As hot as what?? … AS HOT AS HAUTE! haute couture fashion week spring summer 2011

armani prive

As I stared into the jpeg images of the finely tailored garments of haute couture fashion week, I kept on sobbing inside for not being able to see the clothes for real, feel the richness of the fabric and the delicately made embroidery in my hands. This year, the haute couture fashion week presented a sense of elegant minimalism (a style which I greatly admire and follow in my designs) Designers like Stephane Rolande, Givenchy, Chanel and Valentino displayed minimalism – of course minimalism does not mean a shallow approach to design, especially in haute couture it is natural to expect excellence in design and great amount of craftsmanship.

stephane rolande

Thus the designers like Chanel and Stephane Rolande had beautiful gowns and coats: Karl Lagerfield used embroidery on the Chanel coats that were heavy with translucent crystal beads.  Stephane Rolande’s artistic gowns in beautiful earthy tones with huge sculptural brooches were breathtakingly beautiful. The most captivating show from the fashion week, to me was that of Armani Prive by Georgio Armani; there was fine tailoring and futuristic minimalism. The models looked like shiny elongated beetles with iridescent colors glistening on their handsomely tailored silhouettes.  Such beauty! His collection was so perfect! I just wish I could be in Armani’s fashion house, working with the team experiencing each step they take and how the tailors work on the garments, be part of the creative process!

Valentino and Jean Paul Gaultier

Through the minimalistic collections in the fashion week, it was refreshing to see Galliano and Gaultier exhibit flamboyance through their collections. I was quite surprised and eager to see the garments that John Galliano presented for Christian Dior this year; as his inspiration was the great fashion illustrator Rene Gruau! Ah! Gruau is a pioneer in his field, his illustrations created history in fashion illustration and they still inspire young fashion illustrators (like me!)

“The most dramatic effects were chiaroscuro—the interplay of light and shade, duplicating the wash of Gruau’s watercolors and the shadows of Irving Penn’s classic couture photography. Where it seemed that hand-painting fabric would have been the simplest way to achieve the desired result, Galliano and his studio used seven layers of tulle to create a shimmering depth of dégradé.” Style.com

Christian Dior and Ellie Saab

Galliano is also one of those designers who epitomize haute fashion! And as another exciting fashion week  ends, I just remembered all those designers who have exhibited on the haute couture runway –

I salute them all!

images from style.com and here