain, just around the corner from this show, staged in the courtyard of the National Institute for the Deaf. Gertrude's maxim is generally regarded as an expression of the idea that appearances are what they seem. But in Henri's imagination, a rose expresses a certain indifference coupled with Parisian elegance.
In all, the collection was Henry's best for Patou, after six years at the house, one of the smallest in LVMH's giant luxury empire. While his first collections were overloaded with huge white shirts and coats, this time he controlled the silhouette. The result was sexier and more with it.
Entente cordiale in the courtyard, as Lady Jean Violet Campbell opened the show with a bang in a sleeveless tunic dress with military shoulder straps. Beginning a fine series of tailoring: safari jackets, some cut like a cocktail; Tense Eisenhowers or shirt jackets, all of that was very cheerful.
The crisp men's shirts tailored to summer cocktail parties or paired with minis, finished off with huge matching belts, were chic and elegant.
“I called this collection Rose, so I wanted something very elegant, but also quite simple,” Henri explained after the show.
All decorated with gold earrings, necklaces and bracelets. The cast, clearly enjoying the clothes, strutted around to a Francis Lai concerto. The kind you hear in French movies, when lovers walk along the Seine at dusk.
As a testament to Guillaume's growing self-confidence, his front row of Katie Holmes, Stefanie Powers, Maya Rudolph, Jeanne Damas and assorted It Gals looked pretty good at Patou.
Technically speaking, it was a ready-to-wear show that completed the four-day Paris haute couture season. Except it culminated in the finale with a quartet of dimpled, enveloping satin couture gowns.
“The idea came from 40 silhouettes. But I wanted the four finalists to be pink,” Henri concluded.
A rose by any other name, in short.
Ashi Studio: Darkness at Noon
The final morning of the haute couture season began with a show by Saudi star Ashi Studio, presented in the courtyard of the Musée de la Monnaie, a beautiful palace on the banks of the Seine.
But instead of neoclassical architecture and cobblestones, guests entered a black box with a black sand runway, blackened desert bushes, and a midnight sky.
Ashi, the first Saudi couturier accepted on the official list of the Federation of Haute Couture and Fashion, is already a fashion star. Able to attract a diverse bag of bold names: Michelle Williams, Carine Roitfeld and master actor Tom Hollander, who appeared in a magnificent large pale gray Napoleonic coat. Ashi's first step into men's fashion and very convincing.
Ashi titled this fall/winter 2024/25 collection Sculpted Clouds, a dark, dreamlike vision of haute couture.
Many hyper-sculpted looks: from the resting eagle, black velvet cocoon cocktails or columns of sheer and shiny chiffon, whose shoulders were adorned with balls of fabric. Or an ecru jacquard cocoon coat with giant sleeves that Cristóbal Balenciaga would have been proud of. Best of all is a black velvet and silk shantung cocoon cocktail that was crying out for an Oscar winner.
While a black lace look seemed to have sprouted naturally, blossoming from a black model to reveal behind baggy pants and extraordinarily long legs.
Ashi likes to reference the raw terrain and desert flowers of her homeland, and she does so with panache in a beautiful ecru wool double-breasted coat, jingling with glass beads. All this backed by a spectacular soundtrack. Frates of the 12 cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic that was dark and very mordant.
“In the creative beginning, the feelings seemed to me to be flashes: courage and determination,” explained the couturier.
Ashi certainly has a lot of design skills, sometimes too many. And maybe she could develop a better sense of self-editing. A pink bird-of-paradise look made of dyed horsehair attached to layers of edged chiffon certainly turned heads, but it was hard to imagine where exactly the look would be worn.
Fortunately, Ashi is much more than an image maker. And those who want their sewing to be grand, bold and bold will love this collection.
Peet Dullaert: You have to control yourself
The lack of self-publishing is a criticism that can also be leveled against Peet Dullaert, a Dutch couturier recently accepted into the official calendar.
This season he presented his ideas inside the Hotel Evreux, next to the Hotel Ritz on the Place Vendôme. He seemed happily overwhelmed by the number of editors, guests and fans who showed up. With dozens of people standing inside the grand period salons, Peet sent out a rich selection of evening wear for multiple occasions.
Like the sleeveless slit tuxedo dress with wide lapels and pointed shoulders; or a second tuxedo dress, this time in silk bouclé. Both covered with crystal decorations. More tuxedo-clads followed before a sudden change of gear and one witnessed a Christ-like figure in a giant beige robe. His bare feet are tattooed with the phrase: Paris Peet Dullaert. What was the point?
Aside from the sleek tuxedos, Peet's best ideas were the daring black ruched faille dresses – which the models clearly enjoyed wearing – before things got out of hand and eyes started drowning in twisted straps, gold metallic embellishments and slightly absurd sheer ribbons.
There is a couturier there trying to escape this burst of excessive enthusiasm. Maybe one day I'll escape.
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