delicate in Giambattista Valli, fantastic in Charles de Vilmorin

The first days of Paris Haute Couture Week, with the Fall/Winter 2024-25 collections, have been characterized by the most ethereal and sophisticated creations. For example, in Giambattista Valli, who was inspired by flowers and India, or in Charles de Vilmorin, where the register was more theatrical and fable, with an added touch of drama.

On Monday evening, Giambattista Valli presented a rather surprising and more restrained collection than usual, composed mainly of monochromatic tulle and muslin dresses inspired by two main themes: flowers and a vibrant palette of colors, such as golden yellow and saffron, ruby ​​red, fuchsia, crimson, periwinkle violet and light blue.

“I love colours that you can almost smell, like those of a flower or a freshly picked fruit. A fresh rose, a mandarin orange, a marigold with its Far Eastern sun-kissed glow,” said Valli. The Italian designer wanted his collection to be a dialogue between two cultures: Mogul India and its miniatures filled with lush gardens and botanical details, and the Italian Renaissance with paintings such as the iconic one by Sandro Botticelli. Springwith its orange trees loaded with fruits and the goddess of spring, Flora, dressed in a flower dress.

Delicate petals were scattered over the models' faces and bodies, and flowers bloomed everywhere: peonies emerged from a jumpsuit and pink organza marigolds scattered over a bustier dress, covering it completely. Elsewhere, a dress was made entirely of embroidered petals. A garland of marigolds surrounded a white tulle wedding dress. And cornflowers were scattered on a bustier dress. Valli also presented several slinky hooded dresses made of light chiffon, decorated with bouquets of flowers.

As live musical accompaniment to the show, the label invited two Indian musicians playing a sitar and a bansuri flute. “At a time of great political, historical and economic confusion, I wanted to send a message in favor of dialogue, as a door that opens to the future, with this conversation between two cultures that involves listening and dialogue,” Valli concluded.

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Charles de Vilmorin launched his ready-to-wear line last season and was absent in January, but he returned to the runways at Haute Couture Week with an incredibly spectacular collection. Dream or nightmare? A series of grotesque figures, strange animals, disturbing and fairy-tale characters paraded around the set, bathed in red light. They looked like they were straight out of a Tim Burton movie. corpse Bride for example, like the bride holding a bouquet of cremated thistles, accompanied by her groom wearing a shirt with romantic ruffles.

Long, tight-fitting evening dresses, black or red, made of taffeta or classic men's fashion fabrics, were fastened in the back with corset-style laces and ended in a long train. The sleeves of one dress were partially sewn to the sides, making movement difficult, while swirls of feathers cascaded from the top of her head to her shoulders. A sequin-embroidered red silk ensemble was adorned with ostrich feathers. Luxurious whalebone jacquard dresses were paired with capes for a princess look. A voluminous dress resembling a parachute seemed to be cut from crumpled paper.

“This time, I wanted to use all my experience to reproduce my designs without resorting to prints,” said de Vilmorin, known for his artistic humor and surreal illustrations, speaking to FashionNetwork.com backstage. One dress featured sequin-embroidered arabesques, one of the designer's signature patterns. The collection took advantage of volumes, creating them with feathers, large headdresses, embroidered motifs and 3D decorative elements.

Red and black feathers stood like wings on the back of a black dress. The brim of a tall black hat spread in spirals around the head, curling like a monocle around one eye. Elsewhere, a curled frame was placed like a screen in front of a nearly naked silhouette, and a giant parasol-style hat hid the model's head behind long tassels.

The collection also includes two new models of footwear decorated with De Vilmorin designs, one of them boots and the other a pair of Mary Janes with buckles, made in collaboration with the footwear brand Carel.