With wedding and prom season in full swing, we look back at last January’s haute couture shows for some magical inspiration.
We highlight the top looks from our favorite and most celebrated collections presented by the world’s most talented and famous designers.
Relive the magic!
ASHI
The Spring-Summer Couture collection was sparked by moments of pure emotion inspired by Japanese art and literature, in particular waka, an elemental form of Japanese poetry. Short, concise verses that get right to the point. Strokes of black ink, straight from the heart. Poetry that resonates like sculpture.
DIOR
Like a bewitching Ariadne’s thread, the notion of “aura” infuses the entire Dior haute couture spring-summer 2024 collection dreamed up by Maria Grazia Chiuri. Exploring the plural beauty of textiles, the Creative Director has initiated a captivating, inventive dialogue with Isabella Ducrot, who conceived the show’s scenography entitled Big Aura: twenty-three disproportionate silhouettes are arranged on a grid of irregular black lines recalling warp and weft. A symbol of the aura and uniqueness suffusing each haute couture piece. Sublimated by refined moiré, an effect dear to Christian Dior, the outfits reinterpret La Cigale – thought up by Monsieur Dior for autumn-winter 1952 –, revisiting thus the House’s archives to bring contemporary looks to life.
ELIE SAAB
Titled A Glamour of Yor , the Elie Saab haute couture fall/winter 2023/24 collection offers glimpses of a distant past brought into the mesmerizing present. With regal imaginary, the Lebanese A-lister designer reinterprets contours of long ago through a contemporary lens of magnificence and poise. Cinematic muses in medieval period pieces––Cate Blanchet in Elizabeth, Sophie Marceau in Braveheart, Kiera Knightly in The Duchess, Marion Cotillard in Macbeth, Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman, Isabelle Adjani in La Reine Margot, and Angelina Jolie in Maleficent––give
breath to an alluring retelling of legends and tales.
FRANCK SORBIER
GEORGES HOBEIKA
This collection is a first for the Maison – inspired by and paying homage to the Arab world. It references the glamour and beauty of Middle Eastern women, the joyful and creative aspects of the region’s culture, and the sense of compassion and care displayed throughout the Orient. Elements of childhood nostalgia meld with the spirit of the 50s, 60s and 70s to echo the joie de vivre of the eras’ parties, while a sense of streamlined modernism brings a contemporary edge to the designs. Colourful silhouettes and playful details express the warmth of the Arab spirit, translating a feeling of hope and compassion. For Co-Creative Directors Georges and Jad Hobeika, this collection is a love letter to the women and the culture which nurtured them, and continue to influence them.
MAISON MARGIELA
The Maison Margiela 2024 Artisanal Collection paints a picture of the practices and occurrences that shape the character reflected within our dress. Borne out of an internal exploration founded in consciousness, it is a technical and philosophical study of presence and sentience. Under Pont Alexandre III, bathed in the light of the first full moon of the year, Creative Director John Galliano captures a moment in time: a walk through the underbelly of Paris, offline.
RAMI AL ALI
Rami Al Ali unveils his Spring/Summer 2024 Couture collection, a mesmerizing ode to the enchanting world of Bedouin heritage. A symphony of elegance and artistry, this unique 30- piece collection transcends the boundaries of traditional couture. Each piece resonates with the soulful nostalgia of Al Ali’s cherished childhood memories, weaving a narrative that unfolds as a celebration of the demure elegance, mystique, and allure intrinsic to the Bedouin lifestyle.
ZUHAIR MURAD
Titled A Tyrian Arabesque capturing for the gentle season the timeless spirit of an inventive civilization that continues to inspire and enchant, Zuhair Murad pays homage to the Phoenicians’ love for the sea with his spring/summer 2024 haute couture collection. It is an ode to light, waves, wind, marine sparkles, and the gentle amber of Mediterranean sunsets. A couture collection throughout which Zuhair Murad merges the ancient and the modern through a dazzling celebration of the Phoenician heritage. A potent sensuality pervades these creations where the craftsmanship of an ancient seafaring people, whose primary calling was to explore the world, finds expression.
