The Gems of Fall Couture Week

The dust left behind from couture week has long settled with the lavish displays of craftsmanship in design fully marinated. As the fashion industry entered a rest period in August, I felt compelled to share my personal highlights of one of the most enthralling weeks of fashion. Couture Week manages to continuously open my eyes further to the limitless nature of a designer’s craftsmanship and creative output. It will be interesting to see if the fashion month in September for Spring/Summer 25 can match its bravado.

Schiaparelli

Schiaparelli set the bar for what was to follow. The opening look, below, showed a black velvet cape with broad shoulder padding, embroidered with silver wings reminiscent of that of a phoenix. It was a look deemed enough to kickstart a week of riveting art.

Following this was a multitude of alluring designs that fall in line with Daniel Roseberry’s expertise in fusing the avant-garde with poise and elegance. In particular, Look 10 – my favourite of the collection – sent social media into frenzy: a velvet corset dress helmed by the body of a pump hell, an orchestra of gathered fabric folds at the hem of the silhouette, with its spring-like movement sending social media into frenzy.

Thom Browne

Another couture week highlight was none other than Thom Browne. A camaraderie of asymmetrical silhouettes and varying textures of muslin fabric can be seen in Look 1, pictured below. It was perfected to a sluggish, oversized coat dress finish.

By Look 42, we were graced with the very culmination of the collection. It spotlighted a tailored, asymmetrical collar dress with an anatomical feature created through incredibly detailed hand appliqué and stitching.

The craftsmanship and technique displayed in this collection were unparalleled to any other in the week – which Browne reports required forty two men and eleven thousand hours to complete.

Robert Wun

Completing my couture week trifecta was none other than Robert Wun. This collection was an encapsulation of elemental attributes that reference time. Celebrating 10 years since the label’s debut with 25 looks about time, Wun showcased an abundance of bold textures and vivid colours to create visual imagery similar to that of a deity or an extraterrestrial form of life. This was highlighted in the final looks that reference the skin with hollow pleat material favouring the colour of human skin tones; the flesh with numerous glass bugle beads to create the anatomy; the bones with a skeleton-like framework over the garment including a harrowing skeleton mask; and the soul that was beautifully embellished with various multicoloured crystals that resulted in a galactic cosmos-esque finish.