The Highlights of Haute Couture Spring Summer 2024 Fashion Week
Lavish gowns, one-of-a-kind textiles and the finest craftmanship come together on the runways of Haute Couture Week. Twice a year, the event welcomes selected brands and guest members to showcase unique creations in Paris. But this is no regular fashion event. With enviable heritage, know-how and clientele, the brands presenting collections in the official calendar command the world’s attention with creations that push the boundaries of traditional fashion.
This year, Haute Couture Week takes place between January 22 and 25, with powerhouses like Schiaparelli, Jean Paul Gaultier and Dior among the most anticipated names.
As the event unfolds, EnVi rounds up everything you need to know about the Haute Couture Spring Summer 2024 season. Keep scrolling to see all the highlights of this fashion extravaganza.
The Martians of Schiaparelli
With Daniel Roseberry at the helm, Schiaparelli has experienced a well-deserved boost in popularity. After returning to its glory days as a couture referent, the brand is now in charge of kicking off Haute Couture Week. The show, held at Petit Palais — home to the Museum of Fine Arts — was a parade of avant-garde looks that referenced Elsa Schaparelli’s fascination for astronomy and her biological ties to Giovanni Schiaparelli, the man responsible for discovering linear structures on the surface of Mars and coining the term “Martians.”
Exaggerated shoulders, oversized shapes and signature Schiaparelli imagery — such as the iconic keyhole and measuring tape — made cameos on the runway. There were exquisitely crafted fringed looks, sharp angled leather pieces and otherworldly embroidery work. Technological artifacts (obsolete cellphones, circuit boards and microchips) along with crystal jewels served as embroideries and appliqués in dresses. Roseberry also sneaked subtle references to his own life through bandana iconography and cowboy-inspired footwear that informed his Texan roots.
Dior’s Aura
Maria Grazia Chiuri’s commitment to cross-industry collaborations that spotlight women artists has been a recurrence throughout her tenure as Dior’s creative director. For the brand’s latest haute couture presentation, the designer enrolled the help of Isabella Ducrot, whose installation Big Aura adorned the walls of a room in Musée Rodin. Twenty-three oversized dresses served as the backdrop of a runway that suitingly aimed to “trace” the aura of Dior as a couture house.
The result was a presentation where Dior codes and craftsmanship mixed with the brand’s modern explorations and take on present-day trends. Bar jackets, A-line skirts and wardrobe staples were reinvented through a couture lens with moiré fabric, pleats and feather details. There was even a segment of looks that reimagined Christian Dior’s La Cigale dress for the 21st century. Chiuri also nodded to budding trends such as polka dot fever and found a place to introduce the Victorian-era-infused dresses that have become her signature at the helm of Dior.
Thai Sweetheart Davika Hoorne Closed Giambattista Valli’s Runway
The king of volume and dreamy gowns, Giambattista Valli opened up his Spring Summer Haute Couture collection with a hyperfeminine number that featured everything the fashion world obsessed with in 2023, from bows to rosettes. The look preceded a parade of mini dresses with large and voluminous trails. Embellishments, draping and transparencies followed before Valli introduced vintage floral prints, cutout pieces and 80s-reminiscent elements — puffed sleeves, off-the-shoulder necklines and dropped waists.
The fantastical display of handcrafted pieces came to an end, as tradition dictates, with a bridal look. Fashion force Davika Hoorne, recently indexed to the Business of Fashion’s BoF 500 List, had the honor of closing the show in a dress that wowed audiences with its long trail and large godet skirt.
Schiaparelli was an A-Lister Affair
There was a Euphoria reunion on the front row of Schiaparelli. Hunter Schafer and Zendaya sat side by side to watch Daniel Roseberry’s latest collection. Of course, as style icons, they brought their best looks to the VIP section. Hunter Schafer made a statement with a Little Black Dress — a Schiaparelli version, of course — and a large floral necklace. Meanwhile, Zendaya stunned with a hair transformation that featured the divisive yet popular baby bangs. The actress wore a skin-tight black turtleneck with a maxi satin skirt with a dramatic train that resembled a ponytail.
Another star present at the event was South Korean rapper CL. After her cone bra moment of 2022, the former 2NE1 member returned to the front rows of Haute Couture Week. The “SPICY” rapper looked striking in a black flowy-fabric ensemble that featured a shawl collar and flared sleeve jacket along with an asymmetrical skirt. For that surrealist Schiaparelli touch, the look was embellished with the brand’s iconic measuring tape and topped off with popular brand items such as the Trompe L’œil Toe Boots and the Keyhole And Pierced Earrings. Beauty-wise, the star opted for peach lipstick and winged liner — it wouldn’t be a CL-approved look otherwise.
APAC Stars Took the Spotlight at Dior
Asian star-powered front rows are in no way a novelty, but the presence of celebrities from the Asia Pacific region was particularly noteworthy at Dior. The event reunited big names such as Beef star Ali Wong, Lebanese actress Razane Jammal, Japanese star Rikako Yagi and Chinese actress Jiang Shuying. Dior ambassador for South Korea, Han So-hee, also made an awaited appearance. The star pushed for the naked dress agenda that we thought the world had left in 2023, sporting a black sheer dress under a patterned coat. Meanwhile, Indian icon Sonam Kapoor wore one of the most iconic looks from the Dior Cruise 2024 runway — a full black number that embodied the Mexican inspiration of the collection.
Just like every season, Filipina fashionista Heart Evangelista also graced the VIP section. The all-rounder stepped out in a grey set of matching maxi dress and long coat. The focus was on her beauty as she opted for a romantic hairstyle that differed from her signature bob. Heart also made a case for Peach Fuzz makeup with elegant and natural-looking glam.
Rihanna made a rare front-row appearance
Rihanna, Anya Taylor-Joy, Kelly Rutherford and Natalie Portman also sat front row at the show. Rihanna’s rare front-row appearance, however, received special attention from the media. The singer made headlines with her look — a modern take on classic tailoring that borrowed streetwear elements and displayed her most daring side.
Simone Rocha’s Couture Week Debut
Irish-Chinese designer Simone Rocha reimagined Jean Paul Gaultier’s archives for her haute couture debut. Ribbons, tulle, and corsetry were the highlights of her collection, which drew inspiration from 19th-century fashion, ballet and Gaultier’s past work. Stepping as a guest designer for the French fashion house, Rocha reimagined classic Gaultier staples such as sailor hats and cone bras with her whimsical touch — think of a neutral color palette and decorative elements like bows and pearls.
Attendees of the much-anticipated event included PinkPantheress, Noah Cyrus, and Kylie Jenner. TikTok sensation and model Alex Consani and South Korean model Hyunji Shin walked down the runway.
Ananya Panday Walks for Rahul Mishra
Rahul Mishra’s Spring Summer 2024 presentation, titled “Superheroes,” revered the harmony between humans and nature. Specifically, the collection looked at the life cycles of both humans and various reptiles and insects. Shimmering honeycombs, snakeskins, and beetles lined the runway.
“Moth to a flame” took on a new meaning as Indian actress Ananya Panday emerged onto the runway in Mishra’s third look: “Moth Light.” The sparkling black, silver, and gold bodice was part of a round installation embroidered with a swarm of dazzling moths. Modeling the look, Panday made history as the youngest Bollywood actress to walk at Haute Couture Week.
Asian Excellence at Yuima Nakazato
Since his first Haute Couture collection in 2016, Japanese designer Yuima Nakazato has been fueling the avant-garde fashion scene. His newest endeavor, “UTAKATA” (Japanese for ephemeral) was no different. The collection will serve as the wardrobe of the opera Idomeneo, which will premiere at the Grand Théâtre de Genève in February, and was showcased on a runway choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.
For this cross-industry collaboration, Nakazato presented uniform-infused looks adorned with ceramics, glass, and platinum. The pieces featured complex silhouettes, asymmetrical layers and a neutral color palette. Other notable looks combined charcoal grey outerwear, military green undershirts, and sleek tunics with floral chokers and eccentric headpieces.
Japanese model Yuto Ebihara, Senegalese model Tass Sarr and Indonesian model Rizal Rama — recently listed as one of EnVi’s Fashion Power Players of 2023 — took the catwalk to display Nakazato’s work.
Interested in more fashion week content? Revisit the best moments of Men’s Paris Fashion Week here.
