How Haute Couture Blends Drama and Ease in 2024
Pomp and flamboyance are not always required. See the best of haute couture, including expertly crafted designs speak from Chanel, Schiaparelli, Armani, and more.
Photography MATTHIAS VRIENS
Styled by GIULIO MARTINELLI
This season, luxury houses reimagine the codes of haute couture. A singular sensitivity cuts through the work's technical flair and innovativeness. Silhouettes are ostensibly faithful in their construction, each bearing a distinctively spellbinding spirit. The elaborate artistry of garments is met with directness, exuding a refreshing unpretentiousness that does not distract from the craftsmanship but instead enhances the beauty. There is a highly disciplined degree of ornamentation, mostly letting the ethereal interplay of colors and shapes take center stage.
Or vice versa, a purposeful restraint of color draws the eye to the pieces’ precise tailoring. For instance, sartorial experimentation was daring yet gentle and concise with Chanel’s white taffeta trapeze dress with black bow shoulder straps, as well as Stéphane Rolland’s white and black strapless satin draped ball gown.
A mesmerizing crescendo of structures also graces this season’s haute couture. Brands breach into unexpected dimensions of engineered savviness, each gown a testament to their labor of love. Dolce & Gabanna revamped its architectural arsenal with a multicolor patterned dress that displayed sensible corsetry and impressive volume from the waist down. Meanwhile, Viktor & Rolf married classical glamour with futuristic dynamism with an ultra-structured triangular-prism-shaped dress.
Mélanges of intricately-cut styles convey strength and humanism. Slit-back details, plunging necklines, and one-shoulder silhouettes in creations at Armani, Giambattista Valli, Dior, Elie Saab, and Schiaparelli honor the body and exude a sultry ambiance. These elements are made more appealing by the mesmerizing effects of lush fabrics. Armani displays a sense of emboldened dress with a dress with a constellation-like crystal bodice and a velvet skirt. At the same time, Giambattista Valli steps into its golden hour with a marigold gown adorned with chiffon mousseline blossoms at the décolleté.
Keep scrolling to see some of the undeniably luxurious masterpieces from the latest couture.
MODEL: Ilana Hansen PREMIUM MODELS CASTING: Carlo Savoldi
HAIR: Beppe D’Elia using L'ORÉAL PROFESSIONAL
MAKEUP: Thomas Lorenz using BYREDO HAIR ASSISTANT: Roberto Mambretti
PHOTO ASSISTANT: Priscilla Domine STYLING ASSISTANT: Fernando Echeverria
